I referenced Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley at the end of my last post– my mom had gifted me the book before I set off on Part One of my road trip last summer, and indeed it was most appropriate reading for a road trippin’ lady (with a faithful dog as co-pilot) like myself. In it he asserts, “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love,” so needless to say I had somewhat lofty expectations for the Big Sky State.

It didn’t disappoint. After getting my brakes sorted out in Billings I cut over to Bozeman (by way of a prairie dog village), where I spent three nights in an Airbnb a few blocks from the downtown area. I have a cousin attending Montana State University, so I was able to grab dinner with her one night and go for a hike at the Triple Tree Trail just outside of town. There were also some local trails near my Airbnb Ollie and I explored in the afternoons. The weather was great from Tuesday to Thursday, but as we departed on Friday evening for a town called Lolo just outside Missoula we hit some flurries that gave a new aesthetic to the Montana wilderness.

My own love affair with this beautiful state had begun, and would only be intensified as I spent the next few days at the National Bison Range and Glacier National Park.

Montana timelapses: this, this, this, or this! (And the caption for the first one reminds me I came up with the state slogan I’m a fan o’ Montana! and yes I’d still like to submit that to the Montana board of tourism please.)