The Ranch at Rock Creek Part 1
The entryway to The Ranch at Rock Creek, a renovated 19th century homestead which nestles cozily among 6,600 acres of beautiful Montana countryside and offers amenities - and activities - galore!
We've been spending a lot of time in Northwest Montana, but… Montana is a big state. REALLY big! Time to do a little exploring. Yes, it's road-trip time in Big Sky Country! Headed to Bozeman and Missoula, with a short detour to The Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, MT. We are ready for a little down time.
The exterior and interior of The Ranch at Rock Creek is rustic, elegant, and decidedly western.
We check into the ranch on Saturday night, just in time for dinner, but not before a tour of the homestead, the Mercantile, Silver Dollar Saloon and of course, our room. No surprises here, it is Western-themed, warm and cozy, with beautiful views of the mountain ranges from the balcony. For the next two days we have activities planned that will take us to the Rod and Gun, the barn, the pastures, the river, the shooting range and the spa. Let's do this.
The dining room inside the Granite Lodge serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and will also pack picnic lunches for your Montana excursions.
The Granite Lodge dining room is rockin' its western wear too, great atmosphere, and we are seated close enough to the fireplace for added ambience. Dinner tonight is served from a fixed menu with plenty of variety as well as suggested wine pairings. Bob chooses his own wine and the first course arrives, a simple but perfect garlic bread along with a salad billed as a Romaine Salad with a Sentinal (?) Dressing. It is basically a Caesar salad. And it is a very good one!
After a brief rest, our main course comes family-style on a large wooden platter. It consists of flank steak, smoked halibut cakes, potato gratin, grilled carrots and shishito peppers, braised kale, roasted cauliflower, spaghetti squash, maitake mushrooms and a preserved lemon relish. Yes, all that. Everything has so much flavor! Plus, it is a fun way to eat a meal. We put a small dent in the platter and finish our desserts. Time to see what is happening by the bonfire and in the Silver Dollar Saloon!
The bar, bowling alley and movie room inside the Silver Dollar Saloon at The Ranch at Rock Creek, photos courtesy of their web site. There is also a pool table plus the usual assortment of bar games, as one would expect in a proper saloon.
Yes, I took pictures but they are way too dark to use! We were pretty much the only ones there, so we had the bartender's full attention. Bob bowled a few strings, then we walked past the outdoor bonfire to our room. There is a full day of activities coming up, which I will detail in my next post. Don't miss it!