#33 and #34

The fam recently drove to Glacier National Park for a few relaxing days in the mountains, and that allowed me to add Wyoming and Montana to the list of states I have visited. I was able to add both in quick succession while following US Highway 212, which cuts through the northeast corner of Wyoming before entering Montana.

Montana is beautiful and … big. Really big. It probably seemed especially so since we crossed it from the southeast corner to the northwest corner. When you hear about it being “big sky” country, it is no joke. The sunrises and sunsets last forever. (That far north, the sun rises at 5:30 a.m. and sets around 9:30 p.m. this time of year, which really messed with our sleeping schedule.) On our trip home, the Rockies stayed in view behind us for what seemed like half a day, and we could see the glow of Billings from probably 50–60 miles away.

I’m happy the trip allowed me to add Wyoming to my list. Wyoming is tantalizingly close since it is just one state away, but visiting the Cowboy State is not a good reason to torture myself with a drive across Nebraska. What I saw of Wyoming was also beautiful. There is not much to experience along US 212, and we took Interstate 90 back but at night. However, it was morning when we reached Moorcroft, so we took a detour to see Devils Tower, which I have always wanted to see.

Adding Wyoming and Montana leaves me with some pesky, distant corners and Alaska: