Wandering Retirees

Columbia Falls, MT (Glacier NP) to Butte, MT

Writing by Connie today since Hank feels punky from a cold. 

We said good-bye to Judy this morning.  We had a great time together and it was a sad parting.  Living on two different coasts, we don’t see each other as much as we’d like.  We don’t know when we will see each other again, which added to the sadness of our parting.

Today we rode to Butte, MT.  It wasn’t part of plan, but as we said yesterday, we rerouted because of weather.  When you ride a motorcycle, it’s how things go.  We are intentional about our attitude –  it really helps to not be attached to a particular idea or plan.  For those who know me, you would surmise this would be a challenge.  Yet from the moment I sat on a motorcycle, I felt free from the constraints of daily life.  I love having no agenda and few expectations.  It is incredibly liberating personally.

So back to the ride.  It was cold and cloudy and windy and so beautiful.  We rode by Flathead Lake, which was at times gray; and at times when the sun shown, it was bright aqua.  It’s a huge lake and you can tell it is a destination for locals and tourists alike.  We followed a mountain range for the longest time.  The clouds often appeared to cut off the top of the mountain or dip deep into small valleys or crevasses.  After awhile, we found ourselves in Mission Valley, with high peaks on both sides and thousands acres of farmland in between.  It was just stunning.

We were quite fortunate.  The weather called for a 90% chance of rain.  Somehow, the we found ourselves riding between storms and showers for the majority of our ride.  We were even graced by yet another rainbow (we’ve seen two previously).

At one point we chose a random exit to take stretch. And we landed in Opportunity, MT.  Really.  It’s a small town, with maybe thirty houses.  You have to travel past the State mental hospital and through a hazardous waste site (copper mining) to get to it.  I’m sure there is some meaning here, but I spent my time on the trip thinking of puns to share with Hank, rather than philosophizing.  We found our way back to the highway and continued towards Butte.

Suddenly and quite dramatically, the landscape changed from jagged mountains and rolling green mountains, to bluffs and petrified Sand Dunes akin to what we saw in New Mexico and Utah.  It was fascinating.  

Butte, MT started as a mining town and grew to be the largest city between the Mississippi River and San Francisco by the early 20th century.  We chose to stop here, because this city is one of the rail stops on the Rail Baron game we love.  Tomorrow morning we’ll visit the historic rail station for a photo op.

Tomorrow we head to Hailey, ID, where we will stay in an Air BnB and tour the Sawtooth National Forest and mountains.