Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 9 THE BIG SKY AT NIGHT: A JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS PAGE 51 DOUG STEVENS is a freelance writer, photographer and college educator living near Polson. He has been an avid wil- derness backpacker for nearly 50 years and also enjoys fly-fishing, bowhunting, and snowshoeing with his wife, Tania. Access his blog at graytrekker.darkroom.tech KING OF THE ROAD PAGE 64 GARY SHELTON was born in Lewistown in 1951 and has been a rancher, a railroader, a biker, a teacher, a hippie, and a cowboy. Now he's trying his hand at writing in the earnest hope that he'll make enough at it to make a down payment on an RV. Hell, scratch that. Enough to buy the whole RV. HOW WE BOUGHT OUR MONTANA HOME: GETTING CREATIVE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET PAGE 79 MARY BERUBE is a lover of all things having to do with sto- rytelling and subsequent laughter. She holds a degree in theater from Western Washington University, and has worked as a theater educator for over ten years. In addition to teaching drama, Mary also works as a marketing manager for regional non-profits. These days you can find Mary either out for a run in the mountains with her husband or working in the garden. THE AMERICAN DREAM BY MAIL: KIT HOMES OUT WEST PAGE 84 LINDSAY DICK is a freelance copywriter living and working in Missoula. Originally from Bozeman, her writing and research interests include history, health and wellness, literature, and historic preservation. She enjoys garden- ing, hiking, reading, and horror movies. WILD WEST WORDS PAGE 92 CHRYSTI "THE WORDSMITH" SMITH was born some decades ago in Poplar, where she misspent her youth riding horses and motorcycles. Putting those things behind her as adult, she turned toward studies in archeology/ anthropology at MSU, where she also accidentally dis- covered radio broadcasting. She has been producing "Chrysti the Wordsmith" at MSU's radio facility, KGLT-FM, since 1990. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Carrie Lynn Bear Chief Sean Cassidy Joshua Gross Whitney Kamman Photography John Maclean Cassie Madden Photography Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Leighton Switzer Jeremy Thurston Photography Lailani Uphan

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