New Stewards
We are two women of spirit who became custodians of Ancient Echoes at Kelly Place in January of 2021. Traveling through the Southwest Covid style in an older Four Runner packed with gear and a Tupei pop-up tent, the previous September, we stumbled upon this hidden gem with a thought to camp here for one night.
Driving through the magical McElmo Canyon at dusk, we saw a small sign on the driveway into Ancient Echos at Kelly Place that said "For sale by owner." Lo and behold, after sleeping under a blanket of stars the likes of which we had never experienced (and we were from Montana - Big Sky County!), having our hearts and imagination captured by the red cliffs, azure skies and a chorus of bird song, a dizzying 18 hours later we decided we would return home to Bozeman, sell all of our assets, press pause on our vocations, and become the stewards of this unusual and magical place in great need of attention and care.
We are very grateful to live in sanity and beauty and to share in active generosity the abundant resources that abide here. With genuine hospitality, welcome!
We are the 3rd generation of proprietors since George and Sue Kelly made this their retirement home in the early 1960's.
We expanded the namesake from Kelly Place to Ancient Echoes at Kelly Place to reflect the generations of inhabitants seen and unseen that have dwelled here for centuries,
Our professional backgrounds have been in human potential through both personal and transpersonal modes of therapy, transformation, art , design and creativity. We bring all of these aspects of our lives to this place and growth edges alike.
For us, the idea of 'owning' such a place is unfathomable, but we may care-take, listen to, create with and share mindfully what is here.
"Beauty brings a sense of completion and sureness. Without any of the usual calculation, we can slip into the Beautiful with the same ease as we slip into the seamless embrace of water; something ancient within us already trusts that this embrace will hold us."
-John O'Donohue
We call her Koko for short.
Kokopellmana is the female form of The Trickster and Flute Player Kokopelli. She's all of that and more!
Our guests fall in love with her and she is everyone's favorite guide to the canyons here.
She was a freaked out stray who had been left at the top of the road when we moved here.
Now she is happy, healthy, wildly joyous and our Mascot!
She is just getting started with her own Instagram