I’d been to Glacier in 2003 and zipped through the park because I was short on time. It still stuck with me as one of the most beautiful places. I remember passing these Red Buses thinking how neat it’d be to be a passenger. Pretty darn grateful that it eventually happened, and it was indeed neat. When the Red Bus...

Took a stormy but scenic route up from Helena and stopped in Bigfork, Montana for lunch. We were told in so many words to have bear spray on hand if planning any hikes up in Glacier. We lamented the cost of bear spray and the person behind the counter said there was a shack along the way with free supplies. And...

Spent a good chunk of the afternoon exploring the Montana Heritage Center and didn’t get through half of it. Our focus was on the Homeland Gallery which presented the travesty of American colonialism plainly. A combination of artifacts, artwork, photography, and interactive exhibits wove Native American perspective...

Above? The Overlook for Grand Prismatic, the largest hot spring in the States. This was the first upward hike on the trip where I questioned my fitness more than once. But folks were doing it with babies in backpacks so I minimized complaint. Earlier that morning we did the free tour of the Old Faithful Inn and...

Friends were ribbing us when we said we were doing a bus tour of Yellowstone, but it’s impossible for me to feel shame about this. I love a good bus tour, and will happily do those Hop On Hop Off joints in any city without hesitation. I was expecting a large motorcoach for this all-day loop around the park, but...

The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone are really close together — it just takes an hour on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway to move between the two National Parks. It’s a lovely little drive along rivers and framed by trees. Not sponsored: I only know the name of this stretch of road because of an app...

The picture above is dark, the important thing is that little bit of light on the top of Grand Teton. We got up extra early to watch that triangle appear and slowly spread down the range. I should mention we did this without coffee because of the water issues in Jackson (and poor planning on our part). After basking...

The drive from Lander westward was chill and pretty dreamy — the landscape transformed at every bend and the sky was big and blue. We caught our first glimpse of the Teton Range at Togwotee Overlook. And as soon as we crossed the entrance to Grand Teton National Park our audio guide said to be alert for wildlife as...

Above: Custom stained glass window at our friends’ place We begrudgingly packed our bags and did one last loop through Lander, Wyoming. But before leaving town we enjoyed a really good lunch with Brad and company. (There wasn’t a dud dish on the table at The Middle Fork — can highly recommend.) Brad was my first...

It’s hard to whittle down this day. After breakfast I squeezed in a virtual work interview before we hit the road for a hike — heading up, up, up into Shoshone National Forest with a landscape dotted by vibrant gold foliage mixed with pine. Wyoming Highway 131 Had a trail entirely to ourselves as we continued our...

In 2004 I wrapped up a web project in Lander, Wyoming, said goodbye to friends made along the way, and swore I’d come back. (The web project was for the National Outdoor Leadership School, aka NOLS — here’s an archive link of that work.) I made good on that promise 22 years later on this first leg of a Western...

There was extra rosemary from a pot roast and this Williams Sonoma Signature Simmer Pot recipe magically appeared in the algorithm. It was perfect timing as we were emptying the fridge before travel. Verdict? Thumbs down. Smelled weird. I like the notion of a simmering air freshener. This just wasn’t it. YMMV...