B Bar Gazette
B Bar Gazette – January 2025
B Bar Gazette Issue #20 January 2025 Hello friends of B Bar, When Maryanne first glimpsed Tom Miner Basin in the winter of 1978, the B Bar Ranch was accessible only by snowmobile. That record-setting winter painted a vivid picture of life at 6,600 feet. The county wouldn't plow the road for years to come. Originally seeking a small getaway spot in the Greater Yellowstone area, Maryanne found herself drawn to something far more expansive. As she viewed the land from above in her...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – December 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #19 December 2024 Hello friends of B Bar, As winter nights lengthen in Tom Miner Basin, we find ourselves embracing both rest and purpose. These fifteen hours of darkness offer time for stargazing, reading by the fire, sharing meals, and finding peace in the quiet season. Daylight brings its own rhythm - tending cattle, preparing accommodations, maintaining equipment, and grooming our cross-country trails. As Mark Rose trades his saddle for a snowmobile, the s...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – November 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #18 November 2024 Hi B Bar friends,I'm writing to you from our ranch's Great Room as snow clouds blanket the upper Tom Miner Basin. On our mountain tops, snow is here to stay, establishing a foundational layer of our winter snowpack that will nourish the soil come springtime. As the days grow shorter, nature embraces winter’s quiet as we prepare for another season of sharing this remarkable place beginning December 15th. To celebrate a successful gues...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – October 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #17 October 2024 Hello friends,As the aspen leaves flutter in golden hues and the cool wind whispers of winter's approach, Tom Miner Basin finds itself in a moment of transition. The land breathes with the rhythm of change, a sacred dance between seasons that we're privileged to witness. Jackson's flight over the basin revealed a tapestry of beige and brown, punctuated by the vibrant yellow of turning aspens and emerald oases of irrigated pastures. From ...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – September 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #16 September 2024 Hello friends of B Bar, As we ascended the Elk Loop trail on Headquarters Ridge, heading north toward Upper Reed Meadow, our group of hikers eagerly quickened their pace to reach the best wildlife viewing spots. From our vantage point, we were thrilled to spot 13 grizzly bears with the naked eye, binoculars, and a spotting scope. Despite being lifelong Montanans, none of the 11 guests attending the Mountain Mindfulness Yoga Retreat had e...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – August 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #15 August 2024 A dreary tone set by thick smoke clouds the Paradise Valley Floor. Fumes from fires across Montana have blown in over the last few weeks. One was the Shank Basin Fire, a 345-acre burn that Mihail was called on to help contain as a neighbor in Big Timber. Adding to the moody afternoon, a storm front from the West begins to plop acorn-sized raindrops on my windshield. I pray that this hyper-localized storm reaches the active burns in desperate nee...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – July 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #14 July 2024 Howdy B Bar friends and family, The drive up Tom Miner Creek road cuts through a purple sea of lupine. A slight breeze gently sways the flowers like tides pulled by the moon. Recently, under a magnificent starscape, the new moon brought about the three-week-long increase of insect life that Montanans anticipate each year. Remembering the bone-chilling temperatures from last winter, we’re grateful for the warmth of 90-degree weather...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – June 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #13 June 2024 Howdy friends,Thursday after work, a few of us walked up headquarters ridge overlooking the Reed meadow and across Paradise Valley. Bears absent from the far side of our binoculars turned our inspection to the abundant life around us. Emigrant Peak on the western edge of the Absaroka Range in Paradise Valley. Patches of arnica, larkspur, and glacier lily created a conversation platform instilled by Jada-Jo wondering the favorite part of our ...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – May 2024
B Bar Gazette Issue #12 May 2024 B Bar Ranch isn't just a place; it's a state of mind.Wandering from yurt to pond's edge in a post-yoga bliss encompasses more than just the crunch of gravel underfoot, the touch of a breeze on sweaty skin, and a deep breath of fresh mountain air. Your parasympathetic nervous system retreats to a sense of calm it has been deprived of in the hustle and bustle of daily life. This heightened awareness allows you to tune into your surroundings and...
Read MoreB Bar Gazette – May 2024 Updated
B Bar Gazette Issue #11 April 2024 Hey B Bar Family, Spring is a stubborn season 6,600’ high in the mountains of Tom Miner Basin. The unfamiliar comfort of vitamin D warming forearms and knees inevitably correlates with wet and muddy feet. Balmy weather is fleeting as the next storm rolls in over Specimen Ridge delivering dense grapple snow. Even still, the first sandhill crane tenants of the season stride along the open water of Skully Creek for a drink. While the crimson caps ...
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