In all my years, I have never found a place so very quiet as Glacier Park, located in the high Rockies, just south of Alberta. I drove up through there on a military move the first week of january, 1980. The day was awash with sunshine, as only after a heavy snow fall could bring.

US 2, the little road that starts at St. Ignace, winds through the U.P., then across Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and finally into Washington St. all the way to the blocks away from the Puget sound in Everett, is possibly the longest mostly all 2 lane road in America. In the winter, travel along it is minimal compared to summer, and can be quiet and lonely.

I stopped at the "scenic" overlook at the continential divide as US 2 winds along the southern edge of Glacier Park. For over an hour, I stood overlooking the vastness of mountains as far as binoculars would see. During that hour, there was no other traffic along that stretch. The day was crystal clear, the sky was the bluest blue imaginable, and just the barest hint of a vagrant breeze to feel.

It was the closest thing to absolute silence I have ever experienced.