Back in Canada

We left sunny Denver at 10:30 MST on Monday, April 10. We were running a bit behind schedule as we had anticipated entering Canada on that date. But we wanted to visit with my brother and sister-in-law for a few days and rest up for the next leg of our journey. Darcy's car was ready for pick-up that morning as it needed a new starter and front brake pads. Day five of our roadtrip took us to Billings, Montana. I drove that day and covered about 585 miles. It was a very blustery day once we entered Wyoming. I had never seen that state but the desolation of the landscape was breathtaking. I believe that it is the least populated state and I think it has the second highest elevated state capital. While Denver touts itself as the mile high city at 5,200 feet, Cheyenne (capital of Wyoming) is over 800 feet higher. New Mexico's capital of Santa Fe is nearly 7,000 feet. Sadly we didn't have time to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield. We didn't time it right as we drove past it at 6:00 pm. We stayed overnight at the Cherry Tree Inn in Billings, Montana. It had a George Washington theme and the decor dated from the 1970s. The price was very cheap at $55.00. That night we had dinner at a surprisingly good dinner at the Enzo Mediterranean Bistro restaurant. We didn't expect to find a good Mediterranean restaurant in Billings. The city was picturesque and the Yellowstone River flowed through it. There were impressive bluffs Darcy drove on Day 6 and covered about 575 miles. The weather continued to cool off as we approached the continental divide. We passed the divide twice - first heading west on I-90 approaching Butte and second heading north on I-15. The city of Butte, Montana is situated almost on the divide and junction of the two interstates. We drove through a localized snow storm since the elevation was 6,300 feet. It was nice to see snow again! By this time we were on the final leg of our roadtrip in the U.S. The last city we passed through before reaching the U.S. Canada border was Great Falls which I had visited as a child. My parents went to school at the University of Montana in Missoula and we made a few trips to northern Montana in the early 1970s. Unfortunately we also didn't have time to visit the Lewis & Clark Museum in Great Falls. It was late in the day (4:00 pm) and we needed to give ourselved time to pass through customs and arrive in Lethbridge, Alberta by nightfall. That's all for now - more to come later....