Travel Stories, Cruise Reviews, and Cultural Adventures

NOVEL TELLS STORY OF EARLY AMERICAN FILM, STAGE STRUCK PERFORMERS, LOVE, REVENGE, WITH WORLD TRAVEL AND MORE -- Montana outlaws, California connections, Paris, London, actors, painters, bank robbers Lively characters from France, England, Hawaii, Australia and the U.S. are featured in "Lilian's Last Dance," on its way to eBooks Wednesday! Editor's Note, 2025: The novel is available by contacting the author directly at: whereiscookienow@gmail.com STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS P

Red Lodge, Montana, offers spectacular scenery and one of the world's most stunning drives.

Ghost town CASTLE Montana became a map dot in 1884, when the North Carolina Mine opened, according to a U.S. Forest Service interpretive sign.

Glacier National Park is widely considered one of the most beautiful places in the United States, often referred to as the "Crown of the Continent". Summer is the most popular time to visit because it is the only season when the entire park is accessible, the trails are snow-free, and all facilities are fully open.

Nestled in the scenic landscapes of Montana, Fairfield Park Inn offers travelers a relaxing retreat and road trip with easy access to nature, small-town charm, and unforgettable Big Sky views. It’s the perfect base for exploring Montana’s rugged beauty while enjoying comfort and convenience.

Cookie with Nick and Nora on a walk in Davis, Calif., during which time she embraced her genetic dog disorder. ABIDING LOVE OF CANINES IS A LONG ESTABLISHED FAMILY TRAIT "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -- writer, photographer Roger Caras. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER "The Carpe Diem Kids" Cookie's mother, Ellen Nystul and her beloved Scottie, Jinx, in 1941 in Columbus, Montana. Jinx ate shoes, books and the legs off a piano

Wapiti Valley Wild and wonderful

The Murray's classic style includes nods to Montana and the west, with a contemporary flair. Elegance, comfort and western...

AUTUMN COMES TO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES OFFERING SPLENDID PHOTOS, SUNNY HIKING, FROST ON THE PUMPKIN BUT WARMTH IN OUR HEARTS At top, the Tetons are in full fall glory and in the Beartooths to the north, photographer Rick Cosgriffe takes aim on autumn. AUTUMN LEAVES BEGIN TO FALL, DAYS GROW SHORTER, SHUTTERBUGS TAKE AIM ON THE GLORIOUS CHANGING SEASON STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER The road to High Chaparral, north of Nye, awaits fall's golden touch. IF, AS t

This Montana visitor may be a grizzly -- we can't quite see a hump. Several neighbors spotted him recently. The nearby Nye Church in Stillwater County, has had grizzlies in the yard and a grizzly is meandering the West Fork this week. HIGH CHAPARRAL, MONTANA, ATTRACTS WILD LIFE: LIONS (NO TIGERS), & BOUNTY OF BEARS AND DEER This bear is definitely a grizzly, as evidenced by the hump. He was photographed near Lake Louise in Canada. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE

HISTORIC HOTEL LURES VACATIONERS FOR A DAY, A WEEK OR A FINE MEAL The venerable Pollard, with the year's first snow, welcomes visitors from around the world. Below, a sampling of its atmosphere, where diners sip cocktails, and await the feast. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER RED LODGE – Since the Pollard Hotel began a serious spiffing up more than a decade ago, its inviting atmosphere continues to lure vacationers, locals and regulars for fine food and a s

CHIEF JOSEPH HIGHWAY PROVIDES THRILLS, PANORAMIC VIEW OF SUNLIGHT BASIN AFTER CLIMB UP SPECTACULAR BEARTOOTH PASS The aptly named Sunlight Basin is aglow in autumn as the colors change and the air grows crisp and cool. Keller and Nick and Nora pause for a picnic with view near Sunlight Bridge. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER IMAGINE you'd never been to the northern Rockies. What would you expect? Stunning mountains, clouds out of a Hallmark card display,

Road trip to the top of the world: last week, up the Beartooth Pass on the famed Cooke City Highway. John Steinbeck had Charley, and Keller has Nick and Nora, below. TRAVEL THE COUNTRY, SEE NEW TERRAIN, ENJOY SURPRISES, AS THE CAR IS YOUR COCOON! STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER JOHN STEINBECK described, when beginning a trip, that delightful sense of the unknown in his engaging "Travels With Charley." He said, “A journey is like marriage. The certain way t

The ranch, located on the banks of the Clark's Fork River, provides a peaceful escape from the challenges of a busy life. A family-operation for over seventy years, the Cary's pride themselves in a well-kept and clean facility, amazing food, a relaxing atmosphere, and clients who return year after year, inviting their friends and family to join.

Master builder Bruce Keller, whose specialty is high-end La Jolla, Calif., projects, is spending part of his summer in the Beartooths, helping Cookie with their summer home. REMODELING POINTER: YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE BEAUTY,BUT AT A PRICE! PATIENCE IS A PREREQUISITE Expert framer Tom Giamanco traveled from San Diego to help. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER WAAAAAAAAH. RICKY. I've been making my own personal "I Love Lucy" home movie. I'm thinking of the fam

Lisbon, Portugal delightful city awaiting your discovery and our stay in the renowned Altis Belem Hotel in the Belem district, near famed Belem Tower.

The cliffs leading up to the beautiful Beehive Canyon are enjoyed on the river with Absaroka River Adventures. ABSAROKA RIVER ADVENTURES BRINGS RENEWED COURAGE, SHARES MONTANA'S STILLWATER BEAUTY STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS A family suits up at the Absarokee gathering with life preservers\. PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER CALL ME a coward. Water scared. Battle scarred. A sissy. Pansy. It's true. It WAS true. But now I'm a recovering rafter. Two rafting accidents decades ago prevente

FOX RENOVATION TOOK A LONG AND WINDING ROAD WITH A NAME CHANGE TO HONOR ALBERTA BAIR STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS from archives and...

Corby Skinner and the writer, aka Cookie, were instrumental in the saving and resurrection of the programming at the "old Fox", now ABT....

Take a walk in a garden to cure what ails you Dahlias recall the photographer's childhood with his mother painting and arranging flowers and his dad growing them. STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER "The Carpe Diem Kids" Apples and sunflowers glisten in September sun. MY PARTNER and the photographer for our essays has a soft spot in his heart for flowers. No surprise. His mother, Jean, painted them -- lilies, tulips, chrysanthemums, daisies, the exotic orange