“…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                            SUMMER TRIP 2023

Montana is amazing. The contrast in geographic features is wonderful.

        Today did not go as planned…the tires on the bike have reached the point where they have to be replaced. No Honda dealer in the state ( 8? ) had both the front and rear tire. I had to ride 200 miles one way to get a rear tire from a dealer in Great Falls MT ( really nice guys! ) so that the dealer in Bozeman can mount the front tire he has and the rear I picked up today on the bike Friday morning. 

Just a sample of the various types of geographic features in Montana.

        The ride to Great Falls would be I 90 west to US 287 north to I 15 north to Great falls. Once I got off of I 90 ( 30 miles west of Bozeman ) there was very little traffic. This was a nice ride through amazing scenery to I 15. When I reached Great Falls I found an Air Force base there, resulting in an impressive city. The people at Sports City Cyclery, the Honda dealer there, were great. They had my tire ready to go and offered to help any they could if I needed them. Nice guys.        

Part of the view at the scenic stop off of I 15.

        If you have been observant  you can see my new rear tire on the back seat of the bike. Using bungee cords I secured the tire to my bike. The whole way back I checked to be sure the tire was secure. I stopped twice on the trip back I stopped twice, once at a scenic overlook and once at a historical marker. My mediocre  attempts to show you some of the diversity of the landscape simply don’t do it justice. It is a beautiful state.

 

Interesting story of the impact of the discovery of gold on this area.