K’den. Let’s continue da road trip, k?

So, last time, we’d just stopped in Missoula at Starbucks and seen the license plate from Hawaiʻi. It was a very quick stop; we still had a long ways to go till Bozeman. I called T, my cousin’s wife… oh, I no like how that sounds. So distancing, yeah? So, I called T and told her not to wait dinner for us; that we’d be there about nine. She was fine with that, so on we went.

Here we are, heading back mauka (but still get mauka all ova da place! Aftah all, we stay in da middo of da Rocky Mauka!); Interstate 90 is up in front of us, a few miles away.

We cross over the Clark Fork River.

And here we are, entering Interstate 90 going east/mauka. Go figgah.

I remembered this place from our first Montana trip, and knew that we’d probably see trains up ahead.

The big white M is for the University of Montana, which is here in Missoula. If you look closely, you can see a trail that takes you up to the M. You, not me. LOL.

One of these days I’d love to head up to Great Falls. I’ve seen photos of it and read about the falls in Lewis and Clark’s diary.

So I know dis kane from back home named Clinton. Gotta take da photo foa him, right? One whole town named afta him!

The first time we came this way, we saw a small cattle drive right alongside the freeway in Drummond. Hard to forget, that one.

Time for a shi shi and stretching break; this is a wonderful rest area because there’s so much information on signs all around.

It was May, and all the hills around us were beginning to green up.

This sign talks about the incredibly lovely Garnet Mountains, which we’d soon be seeing in their full glory.

There was a ghost town nearby; we just didn’t have time to stop. I think a month in Montana still wouldn’t be enough.

I know I say it a lot, but I just love reading all the information on signs like this.

We’d soon be seeing the limestone, too.

Really interesting information about Madison Limestone.

“Watch For Ice On Bridge”, the sign says. But there’s none to be found here. At least not now.

And here’s our first view of the limestone.

These rocky outcroppings were so beautiful. Every time I see views like this I always think of my friend, Izzie, who loves them.

Another view of the Madison Limestone.

It’s really hard to describe how beautiful the limestone is. The way the red stand out against the rocks is a show-stopper.

Whoo hoo!! Train!!! Nolemana doesn’t understand my love for trains and I’m not even sure I can explain it myself.

We could see clouds moving in from the east and didn’t know if it was going to pour. But they sure were pretty in the sky. This is near Milepost 147.

More craggy cliffs south of the interstate.

We could see more Madison Limestone in them, too.

Definitely rain ahead.

It was so really interesting to see how the trees were growing and thriving in what looked like a fairly inhospitable place. I thought of all the circumstances that I’ve been through, that others have been through, and somehow we learn to grow and thrive even though we have our own difficult places where we’re planted.

The Clark Fork River came into view again for the first time in a long time.

Kinda blurry and a buggy windshield, but we were pretty sure Butte was getting close. It was almost 8 p.m. and 64°.

Oh yeah. Rain. Definitely rain.

We’re now almost to Garrison Junction. This is where the interstate branches off for Helena. We took that turnoff in 2009. But not this time.