Distinctly Montana Magazine

73 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m W HEN WE ARRIVED AT QUINN'S, it was late in the spring. There were spots of snow on the ground, but they were thinning while the moun- tains, towering above the resort, were white flecked green with trees. It was stunningly beautiful, enough that even before we checked in we had to stand there and gawp at the sur- roundings. Even for us Montanans, who are sometimes jaded as a byprod- uct of our ready access to gobsmack- ing scenery, the view at Quinn's was exceptional. My girlfriend and I had booked our stay in Annie Oakley, one of the resort's Riverview Cabins. We were told that these spacious two-person accommodations overlooking the river were ideal for a romantic getaway. You know how it is, when it's not that things are bad between you two, but the small tensions of everyday life do begin to add up after a while. You decide, or we did, that getting away some- where together where we wouldn't have to worry about the bro- ken dishwasher, the sharply protrud- ing couch spring, or the persistent din of the news. Things don't have to be bad for you to need to get the hell out of town for a few days. Quinn's had been on our bucket list for a long time. For one thing, it has been voted Best of Montana in a profusion of categories, garnering awards for its restaurant, hot springs experience, and wine list. But we were unprepared for the beauty and the stillness that greeted us at Quinn's. Plus, a friend of ours had told us that they had enjoyed an incredible time there with his wife. They still talked about it a year later and were planning to replicate on their an- niversary. So our expectations were high. But Annie Oakley, true to her name, hit the bullseye. Whatever expectations we had she ex- ceeded. As someone who is lucky enough to be able to occasionally write about the experience of hospitality in Montana for a job, Even for us Montanans, WHO ARE SOMETIMES JADED AS A BYPRODUCT OF OUR READY ACCESS TO GOBSMACKING SCENERY, THE VIEW AT QUINN'S WAS EXCEPTIONAL. by SHERMAN CAHILL • photos by AUGUST MILLARD

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