Heading out of Calgary

Heading out of Calgary was smooth sailing.  We waited until late morning when all traffic had passed with everyone safely tucked away at their workplaces.  It was the end of August which brings the conclusion of summer holidays.  What better time to take a road trip with most people busy doing the back to school race.  Cruising south down Hwy #2  we felt the grip of the city release with each passing kilometre.  Nanton, Claresholm, Lethbridge, all familiar destinations within our reach.  This was not what we were looking for. We needed something new, something neither of us had seen before so we continued south to the boarder.  The boarder crossing went very smooth - we handed over our passports and the gentleman asked us "what we were doing and where we were going"?  Jack and I had no schedule or destination and had both quit our jobs but knew it would not be to our benefit to divulge such a story so we had agreed earlier that camping at the Grand Canyon was a great goal.  Our car was full loaded with gear and mountain bikes strengthening our tale and the boarder officer peeked into the car from his window and waved us through.  We were now in the USA and being on new ground made it feel like the journey was about to begin.  Continuing south we came to an old west mining town called Butte, Montana.  The hills surrounded and embraced this quiet settlement on this sleepy Sunday evening.  We drove through town to easily find the KOA campground and chose our home from the many empty sites.  We fumbled around, set up our tent and established our new domain. Sitting down at the picnic table with a cold one was our first real chance to really look around and examine our surroundings.  We stood to scouted the perimetre of the town and spotted a glowing white object on the hilltop.  Retrieving the binoculars from the car helped us to see that the glow came from Our Lady of the Rockies statue, Mary. She is a 90 foot statue built by volunteers from donated materials and is dedicated to women and mothers everywhere.  The statue was first attempted by Bob O'Bill when his wife took ill from cancer and he promised the Virgin Mary he would build a 9 foot statue of her in his backyard.  When his wife recovered he completed his promise however volunteers with donated materials changed the initial vision to the Mary viewed gracing the top of the Continental Divide.  Overlooking Butte she seems to give her blessing to all who may admire and appreciate her presence. The warmth of the evening and a brilliant ruby sky suggested a return to summer so we ventured out on our mountain bikes looking for the famous "red light district".  Leaving the KOA we rolled onto the road passing train tracks, well lit homes settling in for dinner or the occasional cat or dog out for their evening stroll.  Coming to the main street in Butte showed us a peaceful yet active existence for the people of this copper mine town.  We didn't find the "red light district" or see any "red light activity" but did find a few sporting goods stores, pubs, restaurants and the expected businesses to keep a town booming.  All the while Our Lady of the Rockies was radiating above us.

Our first morning was early with the sun rise blasting through the tent.  Jack took the lead and brewed some coffee in the bodum we had purchased with the numerous other camping items in preparation for this trip.  The tent had a gentle frost dusting that quickly disappeared with the morning heat.  Our second day of adventure was about to begin as packed up and we headed off.