Sept. 23, 2009 I arrived in Big Timber, MT, during early evening hours, ready to be tucked away for the night. I’d called ahead and booked a small room with shared bath, always a bargain way to stow away in historic hotels. It is a financial luxury, traveling alone, in that I can almost always […]

It’s no mystery that the area a few dozen miles south of Bozeman, MT is called Big Sky. Gazing up from the scenic Gallatin landscape, the sky seems larger than the mind can comprehend, stretching across the heavens like an endless, overhead sea. I could feel the tension and stress begin to evaporate immediately as

Sept. 10, 2008 Fifty miles west of Bozeman, Montana, I pulled out my scattered travel notes and found the phone number to an inn I’d had bookmarked for many years. Luck was on my side. There was a vacancy that evening, so I secured a reservation over the phone, put away my notes, and hopped

  September 8, 2008 I drove into Boulder, MT and arrived at Boulder Hot Springs Inn and Spa completely unannounced. I’d had no idea where I was going to stay that particular night, not even any certainty that I’d be in that area. But when I found myself meandering between Butte and Helena, I landed

August 5, 2008 Searching for a dose of the old gold rush days, I headed up through Yellowstone National Park and out the west gate, where I picked up Hwy 191 North towards Bozeman, MT. I turned west onto Hwy 287 and aimed my car towards Ennis, a well-known hot spot for fly-fishermen. Beyond Ennis,

May 16, 2004 If I were to be asked where, during many years of cross-country travel, I’d had the very best meal of my entire traveling history, I wouldn’t need to hesitate before answering. I’d explain—and I have, many times—that it was out in the middle of nowhere, at the end of a road bordered

May 12, 2004 When I arrived in Philipsburg, MT – “P’Burg” by local idiom – it was by complete happenstance. I was headed south from Bigfork and not at all sure of my destination. I simply saw the Philipsburg sign and impulsively veered off the highway. As I cruised into town, I soon realized I

  May 9, 2004 It took all of five minutes being in Montana for the first time and I was in love. I had driven in from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, heading north to Sandpoint and then east along Rte 200. Winding along the edge of Lake Pend Oreille, the route took me through breathtaking scenery,