mac adams life place essay

Mac Adams

Writ 101 Spring 2012

2/8/12

Life Place Essay

130 Miles On 93

My new life place, and also my bioregion, is the quiet but busy valley of Missoula, Mt. I haven't had much time to explore my new surroundings. This new bioregion hasn’t fully set in yet. I would not consider this my native bioregion it isn’t where I was born and it certainly isn’t where I have spent the majority of my life. This new bioregion I call home has been limited by the amount of time I have spent here. This however couldn't be farther from the truth when it comes to my hometown of Whitefish, Montana I know this place very well.  I am looking forward to further exploring this new valley I live in which in many ways you could call a close relative of my native bioregion two hours up the highway.

            Whitefish nestled in the flathead valley has always been a quiet place to call home. I drove out of my house, past the hospital and soccer fields hung a right over the very slow winding whitefish river on my way to school every day. In this valley I felt secure with the physical boundaries of the Mountains and the vast Flathead Lake. A certain part of me will always be able to relate to Big Mountain. The ski resort of my childhood I will never forget the feeling of clicking into my skis and being whisked up the chairlift to the nearly 7,000 foot summit with 360 degrees of skiable terrain on all sides, deep powder pockets, groomers, and anything else my adventurous personality was craving. Every week included many of the same activities that led to a very nice schedule with a stable life. I felt very at home with this place. My favorite memories of my former life place have to be on the soccer field. When I had gotten to high school they had recently put in the newest nicest soccer fields in the state. We also had the best program in the state and were coming off an undefeated state championship season. The expectations for us were very high. Every time I laced up my cleats on those pristine fields sitting in the middle of the valley views of glacier park and big mountain in clear sight I knew I was in my life place, at least my native life place.

            Whitefish is a small town of about 7,000 people. This town was based on the logging and rail road industry. The Great Northern Railroad came through the area in 1904. By the 1940’s the town had established a successful ski resort and the town blossomed with a large logging industry and railroad industry along with the attraction of the ski resort. The logging industry still exists in town but in much more constrained now with the amount of environmental laws passed in recent decades. My bioregion sustains itself mostly off of tourism.

            Missoula, My new life bioregion is a significantly larger town with 66,000 people. Missoula is locate at the end of 5 mountain ranges and is often times referred to as the hub of five valleys. Missoula was first a trading post named the Hellgate Trading Post established in the 1860’s. My new bioregion originally sustained itself off of lumber with the new pacific railroad coming through the valley in 1883. In the last century the logging industry has virtually disappeared and the town thrives on the college atmosphere. I would consider the college campus my initial life place. I took a walk around campus and tried to realize the small details of the things around me. The large trees planted in an organized fashion. There is a sense of classiness around campus it is very organized and well put together. As I walked out of my very small cramped dorm room I initially realized the long hallway strewn with a little trash from the drunk kids the night before that the poor janitors will have to clean up. I step onto the elevator often filled with people awkwardly silent. I step onto into the foyer I don’t really have a plan on where I’m walking I am just going on an open minded stroll to try and better understand the small details of the things around me. I walk out the doors and notice some people smoking cigarettes and some crows landing in the leafless trees that surround me. On the sidewalks there are old leaves from the fall with icy patches everywhere. I look up and see the mountains, which lack the trees that cover all of the hills, and mountains in my native bioregion in whitefish. I wonder why this is if it is from logging or if it is from less precipitation. I walked around the oval and noticed the organization of the campus the clock tower and of course the grizzly with all of its bronze ferociousness. This town has a much busier feel to it than my native town of Whitefish. People here seem to have more a sense of direction and motivation probably influenced by the college atmosphere and the desire to escape the norm. This is my favorite thing about my new bioregion I enjoy the feeling of motivation from everyone around me.

            Every day as I am exploring my new life place in Missoula I will discover new and exciting things all around me. The key to me doing this is to go exploring new places and paying attention to detail. There are some distinct differences between my native bioregion and my current one even with the closeness in their physical locations. The climate in Missoula is dryer and their often isn’t as much snow in the area in the winter also far less trees line the sides of the mountains. The land is more flat and the river that runs through town is much larger in Missoula. With every day I hope to discover more about my new home.