In just a few hours, we’ll cross another state border, and I’ll savor the joy of seeing yet another rugged, beautiful place that I’ve never visited before. While I still have signal, I Google some quick facts about Montana.

Montana comes from the Spanish word Montaña which in turn comes from the Latin word Montanea, meaning "mountain", or more broadly, "mountainous country". Montaña del Norte was the name given by early Spanish explorers to the entire mountainous region of the west.