100 Things to Do in Missoula Before You Die: Outdoor Adventures, Local Eats, and Must-See Spots

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hello everyone, and welcome back for another episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series, a podcast that celebrates individuals and families, businesses, and organizations that seek out and promote the exploration, stewardship, conservation, access and enjoyment of the outdoors. Suzanne Downing is our guest today. Suzanne is an outdoor media professional with niches in writing and photography. She is a fellow member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. She is the editor of Outdoors Unlimited, the quarterly publication of the OWAA. And she recently published her book, 100 Things to Do in Missoula Before You Die. Suzanne, it's so good to see you. And you've got this beautiful setting behind you, and I'm so excited to have this conversation and hear about Missoula. And there's the book. Kind of hold it up. Can you hold it up one more time? All right. I love it. How does it feel to have this baby in your hands?

SPEAKER_01 1:12

It's good. You spend so much time researching and writing, and it's it's really fun to actually hold it in print.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

All right. Now are you gonna get are have you begun the the marketing aspect of book signings and talks and all those fun things to do?

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Yes, I am currently on my tour in Missoula, Montana, and I have a few more events coming up. I just did an event at Highlander Beer, which was really fun and a good place. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Well, very nice. Now, I have to ask, is this the first book that you have written?

SPEAKER_01 1:49

This is the first outdoors related book. I did write a children's book many eons ago. But yes, this is my first official outdoorsy book, and it's exciting to actually have completed it.

SPEAKER_00 2:04

Very nice. Now, I I'm familiar with Reedy Press, and I know they are the publishers of the 100 Things to Do Before You Die series. How did you decide to go about publishing this book? Or what why was this a kind of a cool idea for for you? It's in your backyard, literally.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Mm-hmm. Yeah, the Outdoor Writers Association of America connected me to Reedy Press and the awesome gentleman, Jeff, which I believe just transitioned from Reedy Press, but he touched base with me from their sales team and said, Hey, you live in the area and are you interested in authoring this book? And of course, I said yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Oh, very nice. Now, from the moment you had this conversation with Jeff to the book is been sent to the publishers, okay? What how long does it take to get this book ready for print? I mean, it I mean, 100 things, it takes a lot of research to decide what are those hundred things, do all that research about them, sample occasionally the beverages, the the treats of so to speak. But what uh what is it like to kind of plan and execute a book like this?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

It takes a while. This one took more than a year, and luckily I've been in the area for more than a decade, my husband and I. So we have adventured a lot. So I already had a chronological list in my brain as soon as he said go with the book. So I I did first make the list, which was really tough. And there were parts in the book where you could add other things. So, Howard, it's not just a hundred things, there's sidebars where, oh, well, this ice cream place, and then you have other ice cream places in Missoula or hiking trails, things like that. So it was a full year's process.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Okay, very nice. Now, having spent 10 years in this area, were there absolutely did you have total control over what you wanted to share and offer up in the book, or did the the editors uh at Reedy Press maybe guide you or direct you? Hey, we'd really like to have something like this versus that.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

There was full control with a few exceptions where we couldn't put any big box stores into the publication. So it really needed to have that local focus. But yeah, I was the expert on what I want to include. So my favorite places like the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Rescue Refuge, having a background in environmental science and being around the ecosystem and really loving wildlife, those sorts of things definitely made their way into the book. A lot of history and and culture with the Forest Service history as well.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Okay. So with your background in environmental science and other types of topics, what are the range of topics that the reader, if they wanted to have this idea, hey, we want to go explore Montana, we want to visit Missoula. What are the range of highlights that they're they're gonna find in the book so they can start to make the up their itinerary?

SPEAKER_01 5:38

You're going to get a lot of outdoorsy things because that's just the nature of Missoula. It's a mountain town, it's gorgeous, there's rivers, a lot to look at, right? There's not bears everywhere, like you would think, but there are bears, but they're not walking around Walmart, right? Uh no, you're going to get arts and culture. You're going to get a lot of food recommendations. I'm a foodie. I love to eat. You have to refuel while you're exploring, right? You're also going to get some shopping mixed in. You're going to get a lot of recreation. There's a lot for families as well. And our grand got to adventure with us. So there's things like Karas Park. We have an amazing carousel. We have surfers where you can go to a specific location on the Clark Fork River downtown and watch surfers. So you're going to get the whole spectrum. You can hike to a waterfall near Missoula, or you can go have ice cream in town, or have some Indian food, or have some Mexican, right? So you're going to get in the book, there's pretty much everything for everyone. I am not a skydiver, but if that's your cup of tea, that's kind of one of the things I didn't do in the book, but I did talk to others who had done it.

SPEAKER_00 6:59

Okay. You know, I'm as you are sharing, and while you did mention skydiving, I was thinking the sky. I mean, it's big sky, Montana. It's you can't miss it. Is there like hot air balloons where you can kind of go up and and and see the you know the landscape? Is that is that does that exist? I'm just curious.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

We don't have hot air balloons, but there are gliders, so people do go up with with the gliders. So you can see it from the sky. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Is that something you would be interested in trying?

SPEAKER_01 7:35

I I'm not a heights girl, so I would definitely experts on that. Thus, the skydiving.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

I'm more of a hiking boots on the ground type of gal.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

Okay. So I would imagine there's I and I love, I think I read, I forgot where I read it. The there's something you had said about the slow hiking. I mean, you can I imagine you can get out and you want to work with a slog 10. I I call it a slog because I probably won't make it the first 10 miles. You'll have a you'll have to dig a hole for me, but I digress. The if you're gonna get out there, are there hikes for for folks of all uh ages and abilities within the Missoula range area?

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yes, absolutely, Howard. And there are 52 hikes in and near Missoula alone. There are a range of hikes. Blue Mountain Recreation Area is one example where you can actually walk. You don't have to be a marathon runner, you don't have to be in the best shape of your life. You can see beautiful mountain views, and it's more of like a stroll. You go at your own pace. And hiking around Missoula is basically walking on trails with a view, right? And you can turn around at any time. There's a lot of open space. There, there are absolutely very tough trails where you're summiting mountains, right? But most of the nice areas in Missoula that you can hike to are pretty friendly.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

For even for beginner hikes and kids.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Beginner hikers and kids. So, what is where where do you lie in terms of your preference? I mean, 10 years in, I know you are an outdoor enthusiast, but what what are what are your special hikes that you like to do?

SPEAKER_01 9:33

I enjoy hiking the M. It's the iconic huge M that is near the university in the university district. I went to grad school at the University of Montana, so I do enjoy hiking the M. That one is pretty tough. I would say it's it's more of an expert hike, but I also enjoy uh the Blue Mountain Recreation area a lot. And there's also Morel Falls is a little bit outside of Missoula, like 45-minute to an hour drive. And I love that hike. That is a very easy hike. So I base my hikes on who I'm going with. If I'm with my in-laws who are in their 70s, we'll take it easy. Me and my husband like to push ourselves a little bit so we can summit things like Chapakan Peak is another popular one outside Missoula. But with the grandkids, especially, we just go on some simple, nice, easy hikes.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Okay, very nice. Is Missoula the type of community? Is it are folks that are taking advantage of the the experiences in this book? Are they folks that are coming in, you know, to spend a long weekend? Are they spending a a week or more? Yeah, and who are those visitors that are gonna take advantage of this book as a resource to kind of curate their experiences?

SPEAKER_01 10:56

Yeah, those people are definitely they also run the spectrum, Howard. So you're gonna get people that really enjoy the museums, the forest service history, right? You're gonna get things like that. You're gonna get the folks that are here to whitewater do whitewater rapids for maybe a lazy river float on the Clark Fork River. You also have the fisher people. We have blue ribbon trout and streams, we have river, like it's just amazing fishing in Missoula, Montana, and the outskirts as well. So you get a lot of people coming here to fish, obviously. But you have your people that just like the mountains, they like the slower pace of living. So it's really for families, it's for it's a lot of uh wedding destinations, there's beautiful photography. Yeah, you're getting a lot of the just a a week. I would say people can't even when I do guides, so so I when family and friends come, you can't do much in a week, you have to come back.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Okay, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

There's so much, yeah. There's so much to see do.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

I love it. Is Missoula considered a like a four-season destination?

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Oh, definitely. Yeah, there's a lot of skiing opportunities, there's a lot of things to do in the fall. There's the the wildflower season that people love to come and see all the wildflowers and do the hiking, and then the summer recreation is very big in Missoula. There's a lot of kayaking. You you can go right through the city and hop into a boat or a tube and relax right outside your back door, basically.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

That that sounds like fun. I love that. So if if somebody like myself is coming, you know, I definitely would want to sound like spend at least a week just to experience as much as possible. Where what are some of the destinations downtown for the the art and the culture? And uh let's start with that. Yep. What what where would you take it?

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Uh go downtown. You can go to what they call the hip strip. You're gonna see a lot of shopping areas. Yep, you're gonna see the Roxy Theater, the historical Roxy Theater. There's a lot of different pop-in art locations that you can see. There's also a cool souvenir shop called Rockin' Rudy's that has all the things that you would need. And then also, I would take you out to the smoke jumper center, which is a very unique museum and history center where you can see the smoke jumpers. And I actually have a little smoke jumper here, you can see.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Oh, very cute.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

With his smoke jumping plane. So they're the specialty field from of the Forest Service, and they help out in the wildland fires. So they parachute down from the plains and they go and keep us safe from wildfires, and they're putting out those fires, and that is a very cool place to see. It's very unique to our area.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Okay, very nice.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

And then, yeah, and and then you'd have to have some Italian food if you're into Ciao Mambo. That's a nice Italian restaurant there, and there's there's a lot, yep, a lot of food trucks you could do, and then obviously the hiking and then the wildlife areas to wildlife watch as well.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Okay, so two very important urban questions for me are are there farmers markets in Missoula?

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Of course, yes. We have farmers markets every Saturday, they are amazing. There's two different locations, and you're gonna get a lot of fresh produce, you're gonna get all of the Montana-made things, typically what you would expect. And the biggest farmers markets market is at Karis Park. So you're gonna walk along the Clark Fork River and shop and eat and enjoy music and maybe ride the carousel.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Nice right there. Now, what would be one of those Montana things that I would be looking out for?

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Oh, Montana things to look out for. We have uh huckleberries that are wild pick huckleberries, and they only grow at certain elevations, and they have not been domesticated, so that's something that's very proprietary to the west and the mountainous regions.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Okay, very delicious. Okay, does everybody walk around saying I'll be your huckleberry?

SPEAKER_01 15:41

Oh, of course.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

I couldn't resist that.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Now, the next most important question for me as a foodie myself, I will visit the Italian restaurant because I have now you have me thinking, what am I gonna have for dinner tonight? And I've been thinking about chicken parmesan lately, and I just I have that everywhere I can go. But coffee, I'm a big coffee guy and I love roasting my own coffee. Are there some good coffee roasters in Missoula?

SPEAKER_01 16:13

Yeah, we have the cabooses, so there's the loose caboose is the most popular, and you're gonna want to hit those. There's different locations, and they look just like a a caboose, a trinkaboost, and that's probably your go-to. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Now, when you and the husband have the grandkids and you're taking them around town, do they have the their special place?

SPEAKER_01 16:39

Oh, that is a great question. They are extremely picky eaters, but they do venture out. They do love biga pizza, which is a big hit with them. So that's kind of one of their favorite places. It's a our artisan pizza joint, and I love it as well. And it's right downtown. So we take them to ride that carousel that I've been talking about. It's one of their favorite things. There's a big park there as well for kids, and then you can walk up and go to big a pizza right in town.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

Oh, very nice. Now, is there if you had just like really inkling for something special besides the Italian, is there some place that really you like it's like your secret haunt that you just like to hang out at?

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Yes, the notorious PIG. I know a lot of people aren't meat eaters, but it is a amazing, very small, small batch barbecue place. So they only sell what they make that day. So they start early. And if you don't get there in time, you don't get the barbecue.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Okay. So if I get there, I'd have to get there early. And so how am I gonna get to Missoula? Where's if I like I'm in Las Vegas or I used to live in Chicago? How would I get to Missoula from, say, Las Vegas?

SPEAKER_01 18:03

We actually have the Missoula International Airport and it has expanded. So there are, I think we have six terminals now, Howard. It used to be three. We have doubled.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Oh my god. Now, do you have a lot of families that are coming in to the Missoula area to because they're moving from somewhere else and they just want this lifestyle?

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Oh, yeah, it's a very popular destination. We have seen a lot of population increase. So, especially post-COVID, where people are saying, Oh, well, if I'm gonna be stuck somewhere, I want to be stuck somewhere home with a view.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

There you go. I I love that. I love that. Now, since you are in Missoula, do you find it besides family and being with the the grandkids, are there folks that coming from afar? Being we're part of the OWAA, we know people all over the country. Do you have friends and colleagues coming in from different areas of the country because they know you're in Missoula and they just want to experience what it has to offer?

SPEAKER_01 19:07

Yeah, and I actually just had a colleague come from a organization I worked with before I moved to Missoula area, and she came just to see me and for me to be her tour guide. We spent the day up at the bison range, which isn't too far from Missoula, and we saw a bunch of live. We got to see the bison, and then we experienced things like the public library, which is an award-winning library in Missoula. It's huge, it's got a few stories. And yes, do you have a lot of family? I have some family coming in this Friday to visit. It's it's more uh, hey, come see me because there's more things to do here.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Okay. So, one last question with the book, and I imagine like in a year from now, a couple years, you're there perhaps will be some updates to it, or the the second edition of 100 things to do in Missoula before you die. But today, are there what you would call like your like a top two or three attractions that if you don't do anything else, you absolutely have to do this. What would those be?

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Yes, you need to go to Karas Park and walk where Lewis and Clark walked.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Along the Clark Fork River. It's beautiful. If you can get there on a Saturday for this farmer's market, that is very Missoula. You're getting our little skyline, you're getting the Clark Fork River, you're getting the live music, you're getting food trucks, you're getting the whole culture, you're seeing the locals, right? So you're getting to blend in. And it's it's pretty much just like the background you have, Howard, on your your Zoom. It is it. That's that's what Karis Park looks at, looks like. And then the other thing I would recommend is if you are able-bodied, definitely hike the iconic M because you're getting the best view of Missoula. You're gonna zigzag up a mountain, and then there's a very large, big iconic M, and you can just sit there and take in all the views. You can see the Grizzly football stadium, the university, you can see the river, you can see basically all of Missoula. It's it's one of the premium spots that you can see.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

Okay. Well, I will have if I visit, I will have my good hiking shoes, and it will definitely, and I have to learn to bring these whenever I travel is my hiking poles. Definitely bring your hiking in Seattle.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yes, and on the M they have nice benches, so you could do a few zigzags and then you can rest, catch your breath, have have a drink, and then keep going.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

That's gonna be me. That's gonna be me. I mean, I if I I figure if I can survive Seattle Hills, I can survive just about anything, uh, except for like my. And on the Pacific Crest Trail, but I I'll make a point. I I should be ready for the M. So I am curious. In addition to your writing, you've been involved a part of almost since I since I've been a member of DOWAA, a part of the organization, a part of being the editor for Outdoors Unlimited. What is your how has that experience been for you? We're celebrating our 100th anniversary this year, and to be a part of this iconic organization, this really this magazine that's online and paper-based. I still like paper. What's been the experience of being the editor of such a great magazine like the Outdoors Unlimited?

SPEAKER_01 22:44

It has been a wild ride, Howard. It's I I think I'm going on nine years, perhaps. It might, it might even be 10. Right out of grad school. That was my first contract position, and then it just kind of snowballed from there. But the people you meet are amazing. I am humbled every day by the amazing writers, the amazing photographers. I would not be publishing this book without the Outdoor Writers Association of America connections, that's for sure. But being in the outdoor media industry, it just feels like my people. And living outside of Missoula in Missoula County, but in the mountains, in the outskirts, in the rural area, it just feels like home. It is home. But being surrounded by you want to surround yourself by with people that are elevating you up, right? They're teaching you, they're mentoring you. And that's sort of been my experience is I have just embedded myself into the circles of these professionals and being on one of the younger members, not anymore, which is amazing to see. We have a lot of young people coming in, and it's it's just great connections. It's it's just great all around. It's my people.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

I love it. And I I did notice that when I was at the conference in Madison this year, a lot of new members and a lot of young members. I thought, wow, that's pretty cool. And I mean, I'm an old guy, but I'm a new member. So I'm just fortunate I made the move to Las Vegas and being out in the desert and how I discovered the OWAA.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

So it's been yeah, you know, I definitely get to meet amazing people like you, Howard. And you and I have been on a boat in Tennessee fly fishing together.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

Yeah, yes, we have. I you were there when I caught my first brown trout. Yes, I looked. There was a photo that was taken of us. It was misty, and there we were in the background. I love that photo. And now I'm gonna have to go look at it because it's like every time I think of that, it's like, oh, this is great. But wonderful experience. So you're thank you.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

You're one of those, yes, you're one of those professional media that I've been able to surround myself by, and I'm a longtime listener of your podcast.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

Well, I appreciate that. Thank you. So I am curious, as you kind of look back on this journey that you have been on, especially now being the author of this wonderful book, 100 Things to Do in uh Missoula Before You Die, what's been your aha moment? Like, wow, I I've written this book and I get to do live in a beautiful place in the world and just you know help help people discover this wonderful community. What's been your aha moment?

SPEAKER_01 25:44

When people send me messages saying, hey, I followed your book. I went to go have a shrimp burrito at Taco del Sol, and it was amazing. Or I went to this waterfall hike, or hey, I went to the butterfly museum because it was in your book. So I've gotten a lot of messages thanking me. And these are from strangers and from friends and family. So that's been amazing just seeing that hey, you know what, all of the work I put into this book is for it's it's surprisingly human.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

I love it. It's for humans.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

For humans, yes. And it it just makes me happy. It makes me so happy that my research and the recommendations are that are in the book are actually being being used in real life. So that's that's pretty that's pretty special.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

Yeah, it is. Now I know it's it's too perhaps too soon. The book just came out, but could you see there being another book in you sometime in the future?

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Oh, I'm still deciding, Howard. It was a lot of work. Maybe ask me in a few months.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 26:52

Doing the author, writing the book, doing the book tour, you can get burnout pretty easy. So I'm trying to pace myself. But yes, maybe in a year or two.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Okay. And you have to practice your signature. You gotta have that professional scribbly signature. I love it. One last question before we head out today. If you would like to share something for our listeners who perhaps maybe haven't been out there in nature, I mean, it's literally all around us, and especially just looking at your background, but they're more urban, or maybe they're going through their life changes and they need to explore an adventure. What what insight to go would you have for them if they're gonna come and pay a visit in Missoula and and just be there in the moment, take it nature and what everything that has to offer?

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Be in the moment, like you said, but do your research. There's something for everyone. Tailor your experience, what you enjoy. Are you a birder? Then you're gonna want to look at where do I go to see the birds? You're gonna want to look at the month that you come. Are you a skier? You're gonna wanna look at the winter, right? So just really tailor it to what you want to see. If you're into natural history, if you want to know more about the forest service and the whole system that Missoula has around the forest service, that would be amazing. But definitely do your research and make a list, just make a checklist. And you can't lose just going down to the river and sitting and relaxing. And that it's so accessible.

SPEAKER_00 28:36

I love it. Well, I will I will have it on my list because I want to come and visit Missoula and and I I I really felt that way at this conference I was at last week, working with a lot of destinations. And it's like, man, I would just I'll produce a couple podcasts for you. Just let me come to your destination. And it's a com it's a win-win is to for me to get away. And I I love to would love to visit Missoula and kind of experience some of the sites that you're you're talking about. Now, if our listeners would like to learn more about you, we're gonna provide and the book, we're gonna provide a backlink to like Amazon so they can kind of pick up a copy of the book. But is there a social site that you'd like them to visit if they'd like to learn a little bit more about you and the experiences of living in Missoula?

SPEAKER_01 29:27

Sure. You can head to Instagram. I'm Montana Seuss on Instagram, and it's not a hugely active account, but you're gonna see things about the book and sort of our lifestyle here in Missoula area.

SPEAKER_00 29:42

Excellent. Well, Suzanne, it is a pleasure to see you again. I I missed you not in in Mont in the Madison. I and I I hope we're we get to see each other in Roanoke, and maybe we'll go catch some more uh fit and trout to get up on the water. But it's always great to interact with you. And really it's I want to acknowledge the hard work and effort and the success of this book, 100 things to do in Missoula Before You Die. It's no small feat to publish a book, but you did it, and it's just it's a wonderful experience. So don't forget to breathe, be in the moment, and just all the accolades are gonna come your way. You definitely deserve it. And again, thank you for being on the podcast and sharing about that experience.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

Thank you, Howard. I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

All righty. Listen, stay in the line. We're gonna do a quick close, and you and I can have a final chat, okay? All right, folks. We've just been chatting with Suzanne Downing. She is an outdoor media professional. I know Suzanne, a good friend from the Outdoor Writers Association of America. She is the publisher of our quarterly publication, Outdoors Unlimited. But most importantly, today is really to celebrate the publication of her first book, official book in the outdoor space. 100 things to do in Missoula, Montana, before you die. And definitely you gotta check it out. If I think one thing I love about the OWAA and its members, they're all over the country. And I know there's quite a few up in the Montana area. And one thing I know, this is a state that I want to visit. And I'm not that far. So I have to get up there and hikes and experience some of the uh really the features that Suzanne was chatting about today as she was describing what you can do in and around Missoula. Now we're gonna provide a backlink to her social site on Instagram. As for this episode, you can find us on our website, outdooradventureseries.com. We're also on LinkedIn and Facebook. We'll have an audio version up on our YouTube channel. And of course, you can listen to this podcast wherever you get your podcast from. Okay, folks, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there and have a fantastic day. And we look forward to having you join us on a future episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series Podcast. Take care now.