Yes, that’s hail. About two inches of nickle-size ice balls fell from the sky and pummeled Cloud 9, just outside of Buffalo, Wyoming.We considered it the state’s parting gift. Fortunately, after several minutes of pelting, we were able to pull off the interstate highway and right into a truck wash bay for protection, so we…

Upon leaving Glacier National Park, we returned to Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. The long drive to Sheridan, Wyoming, was occupied by vivid stories of Hamilton’s rise to power, influential position in the first Washington administration, and bitter rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Although written in 2004, if published today the book would…

Faced with a full day of rainy weather, we had to decide between heading west to North Fork or south to Two Medicine. Considering the North Fork trip would include repeating our sojourn along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, we opted for Two Medicine, the primary destination for travelers arriving by train prior to the road’s construction.…

Our second full day of living off the grid (digitally speaking) left us searching for either a cellphone signal or a dependable Wifi connection. That’s what led us to Babb, a tiny town about 10 miles north of St. Mary. It also happens to be the gateway to the Many Glacier area of the park,…

After a hearty breakfast under clear skies, we prepped for our trek across the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile engineering marvel that traverses the entire park. The road features narrow passages, dark tunnels, hairpin turns, and stunning vistas. Glacier National Park was established in 1910. It is characterized by pristine waterfalls, deep lakes, wind-swept prairies, old-growth…

We set out from Sheridan about two hours later than expected, and soon we were traveling through Montana—the northernmost state we’ve visited. With just more than a million residents, the population of Montana is about a sixth the size of Dallas. We entered the state by way of the Crow Reservation, which includes the Little…