Day 6 - Yellowstone to Glacier Bike Tour
They guys were up and on the road at 7:30 this morning, hoping to beat some of the heat. We aren’t sure where the fire is actually located west of us, but today, the smoke was thick in the air creating not just a haze, but distinct smell.
There was a nice city park in Fairfield, so we stopped there for lunch and a rest break at one of the shady picnic tables. 
Once we left town, we were back to the open stretches of range. About 5 miles out of Fairfield are a series of ponds (1-5) and Freezeout Lake where we thought we might camp on national forest land. We found the camping area, but there was absolutely no shade and it was hard to get to the water for Penny, so the fellows opted to go further. 
They continued on to Choteau. It was still 91 degrees when they pulled in around 2:30 this afternoon. There is a lovely city park which allows camping along a small creek for only $8.00 a night. Penny was ecstatic! She had loads of fun chasing sticks in the stream, then rolling in the grass. She wasn’t happy when I took her to the water faucet and washed her down, but she will survive and sleep well tonight!
After resting a while, Tobey and I rode our bikes into the town to check it out. We found the Old Trail Museum at the north end of town and paid our $2 each admission. What a great find in this little town. Lots of variety, and a true bargain!
They had the skeleton of what is believed to be an early French trapper with four old Hudson Bay Company arrowheads embedded in his bones. They estimate him to be a man between 35 and 45 years old.
Dinosaurs roamed this area thousands of years ago and this little museum had an impressive display of bones, eggs, and shell fragments. 
There were several artifacts from other settlers in the area. Author, A.B. Guthrie, Jr., was from this area and they had manuscripts, as well as his typewriter and pipes on display.
This was one of the outbuildings which housed artifacts from early settlers in this area. Everything was well signed with detailed explanations of everything on display.
We spent about an hour checking out the museum, but could have stayed longer, but they close at 5pm. There was an ice cream shop at the end and we went in - just to look! We visited with a group of Hittites who live in the area. There were 14 young ladies – all dressed alike – in line for ice cream and one gentleman who was probably their group’s leader. He told us about their religious groups migration from Russia in the 1500s to France, to the US, moving from Minnesota, the Dakotas, then into Canada and back to Montana. The girls had been digging carrots and potatoes all day and this was their treat. We visited with them a while before saying our goodbyes. It was an interesting exchange.
On the way back to the RV we stopped to take a picture of John Henry’s Family Dinner Restaurant. We were reminded of a dear friend from our church who died a couple years ago who shared this name. This little community would have been a place our friend would have enjoyed. He loved history, loved talking to people, and finding out their story.
It was a 53 mile ride day today. We are about 100 miles from Glacier, so they are hoping to complete the ride in two more days. So far everything is going well and the fellows are doing great. We continue to pray for good weather and safe roads.
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