DAY 14-15 THE HEADWATERS AND RED LODGE

DAY 14 JUNE 2

He was born in the Bitteroot Valley in the early morning rain.
Wild geese over the water, heading north and home again.
Bringing a warm wind from the south, bringing the first taste of the spring.
His mother took him to her breast, and softly she did sing:
Oh Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes,
give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana Skies.

John Denver

Started the day with a quick trip to the Kalispell PD where our new friend Susie, I believe she runs the department, quickly had us back on the road with guns knives and other implements of destruction. Thank You Susie! Left the Bitteroot Mountains back south in the Rockies. All day winding back and forth on beautiful two lane roads along lake after lake. Everywhere we stopped today we met the type of independent people that you expect in Montana. Friendly, outdoors type, pick-up driving, gun toting, ranchers and farmers.

Stopped for the night in Bozeman along the interstate, which we avoided all day, in an area of new hotels and restaurants, dinner and a soak in the hottub and I was ready to call it a day.

There was something in the city that he said he couldn't breathe,
there was something in the country that he said he couldn't leave.
Now some say he was crazy, some are glad he's gone.
Some of us will miss him and try to carry on,
giving a voice to the forest, giving a voice to the dawn.
Giving a voice to the wilderness and the land that he lived on.
Oh Montana, give this child a home.
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own.
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes,
give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana Skies.

DAY 15 BACK IN RED LODGE AGAIN JUNE 3, 2014

Started the day with a slight back track to find the source of the Missouri River near Three Forks MT. Two small rivers join together to become the Missouri River. Stood near were Lewis and Clark camped for several days along the bank of the Missouri. Lewis was sick and the trip had to be delayed a few days while Clark tried to trade for fresh horses with the Native Americans. The name Missouri is actually a miss pronunciation of an Algonquin word for “canoe made of wood”. Spent some time on the interstate to get to Red Lodge at a decent time and checked into the same hotel we were in last year. Dodged storms all day long totally convinced we were going to get soaked and never got wet!

Everyday has been full of wildlife sightings, today was antelope and deer. Some of the deer were sleeping by the road, didn't even stir when the Harleys drove by.

Spent some time cleaning the bikes grabbed a sandwich and a beer, courtesy of Ken, and sat outside recapping the trip so far.

Over bear tooth pass tomorrow scheduled to open for the day by nine then Chief George Highway towards Cody?

Chuck