Day 9: Montana

We got an early start out of Billings and continued west on I-90 through Bozeman and Butte.  Shortly after getting on the highway, Dan said, "Karen, look ahead", and there were the Rockies, looming far ahead of us, with lots of snow on them.

Around 2:30 we pulled in at a small state park right off the interstate, Beavertail Hill State Park.  A few of the reviews of the park online complained about hearing train noise (tracks run parallel to I-90) and highway noise, and indeed we did hear the occasional train, but our site right along the fast-moving river was peaceful and the sound of the running water muffled any other sound. Great for sleeping!  Dan managed to get his Montana fishing license online and spent some time fishing along the river while Ranger and I walked the one-mile nature trail. There were rain showers on and off, mixed with occasional periods of sunshine,  with temperatures in the low 80's.  

So much better than a KOA!  While the lack of water hook-ups at the site and the lack of hot showers were a bit of an inconvenience, that was minor.  The great scenery, the little gray chipmunks (fun to watch for both Ranger and us!), and the privacy made this a wonderful stop along the way.