On a completely separate note, mthusker, this thread induced me to actually look up flights from Charlotte to Montana airports. You know which one came up the cheapest? The flight to a place I honestly had never heard of, before: Kalispell. Had to look it up on the map. Perhaps I'm just uniquely ignorant when it comes to Western cities, but for the life of me I just have never so much as heard its name in passing.

After looking on the map, all I have to say is, it's hard to imagine a more ideal entry point to the state, if one's goal is to get to the mountains. How's the town, if you've ever been? With non-resident bear tags costing less than half the price of an elk tag, and a flight costing less than $400, a guy's wheels sure can start to turn...