Great Falls, MT - where I don’t want to be for 4 nights!

Yes, I have been here before!  Four years ago I was here for the BMW MOA Rally and I wasn’t impressed with the town then.  I am here to pick up Pattie from her flight.  We will then leave for Glacier National Park.  I already had the reservation for 4 nights when I got to Red Lodge.  I should have stayed 3 nights there and I would have totally enjoyed the area, the food and the people!  No I pushed on and have regretted it!

So tonight I decided that I wanted a good Italian meal.  I have grown tired of the gas station fried chicken, which seems to be a western US thing, and the hot dogs.  So I got online and searched for a good Italian restaurant.  You have to be kidding me ……Pizza Hut!  That is all there is  here.  I didn’t even want to try Chinese because the only ones I have seen have a Casino attached like most of the restaurants.  So I ended up eating Mexican for the 3rd time in 2 days.  I am still dreaming about the steak I had in Red Lodge!

I have managed to put in 2 miles of walking everyday to keep my legs in good shape.  I suspect that I have lost a few pounds in the process.  Tonight I set off to circle the mall next to my hotel and maybe find something in the food court.  The mall is huge and has 7 stores that are open and the other 40 are long gone.  Very lonely feeling being in a huge mall with nobody there.  And yes, everything in the food court was closed.  So after my brisk walk I returned to the Comfort Inn.

Tomorrow night I pick up Pattie at the airport and Monday morning we are off to Saint Mary, the eastern entrance to Glacier and The going to the Sun road.

Beautiful morning in Red Lodge!

 Up early and waiting for 7 am to walk into town to the bakery.  65 degrees and clear.  I am all packed up and just need a good dose of caffeine and a pastry.  On the way to the bakery a deer was strolling down the walkway on the opposite side of the street.  He/she was in no hurry.

Traffic didn’t seem to bother it so after a few minutes he strolled across the street in no hurry at all.

The bakery open at exactly 7 am and we were lined up

Every bit as good a bakery as the Phoenix in Pittsboro where the Tarheel Travelers meet on Sunday mornings.  The coffee was excellent!

The town was very quiet.

It was a very nice ride up to Great Falls, MT with the fields all green until - 

I am not sure what the flowers are or if it is a type of feed stock for animals.  But very beautiful.  280 miles at a leisurely pace with the highs in the mid-70’s.