Calgary Trip - Day 12

2013 Calgary Trip Day 12 Wednesday August 14

Today's segment of the Calgary trip is between
Shelby and Butte, MT
This segment is a total of 237 miles.

Places Visited Along The Way, Photos, and Notes

Today we stayed on Interstate 15 the whole day
This is a beautiful ride. Sometimes very straight and then winding alongside meandering rivers
We started out at 3,300 feet elevation, crossed over 6,300 and have settled at 5,500 for the night.

As we rode through the mountains, we saw a sign that marked the continental divide.
What is not so commonly known is that the continental divide is an extremely wiggly line.
Traveling in a straight line one can find oneself crossing the continental divide several times.

Arriving in Butte, we have ridden 2,539 miles this trip so far.

Shelby, MT (A) is a hub for the Burlington-Northern railroad
Very long trains were almost constantly coming and going
Fortunately, although we were about 500 yards from the rail yard,
we were not disturbed during the night.
We left about 8:30 in the morning and headed south.

This part of Montana is gently rolling and very agricultural, growing grains
Carol says that she is really familiar with the back of my helmet

We stopped in the tiny town of Dutton to try to find the Cazbar Coffee Company
Searching around, Dutton seems to have only one paved street.
Finally, we located the place but although it said open, no one was around
Then a lady came across from the adjacent house.

She could not have been nicer. She normally supplies roasted coffee beans
to near and far grocery stores and other outlets.
She also ships orders. She receives raw beans from all over the world.
Fascinating to find this in such a small town in the middle of Montana

I had never been to Great Falls and there is a Harley Dealer there
Big Sky Harley-Davidson

We had lunch at a place called Pita Time which is like a Subway but with pita bread

The road started climbing and following the Missouri river.

Interstate 15 is four lanes divided all the way and the speed limit is 75 mph
although in these mountains there are often curves that recommend 45 or 50 mph

Trains are ubiquitous in Montana

We stopped in Helena to see the Capital of Montana
There were not too many signs leading to the capital, but it being tall, we were able to find it
When we parked, a young woman came up to us and asked about the trailer.
She is going to buy a 2013 Heritage Classic Harley as soon as the 2014's arrive.
She is hoping for later this week.

We walked up to the capital building and entered. The sign on the door said "No Weapons"
I was worried about being checked and what they would think of my pocket knife.
To our surprise, we walked right past the security desk and were not even spoken to
We wandered around the building for some time
It is very impressive, stained glass, bronze statues, a big bell, marble, the dome, ...