In dreamy Montana, heaven knows no end. This quiet corner of America’s Northwest is the territory of America’s last, genuine cowboys. Montana is also famous for its Big Sky, endless and ever changing. The best way to experience this state is to stay in comfortable guest ranches like Triple Creek Ranch, owned by Craig Barrett, the former CEO of the American IT company Intel. He bought Triple Creek Ranch, a cattle farm of 10 hectares, a while ago and has a clear and correct vision what hospitality is all about.In a place like Triple Creek it’s difficult to say whom the wrangler, or the cowboy, the billionaire, the Hollywood celebrity or the cowgirl is. During the day everyone wears the same uniform: a worn jeans, weathered leather boots, a chequered shirt, maybe a leather jacket and of course the obligatory cowboy hat.No matter what background, income or age, everyone is here

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for the same reason: the charm of Montana. After a day in the saddle, guests and aspirant cowboys can relax at the ranch. Owner Craig Barrett is often here too, staying at his massive log villa where he treats all guests to an appetitive and a peek into his house. The fireplace looks like it can digestive complete trees and the huge beds can probably accommodate a dozen of sleepy cowboys. Chalets with names like Sapphire have luxuries in the form of a private hot tub on the terrace, a fireplace, and your own golf caddy to explore the domain. We like the privacy approach of the Ranch. Triple Creek provides breakfast, lunch and dinner in the chalets, if you wish. An apero before dinner? No problem, serve yourself from your own minibar with huge bottles of all kinds of drinks, with compliments of the house.[/wpcol_1half_end]

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On our way the our second lodge we had a stopover in the town of Hamilton where during a high school rodeo cowboys and cowgirls from across Montana compete with each other. We witnessed some spectacular exercises of horsemanship. Cowgirls manoeuvring their athletic horses around barrels, trying to be the quickest to catch a goat and tie it up. Viewers with a soft heart for animals, might [/wpcol_1half] [wpcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]

want to look away. The cowboys, some barely twelve years old, venturing into the arena on the backs of snorting bulls, they throw lassos around horses and act as it is all simple tricks. Yihaa! If you want to attend a major rodeo event in Montana, head to the Nile stock & rodeo show, held every year in October at the MetraPark in Billings, Montana.[/wpcol_1half_end]

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Another Ranch deluxe for wealthy would-be cowboys is The Ranch At Rock Creek, near the charming town of Missoula. The in-house wranglers look like they’re straight out of a John Wayne movie: dusty, with olive-skinned faces, dressed in the typical outfit, leather gloves and boots included.  Here you can get up very early in the morning for several hours of horseback riding, in the afternoon do some fly fishing or clay pigeon shooting and in the evening drink with some mates glasses of whiskey. The hotel may be new, the ranch is more than 120 years old and is completely sealed from the outside world. [/wpcol_1half] [wpcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]

There is the main building with some rooms, a bar, the restaurant, a shop and even a bowling alley. But if you’re smart, you stay in one of the older buildings on the other side of the river. Our favourite is the Wrangler, a cosy room, completely out of wood and hidden in an old shed dating from the 19th century. Just next door you can see the real action of the wranglers managing the cattle. There’s no better place than sitting on the balcony of your cottage and watching the Montana way of living with in the background the Big Sky of this unforgettable region.[/wpcol_1half_end]

THE VERDICT

We were charmed by the stunning beauty of Montana. After a road trip of more than 5000 km through America’s Nordwest, we couldn’t think of a better state to end our voyage. Surely, Montana is great in any season, but we are fan of September and October. Think about Indian Summer and autumn colors……
And try to combine your trip with a major rodeo event.
Our  favorite lodge is Triple Creek Ranch.

HOW TO GO

Fly to Missoula and rent a car.
We opted for a Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, available as of 333 euro with first tank of fuel and all extra insurances and extras included.

WWW.SUNNYCARS.COM 

WHERE TO STAY

Triple Creek Ranch:  from approximately 530 euro for 2 persons per night. (OUR FAVORITE)
All meals, all drinks and aperitifs, on ranch trail rides and other activities included.
The Ranch at Rock Creek: from approximately 1280 euro for 2 persons per night in an all-inclusive package.
All meals, all drinks and aperitifs, on ranch trail rides and other activities included.
Our favorite room is the Wrangler. We don’t recommend the rooms in the main building.

WWW.TRIPLECREEKRANCH.COM
WWW.THERANCHATROCKCREEK.COM
WWW.VISITMT.COM

The post ME AND MY MONTANA first appeared on Remote Experiences.

The best way to explore a vast and almost inaccessible national park in Alaska is to hop on a bush plane and fly along.
My rendezvous with the wilderness is somewhere in a forgotten corner of Alaska, around six in the evening. That is, as long as the weather holds. It’s the end of June and the sun never sets in the evening. “Park alongside the log cabin and wait, but stay away from the stretch of ground beside the car park.” were the instructions in the email. I am in tiny Chitina, population 150 people. The only other reason why travellers come here is to salmon fish in the fast flowing clear rivers. Chitina is a four-hour, scenic drive from the city of Anchorage and it actually feels like it’s the end of the world. I am staring up at a cloudy sky, standing next to my car. In the distance, a red dot appears, following the Chitina River. A few minutes later, a shiny red DHC-3 Otter lands right in front of us on the gravel. Our taxi has arrived, with at the wheel, Paul Claus, a second generation aviator and adventurer and owner of Ultima Thule Lodge where we are about to stay for the next three days. We bundle into the Twin Otter and leave civilization as we know it behind us. Ultima Thule Lodge is located some 150 kilometres away, in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, stretching from Canada’s Yukon Territory to the Pacific Ocean. One of the largest protected pieces of earth on this planet. No roads, no cars and almost no people, just lots of bears, mosquitos and us.Paul’s father, John Claus, learned to fly in the 1950s and bought a piece of land deep in the wilderness, close to the Chitina River under the then Homestead Act. At that time, there was no question of a national park. It was just endless wilderness here. Together with his wife Eleanor, John built a modest wood cabin and a landing strip close to the river. They loved to camp out in the wild, to enjoy nature, fish, hunt and be away from it all. Decades later, when the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was established, the Claus’ were allowed to keep their piece of land and small outpost, one of the very few in this vast expanse of 53,000 square kilometres protected wilderness. “Did you know that lots of Hollywood celebs like coming to Ultima Thule Lodge because they can be absolutely sure that no paparazzi can get up here? They would never survive the wilderness,” Paul smirks. “Jim Carry is a regular guest. One day I had to make an emergency flight to carry diesel to some stranded trekkers and Carry came along with me. When we arrived, I wanted to get out with the two jerry cans but he stopped me. Instead, he took the cans, changed his hair look and wearing a typical Carry expression, walked over to the trekkers and said ‘Here’s your diesel, folks!’ I’ll never forget their faces,” he laughs. Just like Carry, most guests come here during the summer months to escape the world and be close to nature. Brown and black bears wander past the lodge, at night you can hear a pin drop, and the fresh air smells like freshly sharped pencils.

Nowadays it is mainly son Paul, his wife Donna and their daughters Ellie, Logan, son Jay and son-in-law Ben who run the lodge. Just like granddad John, who is now retired and lives in Anchorage, the family members are all pilots. No ordinary pilots, but fearless and highly skilled bush pilots. The special kind you often see on National Geographic Channel in series like Alaska’s Toughest Pilots. When there is no more wine or beer, one of the family simply hops into a Super Cub and flies out to get it. The gigantic stove and sofa, plus all the other materials used to build the present luxury lodge were flown here in the Twin Otter. In the Alaskan wilderness, flying is just like learning how to ride a bike. “How do you fancy a hike up the mountain just behind the lodge tomorrow, weather permitting?” asks Paul, with ruddy cheeks and twinkling eyes during dinner. Everyone sits together at the same table: us, two other couples from New York and a mother and daughter from LA. “How in god’s name will I get up that impressive mountain,” I think to myself, taking a quick swig of the tasty, locally brewed Alaskan White Ale to stiffen my nerve. Paul notices my doubt and smirks. He does this a lot. “Hey, don’t panic,” Paul gives me a slap on my back, “We fly you to the top of the mountain in the Super Cub. Easy! From there, you hike for a couple of hours to the edge of the rock face from where we come and pick you up again, two by two, in the plane. Deal?”

Flying with a Super Cub is just like sitting in a floating tin can, but one that weighs less than 500 kilos. Paul is in the pilot’s seat with us behind him like a pair of sardines wearing headphones. “Ready?” Our bush plane called Alpha climbs quickly, as fast as a buzzing bee. “It’s almost like having your own wings,” says our pilot. “Isn’t it?” Paul skims low across the river and then swiftly soars higher. When our captain spots a good piece of grass, he circles and prepares to land. After only a few bumpy metres on its gigantic rubber tires, the Super Cub comes to a halt. “Out you get. I’ve got other guests to pick up!” Within a few minutes, Paul disappears again, over the ridge of the mountain. The Alpha has no electronic motor so the propeller has to be manually turned. “He’s crazy, mad!” laughs Mica Albert, a famous, American photographer who is a friend of the Claus family and is staying here for a few weeks with his pregnant wife and young daughter. Together with the two guides, we stand there, on top of a huge mountain, waiting for Paul to come back with the other two guests. Meanwhile, there’s nothing but wild Alaskan nature around us. Snowy peaks in the distance and further away, glaciers and more wilderness. We walk for hours over mossy ground, with no trees, occasionally snow, and lots of spectacular views, a few wild sheep and according to one of our guides, a brown bear in the distance. The guides always carry a gun, standard kit when you are out walking in Alaska. That evening, after a healthy hike, we hear more Alaskan-style stories at the dinner table. A few weeks earlier they had to shoot a grizzly bear. “The poor bugger constantly came to the lodge and it wasn’t afraid of the dog or other noises. That’s when it becomes dangerous. When one of the girls went outside in the evening, the grizzly was standing just a few metres away from her. Enough said,” explains Paul. Meanwhile, Ellie and her sister are cooking dinner, a gigantic (self-caught) salmon in the oven, served with organic vegetables from their own garden. While I am having a drink at the counter, Ellie tells me that as well as being a bush pilot, her husband Ben is also a helicopter pilot with the American army, at present posted in Afghanistan. “He’ll be back in a few months. It is safer here than out there. Even with the occasional bear in the garden.”

The charismatic Lonie Habersetzer is one of the bush pilots working here in the summer. In winter he swops Alaska for the skies over East Africa. “Extremely different places but equally challenging to fly around,” says Lonie as he prepares the Super Cub for departure. On today’s programme, bush plane sightseeing, lunch in a beautiful spot and a few surprises, according to Lonie. The Super Cub is so agile and light that skimming the surface of the Chitina River isn’t really a problem. Lonie navigates the Alpha through narrow passages, the tip of the aircraft just a few metres from the rock face. Suddenly, the temperature inside the Super Cub drops dramatically. We are close to the Chitina glacier where Lonie effortlessly lands the Alpha. We are just beside an enormous, deep blue crater in the glacier where ice melt rapidly flows into the abyss. A short time later, he puts the Super Cub down on a sandbank near the river. Time for lunch, gun beside the cooler because some bears are also known to be fond of delicious, grilled vegetable wraps. “Later, when you see a spot you want to photograph, just let me know,” says Lonie. “Maybe I can land, who knows. You have to enjoy every moment here because we are visiting places where only a handful of people have ever been. This wilderness is dangerous and risky for humans. Thanks to our little planes, we can reach them more safely.” A little later, Lonie parks the Alpha in 1,2,3 on a piece of grassy meadow that abruptly ends in a treacherous void. As we gaze out at the landscape, Lonie keeps an eye on the clouds and mist gathering behind us. “The weather changes fast here. If these clouds reach us, we may have to stay here overnight. Let’s go!”

Back at the lodge, the Claus family is busy in the kitchen. It almost feels like coming home after a day at work. On the menu roast lamb and other delicious homemade treats. Nothing fancy, just hearty food. After our Super Cub adventure, we enjoy the comfort of our cosy, wooden log cabin with its fluffy, giant bed and high thread count linen. In the main lodge, new table guests join us for dinner. The three Alaskans arrived by helicopter and take care of the maintenance of weather stations scattered throughout the park. There are never more than 12 guests in the lodge, so the atmosphere stays intimate. We ask Paul what’s on the programme for the next day even if we know already his answer. “Friends,” he says, while grinning, “We are in the deep, Alaskan wilderness. I can’t tell you right now. Maybe I’ll fly you to an abandoned gold mine, or we’ll go rafting on the Chitina River. Or perhaps we’ll fly over the peak of Mount St. Elias, the highest vertical rock face in the world. If the weather is fine, I can even take you to the Atlantic Ocean. A few days ago, one of my other planes flipped over when landing on the beach. Nothing serious, but I don’t want any bears to find it and reduce it to scrap metal.” Paul takes a gulp of Alaskan Ale and looks wistfully out of the window towards the river in the distance. “No single day is the same here, the wilderness decides. Take it or leave it.”

THE VERDICT Ultima Thule was the highlight during our almost 3-weeks trip in Alaska. Seen its price tag, its obviously not very everyone, but for those who can afford it, this is THE way to see and experience wild Alaska in style. Ultima Thule Lodge is cosy and comfortable with fantastic beds hidden in warm cabins and superb home cooked food in the middle of the big wilderness.

THE COST  Expect to pay $1,700 per person / per night with a 3 nights minimum stay. This includes a DHC-3 Otter flight to and from the lodge to either Valdez or Chitina, all bush plane flights, a tailor-made and unforgettable adventure each day, senior guides and any necessary equipment/gear, organic and wild Alaskan gourmet meals, complimentary selection of specially selected beer and wines, lodging in a private, multi-room deluxe cabin and unlimited access to sauna & self-spa and satellite internet.

WWW.ULTIMATHULELODGE.COM

HOW TO GO We travelled first to Anchorage, which is a quirky and charming city, perfect as a base to explore Alaska. If you are based in Europe, check out the new connection with Icelandair, linking lots of European cities via Reykjavik to Anchorage. This connection gives you the opportunity to experience two amazing countries such as Alaska and Iceland in one trip and with one flight ticket.

WWW.ICELANDAIR.COM

CLIMATE The best time to travel to Ultima Thule is from June to September. The weather in Alaska can be unpredictable so dress for 4 seasons in one day. During summer months expect temperatures between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius. When the sun is out it’s hot and you will be happy in a T-shirt but when it’s foggy and rainy you definitely need a good water- and windproof jacket, especially when flying in the Super Cubs and landing on glaciers or mountain tops.

WHAT TO PACK Try to protect yourself and your gear from very changeable weather. Waterproof jackets, pants, thin gloves, good walking shoes and a backpack or bag, which can handle the wild (check out our preferred gear here). Don’t forget to pack a pair of good binoculars, we swear by Swarovski Optik. Do bring plenty of mosquito repellent and a mosquito net to cover your head when the little buggers are a bit too numerous.

The post FLYING ON THE WILD WINGS OF ALASKA first appeared on Remote Experiences.

Amangiri is an ode to the mysterious rock formations of southern Utah and the ancient Navajo culture. An enclave of luxury and style in America’s most dramatic desert landscape. Take one of the world’s most influential and eccentric hoteliers, bring him together with several prominent American architects and drop them into the magical moonscape of immense rock formations, mesas and rolling hills somewhere deep in southern Utah. The location is Canyon Point, a stone’s throw from the famous Lake Powell and spot on the invisible border between Arizona and Utah. Finding Amangiri in this desert landscape is not easy. A mini signpost indicates left, towards a dusty road that disappears into endless oblivion. After a long drive between looming rock formations with characteristic flowing lines etched in the sandstone, you at last spot Amangiri in the distance. A mirage in the form of a razor-sharp, rectangular pavilion made of polished concrete. Amangiri nestles alongside a huge sandstone escarpment. The architecture does not impose itself on the landscape. The only unnatural note in this desert setting is the sharply contrasting blue of the swimming pool. Out of respect for the rugged Utah terrain and its typical Entrada sandstone, the hotel was designed as a massive block that seems to have emerged from the earth through natural erosion by the elements. The three architects used a mixture of local sand and cement to closely match the colour and density of the surrounding geological formations. Because of its remoteness, a special concrete casting plant had to be built on-site and colossal moulds were used to achieve the resulting monolithic forms. And light is undoubtedly one of the most important protagonists here. Amangiri is so remote that there’s literally nothing else to see here except nature and the exceptional play of light that changes at every moment of the day. Zechia and I-10 Studio have designed Amangiri in such a way that light constantly manifests itself in different ways. The angular minimalism of the building’s design is enhanced by an equally jagged play of light, from the fine sunrays sketching patterns on the sand-coloured walls, to the views through glassless windows that give the impression that the landscape is a painting. The architecture grabs the extreme environment, together with the light, and pulls them inside.

Every aspect of the architecture refers back to the immediate surroundings. Like two eagle’s wings, the 34 rooms and suites sweep out from the main building towards the desert. Each room overlooks this harsh scenery and wide panoramic views are even visible from the bath or bed. The idea is to step immediately out of your room into the desert. A large folding window opens completely onto a private terrace with a fire pit. Perfect for admiring the intense pitch-black nights and starry skies of southern Utah. In the main pavilion there is a bar, a restaurant, a library and a shop. In true Asian tradition, Zechia has also included a posh spa, where you find cool, enclosed spaces that hark back to traditional Navajo hogan buildings and for less sweltering moments of the day, small open-air treatment pavilions. The spa’s small swimming pool also provides relief from the dry desert heat. Wherever you look, all you see is water, rock or sky, nothing else. Amangiri is dominated by a purity of design and an absence of over-decoration. It’s a bit like camping in ultra-luxurious surroundings. Imagine: no noise, not even music beside the swimming pool, and shifting, hallucinatory landscapes with no light pollution because the civilized world is so far away. Perhaps these elements give Amangiri its extraordinary character and explain why those who visit, always wish to return.

The verdict

We were blown away by the location and the design. This is truly one of the most remarkable resorts in the US. We would go back immediately to sit on the terrace of our room, admiring the views over the desert or to watch the sunset on the terrace of the main building with a glass of good wine offered by the house. However we were not impressed by The spa therapist. And please feed me some real bread for breakfast!

How to get there

Amangiri (opened in October 2009) is approximately 5 hours driving from Las Vegas (the biggest close by city). Renting a Ford Mustang convertible to explore the area around Amangiri is a big adventure and a real must-do. Sunny Cars offers convertibles starting around 50 dollars per day, all extras and taxes included. Try to explore Glen Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and the famous Horse Shoe Bend plus Antilope Canyon.

The closest airport is Page from where Amangiri organises free transfers.

Room rates start as of 1050 $ + taxes.

WWW.AMANRESORTS.COM

WWW.SUNNYCARS.COM

What to do

Try to explore Glen Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and the famous Horse Shoe Bend plus Antilope Canyon. These highlights of nature are all in easy reach and the drive towards them are already worth the effort. Even a day-trip to Monument Valley is an option.

The post AMANGIRI DESERT CHIC first appeared on Remote Experiences.