I came west to escape the heat

Years ago I came west to escape the heat.

Either that or I was headin’ down the highway lookin’ for adventure.

Whatever the reason, I found both cooler weather and excitement in Montana.

I got a job in Cooke City working for an outfitter. Riding and packing horses in the Beartooth Mountains provided plenty of adventure, and the high–elevation climate of Cooke was a delight. It seldom topped 80 degrees.

I’d grown up in southern Indiana where the summer nights were sweltering, and we didn’t have air-conditioning until I was in junior high.

The chilly nights and cool summer days in the mountains...