I live on the western edge of the Rockies. By January I expect it will hit 25 below zero. It never gets hot here. In Wyoming the folks like to say they have two seasons, winter and the 4th of July. This is high-atitude (the town I live in, on the valley floor, is over a mile above sea level, with the peaks rising more than a mile above us) sagebrush desert. The "real" Rockies (the postcard ski-resort Rockies) are in Colorado, west of Denver. Or, along the Alberta-British Columbia border, around Banff.

I live in a county with 3000 square miles of land, crowded by 3000 people and 20000 cows. My town has under 1000 people and is the county seat. The qualifications for living here are that you be Republican and Mormon. So this is cow country, with grains and alfalfa grown, some potatoes. It's arid, getting about 12" of precipitation a year, mostly as winter snow. The surrounding mountains, with their heavy snows, provide our water. All kinds of wildlife including wolves, bear, mountain lion, elk, moose, deer, antelope... grouse, wild turkey, and the best steelhead fishing in the world. White-water river trips, Indian reservations, wild west history.... I went walking in the wagon ruts of the old Oregon Trail this morning: Wagons, Ho! And some of the nicest people you ever want to meet. It's a community and we take care of each other. Clean air, pure water, no terrorists bombing the place. ("Hey, Abdul, Let's blow up that sagebrush !!)

In my view, the most beautiful state in the U.S. (of the lower 48) is Montana.

If you want a riding holiday, this is the place. If you so chose, you could ride for days, or weeks, and never see another soul. The largest wilderness area in the US is just north of my house. 13,000 km2 of roadless mountains of exceptional, breathtaking beauty. Or, you can visit trendy Aspen, Colorado and spend a year's wage in a week and be entertained.