Glacier! July 2, 2014

Our Lady of the Rockies

After a great sleep, and breakfast, we headed north from Pocatello towards St. Mary, MT, about an 8 1/2 hour ride. Our trip took us through the farms of southern Idaho, nestled in the valley between the mountains. We did not stop at the Potato Museum in Twin Falls, but we did stop at the rest area in Lima, MT so I would have cell service for my weekly conference call. What beautiful, wide-open country! As we passed through Butte, MT, I noted a large white object up on the mountain top ahead. I couldn't steady the binoculars to get a look, but we agreed that it looked to be a statue. A search online told us that it was Our Lady of the Rockies, a 90-foot statue that was dedicated in 1985. Read the story here. Moving north from Butte, we saw evidence, for the first time on this trip, of pine beetle damage. At least half the trees on the mountains on both sides of the road were dead. We left  I15 and started up Montana 287, a stunning 2 lane road that traverses green rolling hills. For most of our time on that road, we saw VERY little traffic, VERY few structures (houses, barns, or anything else). At one point, we came within seconds of hitting a coyote who dashed across the road just ahead of us. We also stopped to learn the story of the towns of Augusta and Gilman, MT.

Montana 287

We arrived at our KOA cabin at about 6:00, threw our stuff in the cabin, and sat down on the porch swing to relax with a beer. By the time we were ready for dinner, it was getting late. Many of the restaurants in the area were either closed or in the process of closing, so we opted to try the barbecue being offered at the campground. Not bad!
One thing that's hard to not notice is how long the days are here. The sun is up til almost 10:00. Time does get away from you here, and that's not a bad thing. One other note: we were dismayed by the fact that the views of the mountains were obscured to some degree by a milky haze. When we inquired, we were told that the haze was from a fire up in Canada. Hopefully, the winds will blow the smoke away by tomorrow.