We begin our road trip, as with all road trips with a Starbu...... Tim Hortons tea and doughnuts (there is a recession). This adventure will take us south into the US and east to Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, the Lewis and Clark Caverns, and all things cowboy and western.

This will be a day of travel, so Friday afternoon finds us on our way to the border and Spokane for our first night.

Saturday morning we leave Spokane and travel south and to Missoula, Montana.  Fort Missoula is on our list of things to see.  They had a great Military museum, old steam engine train and a mixture of heritage buildings. 

The military museum had included in its exhibits the 25 Infantry Bicycle Corps.  Yep, military on bikes as their mode of transportation. This unit was set up by Lieutenant James Moss to test the military potential of bicycles.  They did several short journeys, before making a 1900-mile bicycle trip from Ft. Missoula to St. Louis. (This makes my bicycle trip from McCulloch Lake Lodge to Penticton seem a breeze!) The roads weren't in good shape, and the corps ended up pushing their bikes more than riding.  Need I say more ?  It was decided that while the bicycle offered limited military potential, it would never replace the horse. The corps returned to Missoula by train!

We enjoyed the old school house, where Lucas promptly sat down and started writing on a slate (doesn't miss school a bit eh?) and the Drummond Depot building that housed model trains.  Was a beautiful day to wander and re-live history that is oft forgotten.

We had a great dinner at the Montana Club - restaurant and casino and headed to Butte Montana for the night.  Tomorrow will be a jam packed day, and we look forward to it.