[jacketree]

I was a few days away from being born at Yellowtail Dam on the Bighorn River, but they made it back down to boring Denver in the nick of time.  Yes everyone should absolutely visit Montana and not just Glacier, spectacular as it is.  (Everyone should drive through Broadus, MT once in their life.)  But if you are going to Glacier/Waterton make sure you ride the boat south out of Canada back into Montana and hike to Crypt Lake.  Just don't miss the last boat back, or you will be Grizzly hours d'oeuvres.



I have a long, personal relationship with Montana. My dad graduated from Billings HS before attending Montana State, Georgia Tech, and MIT; and my grandparents lived on Sunnyview Lane until my grandmother died and my grandfather moved into an assisted facility, which was also in Billings.  Any chance of retiring there (with Mrs. Jacketree anyway) died at my grandfathers funeral, when the temperature was 22 degrees Farenheit below zero without considering wind chill.  I wore a suit and went sans wool cap out of respect.

A number of major life milestones occurred in Big Sky Country.

1. First Christmas (Billings)
2. First airplane trip by myself (Age 7. Denver-Casper-Billings. Almost got off the plane by mistake in Casper.)
3. First trip to one of Dad's dam sites (Hungry Horse)
4. First time behind the wheel of a car (Age 14. A stretch of Highway 310 in a baby blue 1974 Buick LeSabre.)
5. First best job ever (Yellowstone NP. Stationed at Lake Yellowstone, but plenty of trips north because....)
6. First lost virginity (In Bozeman to a lovely young woman from MSU. Wait, can you lose that twice?)
7. First realization of not being ready for marriage. (In Belt, MT just south of Great Falls. Same lovely young woman.)

I am convinced that the absolute best road trip on Planet Earth is to or from Billings through Red Lodge to Tower Junction in Yellowstone over the Beartooth Highway.  Once made the trek with my mother and siblings through a driving hail storm.  Even then the skies would clear and we'd see this out the window:



Thanks for the post Redrum! Redrumette is a prof in Bozeman?  Sweet!

[jacketree]

I was a few days away from being born at Yellowtail Dam on the Bighorn River, but they made it back down to boring Denver in the nick of time.  Yes everyone should absolutely visit Montana and not just Glacier, spectacular as it is.  (Everyone should drive through Broadus, MT once in their life.)  But if you are going to Glacier/Waterton make sure you ride the boat south out of Canada back into Montana and hike to Crypt Lake.  Just don't miss the last boat back, or you will be Grizzly hours d'oeuvres.



I have a long, personal relationship with Montana. My dad graduated from Billings HS before attending Montana State, Georgia Tech, and MIT; and my grandparents lived on Sunnyview Lane until my grandmother died and my grandfather moved into an assisted facility, which was also in Billings.  Any chance of retiring there (with Mrs. Jacketree anyway) died at my grandfathers funeral, when the temperature was 22 degrees Farenheit below zero without considering wind chill.  I wore a suit and went sans wool cap out of respect.

A number of major life milestones occurred in Big Sky Country.

1. First Christmas (Billings)
2. First airplane trip by myself (Age 7. Denver-Casper-Billings. Almost got off the plane by mistake in Casper.)
3. First trip to one of Dad's dam sites (Hungry Horse)
4. First time behind the wheel of a car (Age 14. A stretch of Highway 310 in a baby blue 1974 Buick LeSabre.)
5. First best job ever (Yellowstone NP. Stationed at Lake Yellowstone, but plenty of trips north because....)
6. First lost virginity (In Bozeman to a lovely young woman from MSU. Wait, can you lose that twice?)
7. First realization of not being ready for marriage. (In Belt, MT just south of Great Falls. Same lovely young woman.)

I am convinced that the absolute best road trip on Planet Earth is to or from Billings through Red Lodge to Tower Junction in Yellowstone over the Beartooth Highway.  Once made the trek with my mother and siblings through a driving hail storm.  Even then the skies would clear and we'd see this out the window:



Thanks for the post Redrum! Redrumette is a prof in Bozeman?  Sweet!