Westward Ho!

A Haibun. Photos snapped out the window freeze the beauty...

We are driving through South Dakota and Wyoming on our way to Hamilton, Montana. No time to stop and look around. Photos snapped out the window freeze the beauty for an instant, keeping it forever. Playing the license plate game...

Washington, Hawaii, Florida, Michigan, North Dakota, and Iowa...

“Petrified Park, family owned since 1957.” Sign after sign coaxing-no begging-us to stop. “Feed the Prairie Dogs.” “No Bark, No Bite!” Just passed a truck load of chickens. “Crystal Cave,” “Rushmore Caverns,” “Reptile Gardens,” “Prairie Berry Winery”...

Kansas, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Utah, Carolina, and Minnesota...

Below the road on old tar-paper shack, owners long gone. Standing by the shack, their heads draped over each others backs, are two big mules. On our left we see the Badlands of South Dakota as if dropped here by some huge hand; they look out of place...

Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama...

West of Devil’s Tower, the dirt shines red through the blue-grey sagebrush in stark contrast. East of Gillette, oil wells and black bottomed coal mines. Mile marker 110 we see our first glimpse of the Big Horn Mountains. They look more like a bank of clouds. Exciting for a Sandhiller...

Maine, Texas, Wisconsin, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado, Idaho, and Nebraska...

You can see snow on the Big Horn Mountains. Just east of Buffalo, the hills are red. Lake De Smet is a beautiful blue in sharp contrast to the yellow hills surrounding it...

Oregon, Pennsylvania, California, New York, New Jersey and North Dakota...

Overnight in Bozeman. Up and on the road at 6:35. We are surrounded by mountains. Some are so close it seems we could reach out and touch them and some are just a faint blue silhouette. Hazy and fifty three degrees. They say 350,000 acres of the forest are still burning...

Maryland, Rhode Island, Indiana, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Georgia...

On the right, craggy granite that has been stood on end. The power at work here must have been enormous. The other side of Missoula we can see and smell the smoke...

Wyoming, New Mexico, North Carolina, Arizona, Louisiana, and West Virginia...

The east side of the Bitterroot Valley is covered in smoke; the hazy blue silhouette hinting at the mountains beyond. On the west side of the valley the mountains are covered with pines...

Arkansas, New Hampshire, Alaska, Vermont, Delaware, and Montana...

The Lewis and Clark Trail through Lost Trail Pass at 7014 feet,  Idaho Falls, Snake River, and Teton Pass at 8429 feet. East of Grand Teton Peak at 13770 feet. Wow, what majestic beauty. Over Togwotee Pass at 9658 feet and down to the painted hills of Dubois, Riverton, Casper, Nebraska and home.