Was another very cool, overcast start to the day. Temperatures reached a grand total of 23 degrees today.
We left Billings after having a REALLY big breakfast at a small restaurant called "Stella's". Got on the road as soon as possible, and then drove as much as possible without any stops.
Our first rest-stop was in Bozeman. We parked the car, got out stretched, went into the rest stop building. When walking back to the car Kim noticed something that made both of us a little upset. Earlier that morning when leaving Billings, Kim was driving. We saw a yellow blur fly across the road. Thought, it's a butterfly. It smacked the front of the car, as most other bugs do. We thought nothing of it. When at the rest stop we took a look at the front of the car to discover it was not another butterfly, but a small yellow bird that had gotten caught in the front grill of the car. Kim felt terrible, but at those speeds, there is not much that can be done. We took the bird out, and moved it to a nice piece of grass. Got back on the road.
We made it into Butte, Montana to grab some lunch and decided to see the local mall. We went inside and were absolutely shocked to see how much damage the fallen economy has done to this town. more than half the stores in the mall were shut down and empty. We saw a grand total of 10 people walking the halls of the Mall. One sight that made us both feel very sad, was a small travel agency. Inside was an elderly lady, who reminded Kim of her late Grandma Walker. She was all by herself at the desk, fast asleep, no one coming in to say hello or book a trip.
We left Butte feeling pretty greatful that we both have jobs, and that the economy in the Lower Mainland isn't half that bad.
We continued on from Butte, and hit nothing but Roadwork along the way. The sun finally came out though, which made the scenery quite beautiful, making the drive much nicer. We did run into a storm part way along the I-90. The rain pounded down, washing all the bugs off of the window!
We stopped in Mullen, Idaho to grab some gas. Had a nice chat with a local, who helped us figure out how to use the gas pump system. He told us all about how much he love's Vancouver and wishes he could visit in the summer, as he has only been to the city in the winter.
We continued on, and are now in Spokane. We checked into our hotel and walked across the street to a little Mexican place called Casa De Oro, to eat. Very VERY good food, recommended to anyone who comes out to Spokane.
After dinner, we brought our doggy bags back, put them in the fridge and are now winding down and relaxing. Been a long day and it still feels like we are moving. Sleep will be very welcome tonight.
Tomorrow morning we will be heading back to Burnaby. It's been a fabulous trip!!
