Winter Carnival at Whitefish, Montana: Today's Travel Photo

Whitefish, Montana is a little Western town with plenty of opportunities for big fun. As a gateway to Glacier National Park, and sitting at the base of Big Mountain, the town is a haven for travelers all year long.

While summer vacationers heading to Glacier pack Whitefish in warm weather, winter is all about fun in the snow.

February brings the annual Winter Carnival and with it off-beat attractions such as the Penguin Plunge into icy Whitefish Lake

and a Grand Parade down the center of town.


In addition, Black Star Beer holds its Beer Barter at the Great Northern Brewing Company, inviting the public to come up with wild and crazy items and ideas they'd be willing to trade for a year's worth of beer.

You can read more about the Whitefish Winter Carnival and the Black Star Beer Barter in my Spokesman-Review Home Planet column.

A Day in Yellowstone

(Lower Falls as seen from Artist Point, Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)



My first grandchild was born two days ago. While waiting for her arrival, I sat down and started a list of all the places I want to take her.

I want her to walk down the beautiful streets of Paris with me. I want to show her the breathtaking rift valley in Iceland. I want to sit under an olive tree in Tuscany and let the sun sink into us.

Closer to home, I want to share Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Thinking about the powerful scenery in Yellowstone, I remembered an essay I wrote for my Home Planet column in 2010. In it, I described one perfect day in one of the world's most dramatic places. Now, I can't wait to share that day with her.

Read: "If I Could Take You to Yellowstone"

Montana Roundup

(Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)


It was like stepping into an iconic Montana billboard. Watching cowboys rounding up bucking horses for the next day's rodeo during the 2010 North American Indian Days in Browning, Montana, I was struck by the beauty of it all. I felt the vibration of the thundering hooves as the herd appeared over the hill. I listened to the men shouting as they rode, reining in their mounts, moving in and out to force the horses into the proper corral. Foals whinnied for their mothers and the herd's stallion reared and postured as he circled the corral.

It was the kind of moment that brings me back to Montana again and again.

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park: Today's Travel Photo #TTP@CAMera

(Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)


Standing on the shore of Glacier National Park's Lake McDonald in the middle of winter quiets you. You whisper if you speak at all. The air is cold and clear and the sky, mountains and lake blend into one beautiful scene.

You can read more in my Spokesman-Review column, Winter in Glacier National Park.

Our Daily Bread

We only spent a day in Missoula, but while we were there we got our share of good bread. First, a quick stop at Le Petit Outre for a yummy pastry. The Bacca Florentine, about the size of a ping pong paddle, was delicious. Wish I could bake like that.

From there, we drove to the Great Harvest Bread Co. All in the name of research, of course.
I have five words for you: Honking big cheddar bread sticks.
Buy. Eat. Taste. Smile.

Oh, Wilma. You beautiful thing!

Missoula has more than its share of natural beauty. The Clark Fork River rambles through town. Mountains ring the valley. But one of the sights you need to see is entirely man-made.
The elegant Wilma Theater reigns over the pretty little town. Built in 1921, and named after Edna Wilma, the vaudeville-star wife of the builder, the elegant Louis X1V theater and concert hall is still a vibrant social hub. A steady stream of entertainers and big names appears throughout the year.

Stepping inside, you can easily imagine Missoula at its early 20th Century best. Gilded and tasseled and just this side of paradise.

Missoula, Montana

Looking for a little fun, we drove over to Missoula, Montana for the day.





We left Spokane early enough that we were able to make it to Missoula around lunch time. The drive, as always, was beautiful.

Leavin' on a midnight train...

I love traveling by train. I hop aboard whenever it is an option. And, usually, some kind of adventure follows.
I met the man I would marry on a restored steam engine making a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I met one of my best friends on the Crescent as it snaked up the Shenandoah Valley on its way to New York City.

I once had a meltdown on that same train as it traveled through the deep south down to New Orleans. I was 5 months pregnant with my first child, and I was so hungry I couldn't wait another minute for the dining car to open. The conductor (obviously a man with children) brought me a bag of chips to tide me over.

I've rolled through a winter wonderland as I rode the Empire Builder through snow-covered passes in the Cascades and sipped my coffee sitting in a domed observation car as we snaked along the Columbia River.

Like I said. I love riding the rails.

In Spokane, the Amtrak trains roll in around midnight and depart not long after. Heading to Whitefish, Montana for winter visit, the train was darkened and quiet as I opened the door of my sleeper.
The bed was made up and turned down. All I had to do was stow my gear and turn out the lights.

As we pulled out of Spokane, I watched the city roll away. The rhythm of the train lulled me. The last thing I remember before getting a 7am wake-up call was a song running through my head.

" Leavin' on a Midnight Train..."