
There’s something about road trips for me. Maybe it’s my love of exploring new areas of the country and having plenty of time to listen to music that are enough to make me crave these experiences and get restless when it’s been a couple of weeks without one.
Last week I had the opportunity to go to Argentine Patagonia but opted instead to drive to Montana. (Seriously.) The reason was twofold: work on projects with a frequent collaborator, and get dialed behind the sticks on my raft.
All missions were accomplished beyond expectations. Got two days in on the Madison, and I have to say, rowing my raft on such an incredible river gave me a surge of excitement that was difficult to harness. Meanwhile, new projects emerged that I still can’t believe I am involved in.
As a bonus, I attended a talk in downtown Bozeman by world-renowned climber and mountaineer Conrad Anker. He gave a talk on climate change and gave me some perspective that is important to my own work in teaching about ecological justice and climate change. I also enjoyed a couple of conversations with Conrad — hopefully more on the way.

For me, every road trip seems to have a soundtrack emerge organically. Some highlights from this trip:
Widespead Panic — always a staple since my first Montana road trip several years ago
Hiss Golden Messenger — “Brother, Do You Know the Road” on repeat
Led Zeppelin — “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do”
Junip and Jose Gonzalez — somehow adventure music