Maybe it’s just me, but there is nothing more calming and therapeutic than driving on the backroads of America. On my trip across the United States in 2010, I thought about all the trips I had taken across the same roads in the past 30 years. Why is it I never grow tired of the miles and miles and miles of pastoral America? It is mesmerizing. On days filled with puffy clouds, all I want to do is take photographs.  Bales of hay and blue skies filled with cotton are my palette.

The clouds, are always in different configurations and add depth to this image.  That is why it is called “Big Sky Country.” Montana is a vast state, so I stopped to capture scenic views time after time.

Sometimes the bales of hay look like dots across the land, because it is such a vast scene.  Only up close can you see the design of the roll.  Speaking of clouds, look at these!  The light reflecting on the top and the dark, storm-like pattern underneath make it look surreal.

Carol M. Highsmith is a professional photographer who has been traveling America for the past 30 years.  She plans to donate her entire collection of images to the Library of Congress copyright-free.