Finally back in the USA! I crossed the border at 10:30am. Had absolutely no trouble - only one car in front of me at Customs.

I left Radium Hot Springs about 8:15am. The plan was to proceed south and after clearing Customs I would head east to Glacier National Park. That was the plan. However, as I got closer to the turnoff for Glacier, I noticed that the weather was pretty overcast. And, quite frankly, I realized that I was suffering from "glacier fatigue" from the time in Alaska as well as Jasper/Banff. The AAA Tour Book also said that most of the glaciers in Glacier NP can only be reached via trails. The real impetus for the route was to ride the Going to the Sun road. But with poor weather it wouldn't have been much fun.

Looking down at my trusty AAA map, I saw dots indicating a scenic route along MT Hwy 83. The route runs parallel to the Rockies on one side and streams and lakes (such as Swan Lake) on the other. It is all national or state forests. These are the kinds of routes you find using an old fashioned map rather than software or a GPS. These are also the kinds of changes that you can make on the fly when traveling alone.

The ride was very pleasant and picturesque. The road was just twisty enough to be interesting though in a few spots slow RVs prevented me from fully enjoying the ride. The speed limit of 70 ensured that I made good time. I hit some rain, enough so that I put on my rainsuit. That usually stops it! I was glad that I had run out of Canadian currency and wasn't able to wash the bike in Radium Hot Springs. I'm still carrying mud from the Alaska Highway. Talked to a few other bikers at rest stops. I may be about the only non-Harley in the whole state.

Helena (population 26,000) must be one of the smallest state capitals. I think the State of Texas has more than that many employees in Austin alone. Anyway, it's a nice city. The Cathedral of St. Helena is modeled after the Votive Church of Vienna, Austria. The State Capitol is made of granite and topped with a copper dome. I think the figure atop their dome is not as ugly as the one on the Texas Capitol. The city has a nice shopping area downtown where you can stroll for several blocks without traffic. I found a restaurant called The Windbag and had a delicious salmon dinner. Afterwards, I walked down towards the city park where the Montana Shakespeare Company was putting on a non-Shakespeare play whose name I've already forgotten. Since I hadn't seen it from the start, I only watched for about 15 minutes.

After seeing Montana, I know that I would never vote for casino gambling. It is everywhere; even the mall has a casino! Not quite as bad a Vegas or Tahoe (no slot machines in the toilets here) but overkill nonetheless.