I first booked at Lone Mountain Ranch back in 2019, but had to cancel that trip due to the pandemic. So when I rebooked for 2023, Lone Mountain was planned as a highlight of my US trip. And it didn't disappoint. From the great conversation in the car with Jack, who picked me up from Bozeman Airport, to the check-in process with Chad, who made sure I settled in nicely, the introduction to the Ranch set the tone of my whole visit.

I only had three days in Montana and tried to pack in a lot of activity but the staff couldn't do enough to help me out. The food in the Horn and Cantle Saloon was excellent ( I finally got to taste bison - not something I can do in Australia) and the bar staff know how to mix a great cocktail. I went on a gentle horse ride on my first morning, with the patient staff making sure a newbie like me felt right at home in the saddle. Then my fly fishing guide Tyler picked me up for a great afternoon on the Gallatin River. He was very skilled at doing all the hard work of where to cast and with what fly and then making me feel like the four fish I caught were all my work. Even he was impressed with the large brown trout I landed, which kind of made my day.

The next day I met Randy for a one-on-one all day Yellowstone tour. Everyone on the Ranch told me that I was lucky to get Randy as my guide, saying no one knew the Park like he did. They weren't wrong - I learned more about wolves, bears, coyotes and ravens in that day that I knew was possible. Randy made sure I saw all the main sights over the course of the day and this was a highlight of my trip to the US.

Lone Mountain gave me everything I wanted from my trip to Montana and the quality of service and friendliness of the staff was easily the best I encountered in my whole four weeks in the US. My thanks and compliments to everyone involved - I've been raving about Lone Mountain Ranch to everyone back here in Sydney ever since I got home.