Day 3

 Montana Saga- Day 3 - "Jump Down, turn around, pick a can of bear spray"

Alan writes:

Mimi and I have just returned from about 8 hours road travel and are both just about at the exhaustion level.  Before we end the day though let me share some of the highlights.  Evidently this morning Mimi was more than a little peeved with my attempt at subtle sarcasm at the end of our last blog.  At Wal-Mart where we had gone to purchase bear spray (caution, you do not apply this as a repellant) and an air horn she subtly performed a very seldom used Aikido move.  This move, which is in the fifth set and is only given to brown belts, has a Japanese title that loosely translates into, “Heel hook resulting in catastrophic fall.”  I have only seen it once before and it was demonstrated by a Master.  Suffice it to say that when Mimi executed it perfectly as I reached for the bear spray, the surprise was overwhelming.  I ended up face down on the floor of Wal-Mart hearing the store clerk repeatedly say, “Are you OK sir?  Are you OK sir?”  As I lay there the rest of my life flashed before my eyes.  Every time I say something rude or even subtly approach rude, I’ll find myself on the floor in pain.  I’ve been planning on working on my rudeness and, as they say, there’s no time like the present.

Mimi and I got on the road about 9:30 AM and headed to retrace Michael’s and my route on Hwy 89 but we did it in reverse.  As we passed through the town of Monarch and came up to Sluice Box state park, we decided to adventure a little and take a gravel road that was purported to take us across our loop, almost due west, cutting off miles though at a slightly slower pace.  It is enough to say that the combination of using a map without adequate detail and my lack of familiarity with the area was the “perfect storm” in terms of not ending up where I had planned and a good ride once again turned into an adventure.  For those who have read my blogs before, I have often spoken of writing about the difference between an adventure and a good time.  Next time someone uses the old saw about “ten miles of bad road,” we’ll know precisely what they mean.  Mimi and I are now safely back in Helena trying to figure out which restaurant will provide the most local flavor and atmosphere for our last night here.

Mimi says:

Even though we spent most of the day crawling along a gravel road in the
Lewis and Clark National Forest, we saw some amazing scenery (again!) 
and some more wild life (my favorite!).  I will have to include pictures of 
the deer, turkeys, and ptarmigan. It was a fun day.  
Oh...and the very BEST part was our 1st stop at the beginning of the day to 
pick up supplies at Walmart. We have never laughed so hard as we did when 
we got back in the car and started thinking up what the title of the day's blog 
would be to capture the sight of Alan face down on the floor at Walmart. He 
was heading one direction as I turned to head in another, and he tripped over
my foot and hit the deck! Just really glad we didn't have to spend our day in
the emergency room getting xrays!

Snow fences

Lunch!

Turkeys

Can you find 3 deer in this picture?

Ptarmigan

What the hay?