...1) Remove all of the asphalt on both sides of the road for miles. 2) Put up signs announcing: Bump Ahead! Gravel Road! WAIT for Pilot Car...then repeat!

We have had an interesting day . We woke up well rested a little later than usual, pulling out of camp at 9:15 into a beautiful Montana morning at 73 degrees with 22%25 humidity. Just doesn't get any better...and it didn't!!

Today was basically exciting because we had an all new road for us to travel. Shelby, MT, which was about 2 miles down the road from our campground for last night, looks lost in time. It took me a minute to realize what we were seeing. The town Main Street, which was maybe three blocks long, was inundated with old style, Route 66 type signs marking different businesses. After stopping for fuel at the end of town (paid $3.75/gal) we made a U turn and went back up Main Street as the light was better for pictures. I hope you can get an idea of what we saw from them. Shelby advertises itself as "America's Western Crossroads". We think they meant that they are the crossroads for railroads and trucks carrying oil, grain, whatever because we saw major truck traffic going on, as well as a large rail yard . There were many double tractor trailer rigs of different shapes and sizes hauling through town.

From Shelby we continued to head due East on Montana's historic Dinosaur Trail. Stopping just out of town I took a picture of the funniest historic point sign I think I have ever seen. I will post it and hope you can read what it had to say!

As we traveled onward we saw lots of wheat fields being harvested by huge combines, hich was then shot from hoses into trucks, and taken to grain elevators of which there were MANY. The terrain was flat with fields from distant horizon to distant horizon. The land that we saw that was being cultivated appeared to our untrained eyes to be dark, rich looking soil.

When we got to the Havre, MT area we were out of the wide, flat areas and into hills and ravines. We (of course) stopped at Walmart to get supplies before once more heading onward...with a quick stop at McDonalds to get some take out hamburgers and ...(well, you know very well what comes after that "and") before booking it in the direction of Billings, MT. 

Just out of town (for the first of 4 of the coming occurrence!!) we ran out of road. I mean, there was NO road. As in, the road was GONE. YIKES! There were signs saying gravel road ahead and they meant it...for over two miles at 15 MPH. 

Driving eastward we passed north of the Bear Paw Mountains where there was a battle between the forces of US Generals Sherman and Sheridan with the Nez Perce Indians. Chief Joseph said at the end of his surrender speech, "Hear me my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever." This is generally regarded as one of the greatest American speeches ever given. Reading it even today has to touch the hardest heart.

At 2:30 we turned south on Montana 66 towards Billings through the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation . We were following backwards part of the Nez Perce trail which the Nez Perce were traveling as they tried to escape capture by the US Army and make it into Canada. They were stopped just 40 miles from the Canadian border after traveling over 1,000 miles.

Now we were onto the high plains with mountains outlined against the sky to our front and on our sides. We saw indications in this area of ancient glaciation. A sign here identified the mountains we were seeing as The Little Rocky Mountains. Turning right on US 191 at 3:40, we were still on the Nez Perce Trail and in high plains. 

I will spare you the details before this paragraph with just this note...after our 4th Pilot Car, I got the list out once again naming The Fruits of the Spirit and we decided that what we most needed to focus on today were Joy, Peace, and Patience. Enough said.

At one point on our journey today, we crossed the Missouri River . Lewis and Clark would have been at that exact point as they traveled the Missouri trying to determine where the headwaters of it were. Amazing. Brently...another note to you...if you didn't traverse this particular piece of road in an RV you would be doomed. NO restroom facilities ANYWHERE to be found on the 100 mile plus road! You know what I mean. As a side note we have heard that Route 50 in Nevada is touted as "The Loneliest Road". Well we are here to tell you that whoever named it that must never have been on the roads we have been on today! (Actually we truly enjoyed our drive. We saw country that we have never seen before in all of its variations. Montana is truly Big Sky Country.

Thinking we were going to have to drive on to Billings before we found a campground for the night, we were surprised to drive around a corner in Roundup, MT and find a little Mom and Pop RV park, The Lazy Heart Spear RV Park. It has the grand total of 4 sites. We are level. The electric seems to be good, (as usual the wifi report will come later) and we saved over an hours drive on to Billings . This is a somewhat eclectic park as you will see by the pictures I upload (if I have enough juice...otherwise you will have to wait until tomorrow). It must have at least one of every type of yard art in the world on display! We have never been in a place exactly like this one. Lora, I think David (and Dean) would be up for this...you I am not so sure!

This has been a long day...so much of the land we traversed today was pretty sparsely populated with no RV parks to be found at all but so big, wide and beautiful. We knew that we would have a long drive as we headed out, but the road construction really slowed us down time wise...we must have lost two plus hours. At least in these northern climes it stays light fairly late. John is washing half the bugs in Montana off of our front window so we will be nice and fresh to start off tomorrow. Anyone up for an RV washing party when we get home? What? I can't hear you. No speak the English? Hello!!??
We drove 297 miles today.