Day 5 (August 1, 2000) - Billings To Missoula
   
 
Day 5 begins in Billings, Montana, and Chieko has joined the trip. I made it in to Billings the day before at sunset and went straight to the airport where Chieko was waiting. Day 5's travel continued west across Montana, into the Rockies, to Missoula, Montana...
 
Billings, Montana...
 
Billings_morning2.JPG (56771 bytes)  Billings_morning3.JPG (49221 bytes)  Billings_morning.JPG (41166 bytes)  Billings_neighborhood.JPG (64176 bytes)
 
Billings_airport.JPG (46368 bytes)  Billings_airport_view.JPG (49997 bytes)  Billings_airport_view3.JPG (58421 bytes)  Billings_airport2.JPG (50190 bytes)
 
Approaching the Rockies... The Crazy Mountains...
 
Montana_Rockies.JPG (44026 bytes)  Montana_Chieko.JPG (52165 bytes)  Montana_track.JPG (60787 bytes)  Montana_train.JPG (24766 bytes)
 
Montana_Yellowstone_River.JPG (39960 bytes) The Yellowstone River...
 
Montana_train1.JPG (27714 bytes) Montana countryside...
 
At the headwaters of the Missouri River (a most important Lewis & Clark point)...
 
3Forks_sign.JPG (46633 bytes)  3Forks_Journals.JPG (38104 bytes)  3Forks_bank.JPG (51629 bytes)  3Forks_bank2.JPG (50205 bytes)  3Forks_deer.JPG (59561 bytes)
 
3Forks_Steve2.JPG (50053 bytes)  3Forks_Steve3.JPG (52980 bytes)  3Forks_temp.JPG (60643 bytes)  3Forks4.JPG (48680 bytes)  3Forks5.JPG (45210 bytes)
 
3Forks_dear2.JPG (62395 bytes)  3Forks_peak1.JPG (28464 bytes)  3Forks_peak7.JPG (67378 bytes)  3Forks_peak2.JPG (67846 bytes)  3Forks_peak4.JPG (53765 bytes)
 
3Forks_peak3.JPG (42340 bytes)  3Forks_peak5.JPG (32256 bytes)  3Forks_peak6.JPG (75761 bytes)  3Forks_peak8.JPG (81272 bytes)  3Forks_peak9.JPG (73423 bytes)
 
3Forks_peak10.JPG (26613 bytes)
 
As we approached the Western Continental Divide we encountered smoke from a wildfire raging to the south (close to Wisdom). The smoke almost blotted out the sun and hung heavy over Butte, Montana as we passed through...
 
Continental_Divide.JPG (24186 bytes)  Montana_peak.JPG (39831 bytes)  Montana_roadside2.JPG (30117 bytes)  Montana_sun3.JPG (3116 bytes)  Montana_sun.JPG (5167 bytes)
 
Montana_Dairy_Queen.JPG (41503 bytes)  Montana_sun4.JPG (14416 bytes)  Montana_Butte.JPG (26760 bytes)  Montana_Butte2.JPG (22402 bytes)  Montana_smoke2.JPG (18569 bytes)
 
Montana_smoke7.JPG (19930 bytes)
 
Montana-country3.JPG (45292 bytes) Montana_train2.JPG (60010 bytes) Montana_train_Chieko.JPG (51893 bytes) East of Butte, Montana, heading into Missoula...
 
Missoula_fire.JPG (54915 bytes) Missoula_sunset2.JPG (21812 bytes) Missoula_sunset.JPG (21665 bytes) Missoula, Montana...
 
odometer6.JPG (42474 bytes) We only covered 397 miles this day. Total mileage for the trip now stands at 2764...