Poplar | The USA: Landscapes and Urban Spaces

Of the 20 or so states of the US that we have visited, albeit for only short periods of time, Montana has emerged as our favourite, so much so that we have included it on two trips in the last three years. Given how many posts on this blog and “In Search of Unusual Destinations” feature Montana, it must be obvious that the state is somewhere dear to our hearts.

What follows is a highly selective farewell to a remarkably beautiful part of the world. I would love to make at least one more visit to Montana before mental and physical decline become so extreme that trips anywhere are ill-advised or impossible. Let us raise our glasses to Montana, the state that epitomises Big Sky and expansive views. It is a shame about the politics, especially in recent times, but there you go! You cannot have everything, even in a place that can sometimes resemble paradise.

The imagined road trip below combines photos from our two visits to the state. It begins with Highway 2, which meanders from one end of the state to the other some distance south of the Canadian border. The photos feature Poplar, Chester and Shelby before detours embrace Glacier National Park. After briefly returning to Highway 2 at Kalispell, the photos engage with St. Ignatius Mission Church, Garnet (a ghost town), Drummond and Butte before Highway 287 passes through Robber’s Roost and Nevada City on the way to West Yellowstone. A lengthy detour to places along or near Interstate 15 then follows (Buffalo Jump State Park and Boulder) before the trip concludes with Roundup and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The last photo shares some words written many years ago by John Steinbeck. They are words that make sense to us.