Eurekatude

I think the silence is the first thing you'll notice.  Around here, it's all wind through the leaves, echoes of chirping birds, and rumbles of civilization and life in the distance sounding from anywhere rolling around the valleys and bouncing off the hills like a pinball. The silence is an essential part of Eurekatude, the way nothing really matters until it comes your way, be it a buck, the weather, a car, or a friend.  There is no constant hum of man-made life gurgling around you to distract from what is happening right now.  Which is nothing, really, except every gift of nature you can imagine and the peace and time to do whatever you like.

We have a band of filmmakers, musicians, artists, and writers, farmers, brewers, and chefs, firefighters, folks with three jobs, a bunch of guns, and a plethora of those who aren't afraid of mud.  They believe in the value of land and the freedom to do what you like on it, living quietly and joyfully, playing games, bringing their dogs everywhere, playing on lakes, and killing their own meat.  Many come from somewhere else, have lived in big cities, and have  traveled to other countries, but they always return to the collection of homes on the edge of Canada, in a valley shadowed by mountains and nestled within a few national forests.  They are content to have Kalispell be where Costco is, Whitefish be where all the nightlife is, and Missoula be the closest thing we have to a Big City Having It All, because getting to all these places requires a drive of at least an hour and maybe three through unmatched scenery and land unspoiled compared to so much of the world.  It's a fact that Montana is full of best places, maybe hidden treasures, and the Tobacco Valley has secured its place among them.  Having almost turned around halfway through the fifty mile drive the day of my teaching interview, if only because I felt like we were driving from the middle of nowhere into epicenter of nowhere, I know what apprehension feels like in terms of moving to a place even tinier than the tiniest place I ever lived in.

Hidden gems, small victories, enough space to try and fail and work on everything over and over again till you get it right, without the pressure of civilization bearing down on you... I think that's only part of what keeps everyone here and draws the bold few to keep on driving all the way down the road, exploring the backroads all along the way, and having faith that it will all work out.




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