#22 Billings to Butte

#22 Billings to Butte

Rocky Mountains here we come!   Leaving Billings the Rocky Mountains peeked over the tops of the foothills. 

Homes perched high on the hills must have an incredible view of the valley.  The Yellowstone flows through the valleys. Our ears tell us we are climbing even higher as the road rises and dips toward the west

Cattle graze in lush green pastures on the straight stretches. Some cattle move slowly through grass up to their knees.  Assuming cows have knees!

A solar array sits off to the side. We have seen more and more solar fields along this trip.

Some hills are covered with a green fuzz of grasses and small evergreen trees.

Farms spread along the flat areas among the foothills.

More ear popping as we climb a steep grade moving closer to the Rocky Mountains. 

Snow guards appear in the fields. I believe these help control drifting snow.

Coal cars move along the railroad.

We saw these farmers working in the field.  Farm machinery dealers that we passed in the states appear to be much smaller than their Canadian counterparts. Their inventory doesn’t look as big, and less quantity sits on the lots.

More climbing, ears popping, curves and downgrades.

Truckers flash warning lights as they slowly pull their loads along the highway.  We are not in the plains anymore!

When you see this in mountain country, expect a real curve! All of these photos are of the same curve.

We passed through Bozeman on the highway.  Obviously railroad commerce is a part of the Bozeman economy.

The highway continues to roll west. I didn’t remember the Missouri Headwaters being here.

We climb again. We descend again.  We level out and then we climb some more.

The hills begin to show this exposed rock.

If you like caverns, you may want to take a trip here. We haven’t been there is years, but these are limestone caves. 

This is what a curve in the road means.  This series of photos includes one part of the highway that curved left and right, with switchbacks for miles. These are the kinds of road we are used to traveling.  Perhaps you can see  my fascination with the super straight roads of the Canadian Prairies.   Just east of Butte, MT at Homestake Pass, we crossed the Continental Divide….elevation 6393 feet. The crest of the mountain comes in at 10,793.

This may be the crest.  I was looking out the side window and missed the Continental Divide sign.

The road drops into the city of Butte with its open pit copper mining site.

Butte is an interesting city full of history. We have spent time exploring that history on previous trips. We spent the night here to visit our good friends the Cass’s. We have shared a corner of the M’s Spring Training season ticket seats for about 13 years. Their tickets were right behind us, and we have spent years laughing and enjoying the games.  We went out to a delicious dinner and had a good visit at their home here in Butte.