Mount Edith (left at 9504 ft) in the Big Belts, always a wonderful sight to see this girl. She signals we are about 45 minutes from our home in MT
You would think that in the almost 6 years we have been traveling the route between Wyoming, and most recently South Dakota, and Montana, we would have no new stories to tell or pictures to share. Nothing is further from the truth. We started our latest road trip from Piedmont, SD to Sheridan, WY after DOT agreed to open I-90. A stretch of I-90 east and west of the WY-SD state line had been closed since the previous night due to freezing rain and sleet. Despite great work by DOT, it was still white knuckle driving for at least the initial half of the 4 hour drive. I must say, it was very much worth having made the trip, as we got to spend a wonderful 3 nights at the Lipetzky Inn. The second leg of the trip between Sheridan and Helena was more inspiring than frightful. We enjoyed the sights of the snowy peaks, and awed at the sight of a pair of bald eagles riding the thermals right above the highway. Well, there was actually one scary moment as we drove through Livingston. Chinook winds were blowing through Montana that day, which would usually be a welcomed occurrence in winter, as temperatures warm up to unseasonal forties and fifties. However, the natural funnel created by the Absaroka Mountains propels these winds coming from the southwest to hurricane speeds in the vicinity of Livingston. Vehicles traveling on this east-west stretch of I-90 are caught by the crosswinds, making it difficult for drivers to stay in one lane. JIR
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