Fourth Day of our trip
Miles driven
today: 476.9 Total miles for Trip: 1,946.8
Gas Mileage
today 30.4 mpg, average of 30.1 mpg for trip
Total elapse
driving time 29 hours, 33 minutes, 09 seconds
Morning is
somewhat overcast, 60’s. Chuck slept
well after his jacuzzi time. Comfortable night’s sleep. We pack and ready to leave by 8:30AM
anticipating less stops today.
Breakfast: waffle grille, eggs,
bacon/sausage links, yogurt, cran juice, coffee to go. (all breakfasts are free on this trip so
far)
Little wind,
no smoke seen. Partly cloudy. Traffic is light, we remain on I-90 west;
speed limit 80 mph, road conditions good, lite traffic. We finish our SD mileage and enter Wyoming,
80 mph. WY is a geologist,
paleontologist, archeologist, energy extraction mineral and petroleum
dream. Wide open spaces with only occasional
distant ranch buildings. It is a
fascinating landscape that never fails to impress for nerds like us. Soil is
thin with lots of rocks; cattle take up the most and new calves are everywhere. Lots of pronghorn seen. It is neither a deer
nor antelope. The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal indigenous to
interior western and central North America. It is spring and grasses are green
and lush, the sage brush is lush dull green, a sign lots of water is
present. In September it will be golden
and sage will begin to tumble in the wind. We enter Montana which has more of the same as
WY and fascinating. Huge state with only
1.2 million people. 75-80mph most of the
way. We continue to get rattlesnake warnings at roadside stops, stay on the
sidewalks! Mountain elevations range
from 9-11+ k, many with snow still on them.
The blizzard gates on the highway, tire chain signs and snow fencing for
drifts tells the winter tale. We follow
the Yellowstone River Valley which provides a lush growing area for wheat and
hay, and provides for irrigation for about 200 miles; through Billings home of
three large refineries, stop for a quick sight see around Livingston, a darling
historic town with sweet little houses and town buildings, seems a lot of money
is here, the train runs through, it is the last large town before ending down
the highway at the Roosevelt Gate of YNP, this is where the Yellowstone River
turns abruptly to the south flowing through the national park. Onward I-90 we drive over the three rivers
that serve as the headwaters of the Missouri River all flowing out of the MT
mountains; On through Bozeman, sits in a wide valley where we don’t stop but
they are building here like crazy. Our
drive continues to climb up to the Continental Divide at 6300+ ft elevation. This drive is awesome with huge boulders of
all shapes and sizes stacked on each other, some are huge oval shapes thrusting
out of the ground. But more so, good
sized pine trees growth between the narrow cracks and crevasses. At the bottom of the Divide, it opens up into
the city of Butte. We have passed by in
the past but stop here today. A whole
half of a mountain in the town was mined in the 1800’s extracting billions in
gold. What is left behind is this huge mined
amphitheater of multicolored rock, looking like a quilt. It’s cool and breezy but not unpleasant. We are staying at a Marriott Fairfield Inn;
they have upgraded us to a King Suite. It’s
only 4:30 so we try for an early dinner.
The Montana Club is a chain so we felt it was predictable. It was very nice inside. Our food was excellent, glad we went. A casino is attached but we don’t go in. Casinos, mostly small operations, are
attached to many businesses which is strange to us. It’s still pretty light so
we take a driving tour of downtown Butte, advertised as the largest historic
town in MT. It is a delightful
collection of old buildings and many Victorian houses and eclectic small
homes. All efforts to keep them
renovated. We drive up the hill to
Montana Tech, a college for nursing and Mining, their team is called the
Diggers. Very nice campus, but the view
from their rise is spectacular. Butte
sits low in a bowl surrounded by mountains, many with snow still on them. “The Lady of the Rockies stands near the top
of the East Ridge of the Continental Divide overlooking Butte; a stark white
statue of the Virgin Mary. Placed on the mountain in 1985, the 90-foot monument
is more than just a religious icon. It symbolizes the fortitude and
perseverance of the people in the town below.”
Our room is
on the 4th floor and overlooks the mountains to the south, still
significant snow on them. It gets
confusing with room locations with changing every day, must keep sharp. 😊 We are in Washington tomorrow, staying at the same hotel in the past,
looking forward to a fave restaurant we found there. We are thankful for good weather and safe
driving.
Nighty night.
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