I’m not a religious man. I gave up on Sunday mass a long time back. Over my 36 years, the times I’ve felt the closest to some idea of God, or, the whirling randomness of galactic vapor, dust and rock in an ever-expanding universe, or whatever the hell you call it, is a pretty short list. Simple stuff, like holding my nephew Oliver the first time. That shit was cosmic. I’ll spare the others.

Add this one to that list: Watching the clouds part and reveal peak after peak at Glacier National Park this afternoon. Just incredible. Breathtaking. Big. Older than everything. Glacial. Pristine. Another reason to be thankful to be here.

All these years, whipping back and forth between that Midwest and that West, this was my first time inside the park. Mom and I grazed it a couple years back, but that was just a quick drive-by.

So glad we went out of the way today to experience it. Thank you, Montana.

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ATTA GIRL: Leigh took some incredible shots today. Don’t miss ‘em.

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POSTSCRIPT: Oh yeah, to the German Goretex’d hiker with the big binoculars, who was looking up the mountainside, and when Leigh excitedly asked, “What are you guys looking at?!” and you replied, “Nothing…” in that terse, deep Bavarian harshness that you guys are known for, finally mumbling something about “…bears you saw that morning…” or whatever, but couldn’t spot anymore, and ultimately peeled out of the viewpoint all miffed?

Well, as we pulled away, the mama bear and her cub crossed the road in front of us. So fuck ya.

Tempting.

Another reason to pull over and investigate.

Lethal lettering.

Electric!

Good business if you can get it.

Granite City Steel Co.

Helmbrecht Photo Studio does it right, for the ages.

Fixer-upper. Quaint. Lots of possibilities. Good place to die.

Rolling into Glacier, along with some seriously dreary grayness.

Navigating the harrowing pass in the clouds. Really.

The clouds parting, revealing scenes like this.

And this. No words to really capture what I was feeling looking down at this.