Even MORE Montana....It's a Big State!

Montana is the 4th largest state in the USA.

I just can't get enough of the mountains.

The farther east we got, the more the landscape turned to treeless grassland.

Big Sky Country

Day two of our trip found beautiful skies and a long haul through the rest of Montana.

Stopped in Bozeman to get some ice & drinks for the cooler, and sandwiches for lunch.

And I'd Soar Just Like An Eagle, Through the Blue Montana Skies....

Title of blog post from "Morning Rider on the Road" by the Partridge Family.  I always wanted to see Montana because of that song and I'm very grateful to have finally had the opportunity to see so much of it.

We lost an hour when we entered into Mountain Time at the border of Idaho and Montana.

Kept seeing billboards for the "World Famous" Lincoln's 50,000 Silver Dollar bar, casino, restaurant, gift shop & hotel, in Haugan.  We just had to stop and see what was there.  Totally.  Worth it.  If you ever find yourself in Western Montana, I highly recommend taking the time to check this place out.

Haugan, Montana

When was the last time you saw a 'MasterCharge' sign?  It changed to MasterCard in 1979.

Clark Fork River, which is 310 miles long and we gave up counting the 'Clark Fork' signs along I-90.

Irrigation system

This sculpture is called Our Lady of the Rockies, and is in Butte, MT where we stayed the first night we were on the road.  It is dedicated to 'mothers everywhere'.

Nevada has lots of casinos, but Montana is coming in a close second for sure.  Do your laundry and play some slots while you wait!  Russell was having a blast, as this was a new concept for him.

We stayed the night in Butte, arriving at about 7:30 pm after 11-12 hours on the road from Washington.  This was our longest day of travel.  I wouldn't stay in Butte again if my life depended on it.  It's a small town in a beautiful location, but they roll up the sidewalks at 6 pm.  

You da ho? No, Idaho

Lake Coeur d'Alene (core duh-LANE)

Lake Coeur d'Alene

4th of July Pass:  3,081 feet, in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho.  I have been unable to determine why it has that name.  Is it because that's the first date it was clear of snow for pioneers to cross?  Or because the pioneers had to be there by the 4th of July in order to cross the mountains into Washington before the fall snows?

The higher speed limits appealed to me.

The weather looked bad but it never did rain.

Lookout Pass: 4,751 feet, also in the Rocky Mountains and straddles the border of Idaho and Montana.