For those of you that know me well, you know that I am
extremely proud of my family history on both my Estonian and Irish sides of my
family. The Quigley family were among some of the first pioneers of Montana,
settling in the Avon area in 1863. As a little girl, I lived at Frontier Town,
15 miles out of Helena, during some of her glory days in the 1980's. Since
then, I have lived from Alaska to Nebraska, and then in Wyoming for ten years.
After being gone since 1990 and having just moved back to Montana a year and a
half ago, I am more proud than EVER to be able to call myself a Montanan and to
be home where my roots run deep. The “Treasure State” has countless gems and
riches to brag about, and I think that those of us that are lucky enough to get
to live here, know that we live in one of the most beautiful places in the
world.
With this all being said, I am very picky about companies
and outfits that come into the state and want to represent themselves as
“Montanan”.
Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to stay at The Ranch at
Rock Creek for three days. A Virtuoso, Relais & Châteaux, all-inclusive,
luxury ranch, located out of the historic and charming mining town of
Philipsburg, Montana. Owned and dreamed up by James Manley, the CEO of Atlantic
Pacific, a boutique investment bank in Greenwich, CT. The Ranch at Rock Creek is the culmination of
Mr. Manley’s boyhood love of the old west and the dream to own a ranch one day.
After searching for twenty years for the perfect location that met all ten of
his criteria, an opportunity finally arose in Montana’s “Gold West Country”,
and The Ranch at Rock Creek was born in 2010.
It was a beautiful winter drive through Rocky Mountain
passes and country roads where everyone you pass, waves at you. After the two hour car ride from Clancy,
through snow and wind, I made it to The Ranch at Rock Creek. The location was
prime, the views were idyllic, and from first impression, I am intrigued by the
ranch’s cozy setting.
Entering the
Granite Lodge was like going home, and I immediately felt comfortable. Warm,
welcoming, and authentic, with a crackling fire in the beautiful stone
fireplace, the ambiance of the main room calls to you to grab a book, and curl
up on one of the couches or oversized chairs. The dining room was also warm and
comforting, especially with a front row seat to another one of the lodges
beautiful
fireplaces. The décor was perfect, and the attention to detail was
spot on. The best marriage of rustic and authentic meets luxury. Not
pretentious at all, but of obvious class and sophistication.
I was warmly
welcomed and shown to the “Sharps” room, a lovely King room with a spacious
balcony to look out on the courtyard. Beautifully appointed and designed, it
was a perfect room for a three day working weekend.
I quickly learned that I was the only unstaffed person at
the lodge that weekend. The sales management team had been there for a week of
work and fun on the ranch and were leaving the next morning. Other than that, I
had the whole resort to myself! Which, being a mother of two rambunctious
chatter box boys, that sounded like a quiet piece of heaven and I welcomed it
gladly.
I was so happy Mr. Manley accepted my invitation to lunch when I first
arrived. A self-proclaimed “number man”, you can see that his mind works like a
calculator; very intelligent and precise. An obvious visionary, I was very
appreciative of the opportunity to get to chat with Mr. Manley. He dreams in my
wheel well, and it is impossible to not catch his enthusiasm for his dream come
true.
The weather was pretty cold and blustery, typical of January
in The Rocky Mountains. It snowed a lot of the time I was there. Sometimes it was similar to that of a snow
globe, falling like glitter from the sky. Other times it was coming at you
sideways, plastering your hair to you face. No matter what it was like, it was
always lovely to watch from inside The Granite Lodge. Especially with your back
up against a nice toasty fire.
You expect a certain culinary standard from a Relais &
Chateaux property, and The Granite Lodge hit the nail on the head for authentic
western gourmet dining. Every meal that I had was SO delicious. Half of the
time I was happy to go with whatever the head chef had planned as a special. All
of the ingredients were top quality, like they had just been picked yesterday. In fact,
I think they had been! I wish I would have gotten better pictures, but the cozy
atmosphere of the dining room was softly lit, and didn’t make for the best picture
taking. I can assure you it was a foodie paradise and I was spoiled by
everything I had. I will dream about these goat cheese appetizers we had
the first night. I’m sure they have a fancy name that I should have written
down. They absolutely melted in your mouth though. I also tried jamon iberico ham for the first
time. “The fanciest and most delicious ham in the world”, and it was pretty
damn amazing.
That afternoon my first round of inspections began at the
Rod & Gun Club. An element of The Ranch at Rock Creek (TRRC from here on
out), that I don’t think many people REALLY understand, is the fact that TRRC
is all-inclusive, meaning that all of your activities, gourmet dining, and premier
wine, beer and spirits are included in the price of your stay. The only
additional costs would be if you wanted to splurge on a bottle of Cristal, or
something else on their impressive reserve list. There are only a few
activities that are not included because they are located off property, or
outfitted by a third party – like hot air balloon rides, or skiing at Discovery
Basin. There is also an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course in
Anaconda, if you are a die-hard golfer. I think most people forget about
wanting to leave the property after they are spellbound by the many activities
and opportunities the ranch allows you to really disconnect from the “real
world” and reconnect with nature and your loved ones.
The Rod & Gun Club is the epicenter of the ranch. It is
where guests sign up for all of their recreational ranch activities and will
meet their guides every day during their stay. It is a perfect place to gear up
with everything you will need for day fly fishing on the river, as well as get outfitted with a whole selection of
cowboy boots, snowshoes, and hiking boots. With all-inclusive activities
including fishing on the legendary Rock Creek, a blue ribbon trout stream
home to six different trout species, or taking part in “The Cowboy Shooting
Program”, where guests shoot reactive targets with western-style single action
revolvers, as well as a lever action rifles to really feel like they’re living
in the old west. There is also a sporting clay program, a 3D Archery course,
Paintball, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, snowmobiling, snow cat
tours, sleigh rides, sledding and ice skating.
There is also a “Little Grizzlies
Kid Program” for those guests ages 4-12 years of age. With morning and afternoon activities
with themes that feature cowboys and horses, plants and rocks, rivers and
ponds, bugs and critters, raptors and birds, the olden days, and wilderness
survival. All of this is ALL included in the price of your stay at The Ranch at
Rock Creek.
During my stay I got to see most of the homes and
cabins. Each accommodation that I inspected was unique, yet authentic. Every
room, every turn, every shelf was appointed and decorated expertly. I will even
say I had a few deja vu moments, where I was transported in time by the power
of smell alone. IT smelled authentic. I could close my eyes and be on the Avon
homestead ranch or at one of the cabins at Frontier Town. I also got to see some
of the awesome family canvas cabins. Composed of combinations of canvas, wood and
stone structures and located right on the bank of Rock Creek, this is glamping
at its finest. There was one specific cabin I had really anticipated seeing
after hearing quite a few of my wedding industry friends talk about it,
including Katalin Green, the founder and editor in chief of Montana Bride
magazine.
One of the most romantic glamping options, “The Trapper
Cabin”, is tucked away, down a dirt road, just a short 15 minute bike ride from
The Granite Lodge. A 600 square foot romantic getaway, constructed of part
canvas and part fallen wood from the property. You walk into a beautiful canvas
tent, into what is the King bedroom with an inviting sitting area and electric
stove. The room was still a very comfortable temperature for a mid-January
winter day. And if it wasn’t warm enough, all you had to do was turn on
your electric stove and it would be toasty in no time. The cabin carries
through a canvas hallway and opens to a kitchen with refrigerator and wine
cooler and a beautiful bathroom with a naturally lit tile rain shower. Complete
with a private deck, looking out over Rock Creek, and custom cedar soaking tub
– it is a lover’s retreat for sure.
That evening I was invited to sit in with Mr. Manley and the
sales team for a two hour kitchen lesson taught by the head chef, Josh Drage, on
how TRRC sources all of the produce and meats as locally and as organically as
possible (one of the nights I had an amazing steak that was from the 4H boy
down the road, and it was deeeelicious!). This lesson was followed up with an
absolute exquisite 4-course tasting, complete with wine pairings. It was a
delicious meal and my company was grand. I really loved having the opportunity
to dine with, and get to know the team at TRRC more.
The next day I had breakfast with the sales team before they
all headed off in their own directions. You know how sometimes you just “click”
with people? Well, we all shared a touching and humorous breakfast chat, and I
think we may all be linked for life now. Ha-ha – I really had a great time
getting to know them for just the short time I did.
I'll take this time to say
how much I sincerely enjoyed everyone at the ranch. I had the opportunity to
dine with The GM, Adam Schoen, a couple of times. A Minnesota native with an
impressive resume of guiding and working at other luxury resorts from Alaska to
Africa. The shooting instructor, Theo Statler, was so sweet as to chain up his jeep and took me
up to “The Top of the World” and drove me all around on his playground through
the fresh snow we had gotten the night before. It’s obvious this guy is living
the dream, and is loving life working at TRRC. I think they all are living the
dream. Most of the staff lives on premises at the staff camp, composed of
cabins as well as canvas cabins for the summer hires. Someone made the joke
that a previous guest had really wanted to go down there one night, and joked
that she was going to try to carry a watermelon into camp, making a joke referencing the
classic movie “Dirty Dancing”. It felt like the whole team at TRRC came across as a
family unit. Everyone helping out anywhere they needed it, and happy to do so.
I would be lying if I didn’t say I absolutely left the ranch wishing I could be
more involved and a part of TRRC family.
I was treated to a massage with a Reiki Master and Energy
Healer, Ms. Shawna Reisner. The Granite Spa was heavenly, and it was easy to be
relaxed with such a gifted and talented therapist. The spa itself was quaint
and perfect, and also offered Yoga classes. I think I may have left my body at
some point – it was wonderful.
I rounded out my
inspections that afternoon and was more and more in love with the ranch as I toured more and
more of the accommodations and homes. Every unit was unique and had its own
allure. All, once again, expertly appointed, designed and finished with all of
the details. I loved them all, and it was hard to say if I could pick out a
favorite. I am a sucker for a clawfoot bathtub, and there were so many
beautiful bathtubs throughout a lot of the accommodations. Including a two
person copper soaking tub in the cabin called Sara Jane.
In conclusion to this book called a blog: I loved my stay at
The Ranch at Rock Creek, and I hope to make it back with my family soon. For
anyone considering a visit to Big Sky Country, The Ranch at Rock Creek has my
seal of Montana approval!
I am very
blessed to have so many amazing family and friends that all have deep roots in
Montana. This past Memorial Weekend was about both. My mother’s best friend all
throughout school was Diane Krutar. Someone that has been very present in my
life, is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet, and someone that I love
very much, as well as her husband Jon. So, almost nine years after their
wedding gift offer to stay at their vacation lodge in Ovando, Montana - we
finally took them up on their offer, with two kids in tow. Better late than
never, right? 
I’m so glad we waited. Moments aren’t as sweet unless you
get to enjoy them with your little ones and see those sweet memories reflecting
in their eyes. From the moment we told our boys that we were going away for
three days to a fly fishing ranch, they were ecstatic. And although our oldest
wigged out a bit when he realized there was not going to be any cartoons to
watch, he got over it quickly by exploring the beautiful glacial crystal clear
Emerald Pond, hiking and throwing rocks into the North Fork of the Blackfoot
River, playing baseball in the front yard with his dad, playing chase with his
brother, scoping the mountains for wildlife out the front window, watching
brilliantly colored Bullock’s Orioles and other Rocky Mountain birds, hunting
wildflowers, playing croquet, eating s’mores, and not having a care in the
world. A handful of times Kash said
“Mom, I really love this place!” and by the second day he even said “Mom, I’m
getting used to not having TV!” 
The homestead was built by John and his two sons Eric, and
Chad. The family history here is rich and evident in the homestead. Two log
buildings dating back to the 1880’s when the ranch was first homesteaded were
dismantled to serve in the construction of the new homestead. Offering up
stunning views of the Kleinschmidt Flat and Ovando Mountain, the home is in
prime Big Sky Country, with awesome fly fishing right out your back door. 
