There is a phenomenon of some people’s perception that I call “geographical dyslexia.” Perhaps another term might be more accurate: “cartolexia.” That is a coined word that combines the beginning of the word cartography with the ending of dyslexia. The phenomenon to which I refer is a lack of understanding of the location of places. The drawing by Saul Steinberg that appeared on the cover of the March 29, 1976, edition of the New Yorker is often cited as an example of the way people who live in that city look at the rest of the world. The illustration is titled “View of the World from 9th Avenue>” The illustration is drawn as a kind of map, with 9th Avenue in the foreground. The Hudson River is about 3/4 of the way across the illustration. The rest of the US is crammed into a narrow strip with the Pacific Ocean at the top of the illustration and vague mounds labeled China, Japan, and Russia beyond that.

Another example of the phenomenon played out in church meetings when we lived in South Dakota. We lived at the western end of the state and the largest urban area of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, is at the eastern edge of the state. We would frequently have meetings in Chamberlain. It was identified as the center of the state by church leaders. I used to say that it was a good meeting point. We would drive 210 miles to get to Chamberlain. Those from Sioux Falls would drive 140 miles, and they would believe that they had come halfway

We all have our geographical biases. Having grown up in the high country of south central Montana, for a long time I refused to call the Black Hills of South Dakota “mountains.” The hills are technically an island mountain range, but I was biased and felt that mountains had to be at least 10,000 feet tall. Crazy Peak, a mountain visible from Main Street in the town where I grew up, is 11,214 feet above sea level at the peak. If you were to stand at the top of the mountain and look east, there is no place anywhere in the United States as high.. The Great Smoky Mountains, Appalachians, and Blue Ridge Mountains are all lower.

A geographical bias that I often encounter was voiced by a friend in Washington recently. I commented that I grew up in South Central Montana and he asked the name of the town. When I told him I grew up in Big Timber, he said, “That’s in the flat lands of Eastern Montana.” While it is true that Big Timber is on the east side of the Continental Divide, it is nearly in the center of the state from East to West. The perception of my friend may come in part from having driven across Montana on Interstate 90, which dips to the south from Billings and enters Wyoming before the eastern edge of the state. If one crosses the state by traveling on Interstate 90 to Billings and then heading east on Interstate 94, Big Timber is near the halfway point in the drive across the state. It is also possible that my friend shares the bias of many people from western Montana that the western half of the state is all mountains and the eastern half is all prairie. Big Timber sits on a high plain between mountain ranges. Those mountain ranges, however, contain the highest mountains in Montana. Granite Peak, Montana’s highest point, is between Big Timber and the Wyoming border to the south. In fact, it is slightly east of Big Timber. The Crazy Mountains to the north of town contain over 30 peaks higher than 10,000 feet. The Beartooth-Absaroka range south of town contains more than a hundred peaks over 10,000 feet and 28 over 12,000 feet. I think it is fair to say that Big Timber is not in the prairies.

We are back in Montana, visiting the high country for a few days. Red Lodge, where we are staying, is 5,588 feet above sea level. Beartooth Pass between Red Lodge and Cook City is almost 11,000 feet above sea level. Although I grew up in the high country, I now live near the shore of the Salish Sea. The elevation of my home in Washington is only about 70 feet above sea level. I suppose if I went for a strenuous bike ride or ran hard, I might feel the effects of the altitude, but I am not aware that I’m not acclimated to it. The US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. at about 6,000 feet above sea level. Training at altitude helps athletes develop lung capacity that serves them well at whatever altitude they compete. People who have limited lung capacity due to illness or injury find traveling to high places to be challenging. Most of us, however, adjust to altitude easily.

I appreciate the coolness of the high country and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Yesterday, the drive from my hometown of Big Timber to Red Lodge was familiar. I’ve driven that road a lot of times. The view was, nonetheless, stunning and inspiring. The mountains are dramatic, and the light through the scattered clouds was dramatic. I have lived away from Montana for nearly 50 years, and it still feels like coming home every time I visit. I feel blessed to have family in Red Lodge, so I have a reason to visit regularly.

I’ll get in some walking and will have time to explore over the next couple of days before heading east to South Dakota. I also need to be reminded regularly of how beautiful the Black Hills are. We lived in the hills for 25 years, and I am grateful for that experience. It was a beautiful and wonderful place to live.

I hope that I don’t suffer from too much geographical dyslexia. I want to be realistic when I describe places, and I want to celebrate the diverse beauty found in many different places.