August 27, 2017 - Great Falls, MT

Day 5 – Yellowstone to Glacier Bike Tour

We got to sleep in today since we were spending the day in Great Falls. About 9:30, we all got on our bikes to tour the city and explore the bike path along the Missouri River. Crossing one of the first bridges into town, we had a great view of the old historic buildings.Continuing into the downtown area, we enjoyed seeing the old buildings with old advertising signs painted on them. There was very little traffic on the street on Sunday morning, so it was easy to get around.The old parking meters were painted to signal the downtown parking garage.The others went to the Russell museum, but Tobey and I opted to just tour around the town. Unfortunately, one of the first stops we made was to repair a flat tire on Tobey’s bike. We made a good team, however, and had it taken care of in no time and were on our way. There are lots of statues around town – this one is of Charles Russell.We met back up with the others and headed down by the river and went by a huge refinery on our way toward the falls.It was interesting to stop by the dam and the falls. Great Falls was also home to a huge copper industry and the river banks housed huge copper smelters. The largest smokestack in the US was on the Missouri River, here in Great Falls. It was torn down in 1980.

The others headed on to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and we headed back to the RV to check on Penny and have a quick lunch. After lunch, we headed back on the bikes to check out the Interpretative Center. We were surprised there were no boats on the river. Lots of birds – pelicans, ducks, and even swans – but no boats!Just by one of the pedestrian bridges, we spotted the rare, Rainboffalo, found only in Great Falls! The statues representing Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea were along the trail not far from the museum. They are pointing to the falls.We enjoyed looking around the interpretive center before starting our trek back. They have done a nice job explaining the journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Tobey and I got back to the RV about 4pm and ended up riding 26 miles. Not bad for a “rest” day!

After showers, we all piled into our RV and went out to Fiesta En Jalisco Mexican Restaurant for dinner. It was tasty. Tobey and I split an order of fajitas and STILL had leftovers! I had their horchata (a rice milk with cinnamon) and it was very good – even better than some I have had in Mexico! After a stop at the grocery store for all of us, we are back at camp. We should have a fairly early night because the guys are planning an early departure in the morning.