Day Nine - Billings, MT to Missoula, MT (Clinton)

It was another travel day. Thankfully, we’re not traveling by wagon train. This day is marked by the scenic drive on I-90 along the southern part of Montana from the east to the west before hooking northward. This route includes more criss-crossing of the Yellowstone River (as it flows to the Missouri from out of Yellowstone National Park). Cities include Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, and Butte. Just before Butte, we crossed a continental divide and started following the Clark Fork River toward Missoula and our stopping point for the day.

Our travels through Montana have followed either the

Yellowstone or the Clark Fork Rivers. The Clark Fork

was originally called Clark's River. Later, it was determined

to be a fork of the Columbia River.

From Billings, we encountered some beautiful views of the Yellowstone River and the Absaroka Mountain Range. We also crossed the Continental Divide at 6393 feet between Bozeman and Butte, Montana. Our primary purpose for this trip is explore Washington, Oregon, and California. We just have to get there first. Along the way we get to enjoy some beautiful scenery and visit some National Parks.

We stopped at Bearmouth Chalet and RV Park in Clinton, Montana which is southeast of Missoula by 35 miles. This was another 300-mile travel day. It was early afternoon on Thursday.

To date, we have driven approximately 1934 miles. From here on, our travel days will be shorter and further apart as we spend more days stationary so we can explore the different areas. On Friday, we have a 220 mile day to our destination of Spokane, Washington.

Carrying out the theme of a ghost town, this motorcycle seems

to give evidence of such.

The full name of the RV campground is Bearmouth

Chalet RV Park. Too much for the sign. The campground

is along the Clark Fork River.

There's even a hotel at this campground making it

a vacation spot where winter hunting and 

summer fishing can be enjoyed.

Before arriving in Clinton (Missoula area), we had to descend from the Continental Divide in the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains.

At this point you may be asking why we’re doing this blog. Well, we have a couple of reasons. We both have Facebook accounts and post some things there. Not everyone follows us on Facebook. Besides, Facebook is terrible for going back and looking at previous posts. And that brings up another reason; our minds sometimes forget when or where and this blog catalogs things in such a way that our minds can be jogged into correct recall.