Day 8, heading to Yellowstone

 Slept late this morning, ate breakfast, packed up, checked out, and left paradise.  Heading for Yellowstone, and ultimately, home. 

10:20 a.m. GAS at Mike's Conoco of Columbia Falls.  5.1 gal x $2.22/gal = $11.48.

Driving behind this load is a little scary.  That top log in the middle looks like it wants to slide right off.

A semi kicked up a rock that cracked our windshield.  A new crack, separate from the one we already had going across almost the whole length of the windshield.   The van is a trooper.  She soldiered on.

Near Butte, I saw this:

and said to Mike, "Who's that up on the hill?" and he said, "I think it's Jesus."  

3:15 p.m.  GAS at Rocky Mountain Cenex in Ennis, Montana.  12.8 gal x $2.23/gal = $28.58.  Surprisingly nice bathrooms, a welcoming bear, a huge cow, and a little dinosaur.

I was the only one in the restroom, but I dutifully wore my mask.

4:00 p.m. We stopped briefly to enjoy the birds fishing in the Madison River.

Have you ever seen the movie "A River Runs Through It"?  If not, you won't get this reference, but...I saw Brad Pitt fly-fishing in the river.

5:00 p.m. Super 8 in West Yellowstone, Montana.  Small hotel with even smaller room with tiny bathroom.  Expensive, no elevator (we're on the second floor), no pool, no microwave or coffee maker, great view. 

6:00 p.m. We went into town (7 miles away) to find food and a better hotel for tomorrow night.  We found both, as well as this moose:

We came back to the hotel right around sunset, and I wanted to go for a walk while Mike was planning our day at Yellowstone for tomorrow.

There was a path along the road, and I was going to take that towards town, but I saw a brown sign for a historical marker in the other direction, so I went that way instead.  I saw a brown arrow on the first dirt road to the right and thought that might be pointing to the historical marker, so I took it. 

It was a peaceful walk through the woods, with nothing but bird and creek noises.  I came upon this sign:

I walked a little further because I wanted to get to the aspen clearing I could see coming.  When I got there, it was getting pretty dark, and I knew Mike would not be pleased if I walked back through bear country in the dark, so I called him and he came and picked me up.  He was so mad that steam came out the top of his head.