The American West

July 1, 2026
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The American West is something to behold. For one thing, the scenery is just spectacular. It can really make a difference in how a person views nature, and natural surroundings. 

Montana and Wyoming, which is where Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons are located, are very sparsely populated. Montana has a population of only about 1,450,000. It ranks 43rd among US states.  

The Yellowstone River curves through open grassland beside a quiet road, framed by blue sky, summer clouds, and distant hills.

Wyoming comes in dead last at 50. Slightly less than 600,000 call Wyoming home. The combined population of both states is right around 2 million people. To put this in perspective, Manhattan’s population is about 1,630,000, which is slightly greater than the entire state of Montana and close to 3  times the population of Wyoming. 

The Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River plunges into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, with a historic bridge visible upstream and turquoise canyon water flowing below. Lodgepole pines frame the view from an elevated overlook under a dramatic partly cloudy sky. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.

Upon seeing the physical beauty of the place, it makes you wonder why there are not more people living there. The winters can be brutal though. Then again, the fact that 4th of July baseball games can get called off because of snow might have something to do with it.

A large herd of elk grazes calmly in a lush green meadow at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone, with dramatic grey eroded mountain slopes rising in the background.

This is without doubt cowboy country–both the real ones and the make believe ones. The locals love telling stories about how the make believe cowboys like to strut around Jackson Hole wearing their newly purchased $2,000 cowboy clothes. Being a Rhinestone cowboy can get pretty expensive pretty fast. For instance, in Bozeman, Montana (pop 60,000), discounts of up to 20% can be had on cowboy boots–but only for the ones starting at $800 a pair. 

The restaurants have lots of Elk burger, but they also have large selections of Martinis not to mention avocado toast and other stuff you would find in Manhattan. And they (the restaurants) are pretty good too.

Old Faithful geyser sends a towering column of steam and boiling water into the sky as crowds of visitors line the boardwalk viewing area to watch the famous eruption. Conifer forest and rolling hills form the backdrop under a partly cloudy blue sky. Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.

We did get a chance to see Old Faithful erupt. And we also went to a rodeo, complete with horses and bulls trying to throw their riders off. Which they did with some regularity. Apparently staying on a bucking bronco for 8 seconds is a big deal. Finally there was a ride on a raft down the snake river–with about a zero chance of even getting wet, much less getting tossed off the raft. 

All in all Yellowstone should not be missed. We’d go back in a heartbeat. 

JFB

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