Day 2. Billings, MT

Boy, Montana is a very wide state! We have driven 444 miles across and have 145 to go. It is a lot like going through Texas.

We have named the truck Maybelle.  She is a feisty big thing who growls and groans up hills like the Rocky Mountains and skips excitedly down 6 degree slopes. Her very favorite speed is 60, but will tolerate 75 on really flat valley roads. She likes to eat as much as I do, so we stop and feed her fairly regularly.

We left Missoula this morning and stopped in Butte to see a copper pit that produced 1/4 of the copper for the world between 1955-1982. Butte is know has the city with the richest hill in the world. The pit is almost two thousand feet deep and the ground water that has seeped in is a thousand feet deep.

We then went to Three Forks, MT which is a small spot in the middle of nothing, but it boasts Wheat Montana, which is a granary, a bread bakery plus a deli. Wonderful baked goods and lunch. The granary is third generation and holds

the Guiness book of world records for the fastest bread making from thresher to table.  Eight minutes!

We stopped once more for gas and found this neat gift shop where the owner is also third generation and she polishes her own turquoise and Yellowstone. 

Finally saw a real cowboy herding about 50 head of cattle and later saw an antelope.  Crossed the Grand Fork river a total of nine times- either a twisty river or a twisty road. Continental Divide was 6393 feet. 

(I almost forgot: we passed several signs alerting us to the Testicle Festival. Anyone want to know the dates?)

Will try to attach photo of copper pit.