Unexpected week in Great Falls, Montana.

Well, we finally left Calgary on Monday morning, driving south with the snow-covered Rockies all along the road on our right-hand side in the distance, and made it to Great Falls, Montana, by mid-afternoon, but our Ford's transmission packed up!!  The vehicle repair folk couldn't find a new transmission for 2wd in Great Falls, so had to order one, it arrived on Friday,  and the mechanics were wonderful, pulled out all the stops and we had our vehicle on Friday afternoon - and they also came to the rv  park and hooked up the 5th wheel, towed it away, and repacked the bearings (whatever that implies!!) In the mean time we decided to relax and find out about public transport, as we had no wheels! Fortunately our 5th wheel is very comfortable, and we were most grateful for the efficient furnace, as we woke up on Thursday morning to find the world white with snow again - so THAT is why the cold wind blew all week.....

Our stay here in Great Falls has had some really great benefits - everyone we met has been so helpful and kind, and Sid has had time to come to grips with the intricacies of  RV plumbing and furnaces. We also became familiar with the bus service, and spent 20 minutes standing in a snowstorm on Friday morning, waiting for transport! It has been quite an adventure.

We have been astounded by the size of some of the rigs that have pulled into the park while we have been here - our Huisie is truly the baby brother in the park! They are mostly

driven by elderly Canadians, known as Snow Birds, towing their cars behind the RV,  who go south to Arizona or California where it's warmer for the winter, returning home in spring. They are friendly folk, and seem quite undaunted by their HUGE vehicles!

Unfortunately the weather down south at Yellowstone seems by all accounts to be  really bad. Many of the Snowbirds warned us about the bad weather and the futility of trying to go sightseeing there, so we are changing course - we will head to the west coast and travel all the way down the western seaboard to San Francisco. We will leave early tomorrow morning, and are looking forward to the next step of our trip, through an area which is reputed to be a really beautiful part of the country.

Great Falls is at the confluence of the Sun River and the Missouri - we took advantage of our  campsite's proximity to the river and went for a walk along the Sun river bank to the bridge just beyond where the two meet, and we went "away, 'cross the wide Missouri...."! What a joy!