It was a short drive from Alberton to the Fish Creek Campground near West Glacier Village where we were scheduled to dry camp over the next three days. So we slept in till nearly 11:00a, but I woke early and walked Timber along the river.

In search of a great brunch, we discovered the Burns St. Bistro in Missoula, which would cause us to backtrack a little in our drive. And it would require me, we later discovered, to turn my 55’ truck and coach combo around in a tight cul-de-sac. Alas no problem as I’d had 1,300 miles of practice by this point.

Ronan, Asher, a bike and a lonely dog.

I bought a t-shirt

The drive up to Glacier National Park was beautiful as we slowly rose into the mountains, passing little villages, sparkling lakes and vast wildflower fields. Along the way, we surprisingly discovered the town of Ronan, Montana and stopped to take pictures of the mileage sign and several advertising boards. En route, our Ronan proclaimed many holidays and bestowed free treats on all citizens, further imagining himself as mayor of his namesake town.

Overpasses in Montana are often for wild animals only.

Ronan and his namesake town was a nice surprise on the trip.

Yellow Sweetclover blankets a field on the road to Glacier NP.

By the time we arrived at Fish Creek the light drizzle had turned constant and strong, so we set-up camp in the rain. When we arrived, we found our campsite “occupied” by a lovely deer, nestled in her bed of pine needles, hiding out from the rain. This was the beginning of three days of dry-camping, our first on the trip and a real test of our ability to live off the grid.

Our campsite in the Fish Creek Campground.

When we arrived, we found a “greeter” waiting to welcome us to the neighborhood.

Asher helps stabilize and level the Airstream.