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7/13/12, Ovando, MT - After a long, hot day on the road, the lads and I are in a roadside camp, a mile east of Ovando on MT-200.

The morning started out with a nice road and light traffic.  I had the two Belgians hitched and they were pulling good.

As the day progressed, the spruce forest was giving way to large stands of ponderosa pine with some fir and cedar mixed in.  Several times people stopped to chat and take pictures.

Getting eggs was one thing I forgot to mention about my trip through Elliston. When I last stopped at the grocery store, I bought a pound of bacon but forgot the eggs.  Not to worry - a very nice man and his wife from Elliston brought me a dozen farm-fresh eggs. So, this morning, I treated myself to an ‘English’ breakfast. I usually eat breakfast after I’ve been on the road for an hour and I’m stopped for the first morning break.

Just before lunch, the lads faced a couple of hills with 10% grades. Doc can motor up these pretty good, but they have a tendency to wear Bill out. When I was unhitching them for lunch, Bill gave me his ‘I’m all in’ look. So, one of my lunchtime chores was to pull off his harness and put it on Doc.  Bill went to the dugout for the last half of the day.

The scenery for much of the morning.

Making the turn on to MT-200, the traffic picked up significantly. This is the main route from Great Falls to Missoula.  It’s a good thing I swapped out Bill as we pulled a couple of good sized hill shortly after turning on to this highway.  Traffic was fast, but most people allowed plenty of room between their vehicle and the wagon.  However, I did make an interesting observation - The larger and fancier a motor home is, the more likely it is that the driver will drive like a jerk. To my way of thinking, after a guy has spent 1/2 million dollars on a motor home, so he doesn’t have to fork out $50 for a motel, he’s so upset, it affects his ability to drive!

Doc and I unwinding after a long day.  Each to his own - I’ve got my beer, he has his grass.

Tonight, I’m in a dry, roadside camp.  But, unlike last night, I have internet service so I can post my blog. The lads are happy to be out of harness and eating some good grass.  In three days, I’ll be in Missoula, where I’ll stock up on supplies for the pull over Lolo Pass and into Northern Idaho.