Day 15 Helena MT

Hello from Helena!
All is well and good, biggest city I have been in since Calgary. Actually saw a McDonalds and Starbucks for the first time in several weeks today and realized I didn't miss them at all.

Took off from Lincoln and had to take an alternate route over the first pass, Stemple Pass, because the road was closed. I took a pass to the east, which added about 15 miles to the route and ended my chances for making it into Helena in one day. Crested the second Divide Crossing of the day (my overall third with the one in Canada) and camped just on the west side of Priest Pass. That area looked and smelled like Dahlonega, which was fitting as I was having a Dahlonega type of day...flats, mechanicals and other issues all the while in a phenomenally beautiful area. Overall weather has been cooperative, with a little bit of rain yesterday afternoon and this morning, which is good for keeping the dust down. Dust with smoke tends to inhibit breathing somewhat.

Things are good, morale is high. I keep running into myself as I travel, or a least various selves over my lifetime. I ate at a steak joint in Condon that made me think I'd been beamed back to K-Bobs in Dalhart, with the chuckwagon salad bar and everything. Add to that the NG Humvee (that diesel smell!) travel, CH-47s flying about, small towns, bad diet, etc. etc.

Anyway, mileage to date: 672.06

Oh by the way, I have managed to borrow some computer time and was able to upload parts of the photos from the Canadian Section, I will add captions and the rest of the photos later. Enjoy: