A flattering photo from yesterday (and therefore worthy of inclusion):
A 7am start and on the road in a chilly 10 deg C. Riding eastwards we entered hilly then more mountainous country climbing to the 4,725 foot Lookout Pass.
Lovely fast road with wide curvy bends. Stopped for coffee at the town of Wallace - formerly a major Silver mining location.
For lunch we stopped at the Grizzly Harley Davidson place at Missoula.
Jim and Dianne from Australia in our group.
And Melissa and Mike.
After lunch we turned off the main freeway to explore some great hilly upland meadow country:
Around 5 pm we reached our destination of Butte. This is still a town based on copper mining - both open cast and via shafts. The buildings in the town centre bear testimony to its hey day - including the Metal Bank and its vault - now part of a sports bar/restaurant where Dave and I had dinner.
The scale of the open-cast copper mining activity can be seen from the Google map image of the town:
Scenery looks fabulous, glad you're all having a good ride - seems like the tour company has laid on a great trip! Love the bank vault dining. Ride safe,
ReplyDeletePeter.