- Drive through the wide valleys of Montana, the so-called Big Sky Country
- Take a break in the two wild west cities of Virginia City and Nevada City
- Sandwich at Subways
- Shopping in the gigantic Walmart
What a cold night A few icicles have even formed on the car. We pack our things and for the second time I say goodbye to the unique Yellowstone National Park. This is particularly difficult when the weather is finally better. After Yellowstone West we drive quickly north to Ennis. The route leads through the vast expanses of the Montana valleys. Suddenly Gixu spots two bull elk on the banks of the Madison River. In Ennis we stop for fuel and briefly visit the western-style town. Then the two original gold rush towns Virgina and Nevada City are on the program. The former is quite touristy, but you feel like you have been transported back to the time when gunslingers made the country unsafe on horseback. Saloon and ballroom in particular exude their special charm. In Nevada City we have a coffee in the authentic hotel.
We continue via Butte, the largest but terrible mining town in the region. For lunch we have a typical American meal at the Subway fast food chain. We watch the other, mostly overweight restaurant guests, partly amused and partly thoughtful. Regardless of whether a sack of crisps is eaten with the gigantic sandwich, an immense sweet drink is sipped or an electric wheelchair is used after the meal. Now we plunge into the hyper-American oversupply of the local wallmart and do our shopping. Supersize portions of chips and donuts stand in the ultimate contrast to the sugarless, low-calorie products that are touted everywhere.
Then we continued our journey on the interstate to Missoula. A sudden downpour ends the sunny weather and then immediately changes back again. Finally we find inexpensive accommodation for one night at the Sunset Motel in St. Ignacius. Next door we wash our sweaty clothes that smell of the campfire at the laundromat. Next door we eat a surprisingly delicious salad in a cafe before we start the tumbler. Back at the hotel we shower and I update my blog.
