Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 3 10 I 'VE ALWAYS LOVED WRITING, and when I took over as publisher of Distinctly Mon- tana, I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to write more. My plan was to pur- sue the lesser-known but fascinating stories hidden on Montana's soaring peaks and endless plains. That was in January of 2020 and while our first issue was very rough, we managed to make it through Covid. My intention to write stories in every issue of the magazine, however, did not fare as well. As much as I'd like to blame it on Covid, I really can't. As the publisher and owner, doing everything that keeps the lights on and the presses running always seems to get in the way of writing. I know from experience that this is true of any writing, no matter what it's for. There's always something more important to do, whether it's reorganizing the toolbox in the garage that hasn't been touched in 3 years, or running to the post office to buy stamps. When I sit down to write, these things suddenly begin pressing in on me as absolutely critical to my survival. If I don't have those stamps, the world very well may end and so it would be irresponsible and selfish of me not to go to the post office instead of writing. All this is to say that I've managed to force my writer's cap back on and write a story for this issue. I hope you enjoy it! It's a very special Montana story you likely have yet to hear. It will also give you a great weekend Montana road trip idea. In other news, our BEST OF MONTANA 2023 contest finished spectacularly, with an exponential increase in popularity. We're honored to present you with the best businesses in Montana from a wide range of indus- tries. We're grateful to all of them, especially our advertising part- ners, without whom this issue would never have made it to the press. As our esteemed readers, we would be honored if you would visit them in person or online. You'll be glad that you did! If you mention that you heard about them in Distinctly Montana, well we'd be just over the moon! We had more than 73,000 votes and nominations this year, so these truly are the best of the best. We hope you enjoy this issue of Distinctly Montana, and if you did, please let us know! Hey, even if you see something you don't like or if you find a typo or oth- er error, please let us know. We're always trying to improve and would never claim to be perfect! Thank you for reading, and we wish you a fantastic autumn! A N O T E F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R P U B L I S H E R CHRISTOPHER MUHLENFELD, PUBLISHER chris@distinctlymontana.com ©2002-2023. Distinctly Montana is owned and published by Thunderstruck Me- dia LLC, a Montana company. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, without our written permission is prohibited. Distinctly Montana welcomes freelance contributions—please contact us to inquire about submitting your work. DISTINCTLY MONTANA IS DESIGNED AND PRINTED IN THE USA. Published by Thunderstruck Media LLC • 280 West Kagy Blvd, STE D286 • Bozeman, Montana 59715 www.distinctlymontana.com • info@distinctlymontana.com • (406) 600-7660 WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS! The paper content of this publication has been certifiably reforested via PrintReleaf – the world's first platform to measure paper consumption and automate reforestation across a global network of reforestation projects. LEARN MORE AT PRINTRELEAF.COM photo: flickr.com/nicholas_t | CC BY PUBLISHERS Christopher & Pattra Muhlenfeld EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joseph Shelton ART DIRECTOR / ILLUSTRATOR Robert Rath COPY EDITOR AND PROOF EDITOR Shannon Page SALES EXECUTIVE Larry Sem PRINT MANAGEMENT Pam Koehler, Koehler + Co. fb.com/distinctlymontana instagram.com/distinctlymontana twitter.com/distinctlymt S U B S C R I B E S U B S C R I B E T O D AY T O D AY W E D E L I V E R ! W E D E L I V E R ! SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DISTINCTLY MONTANA DISTINCTLY MONTANA MAGAZINE MAGAZINE DISTINCTLYMONTANA.COM/SUBSCRIBE SEND A CHECK FOR THE AMOUNT MATCHING THE SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD YOU'D LIKE: 1 YEAR - $39.95 2 YEARS - $69.95 3 YEARS - $99.95 MAIL CHECKS TO: DISTINCTLY MONTANA 280 W KAGY BLVD, STE D-286 BOZEMAN MT 59715 SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE B E S T O F M O N TA N A B M D I S TI N C T L Y M O N T A N A ' S 2023

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