July 12th 2023 – In the woods outside of Alberton, MT

Sunday we spend the day in and around Billings. Camilla took us to see her children. They were at Scott’s (their father) place outside of the city. The kids were playing around on 2 and 4 wheels when we arrived. Scott lent me a ball headed allen wrench. I needed it to reattach the insert in my exhaust. A few days earlier I noticed by coincidence that it had come loose. The fastening bolt and washer was rattling around inside the end cap and the insert had almost worked its way out completely. Since then I had been riding without the insert. It made the bike obnoxiously loud. It was very nice to get it back in.

When I woke up Monday morning I could claim to have lived for half a century.My birthday present from Katrine was a Bear Bell. I’m not sure what to make out of that – is the bell meant to scare bears off or lure them in..?
Camilla had decorated the kitchen with flags and served a nice breakfast.

It was a scenic ride to Helena, the state capital, where we treated ourselves with a cheap but comfortable room downtown. We went out for an early dinner. From the safety of the restaurant we witnessed a sudden torrential downpour. The timing was nigh perfect. Shortly after we had finished our meal, the weather cleared. We spent the evening exploring the city on foot.

I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate my 50th birthday – far away from home on an open ended motorcycle journey in company of the woman I love. Life is good!

Before we left Helena in the morning we went for a nice long run in the neighborhood. We try to run at least a couple of times a week and do a bit of calisthenic workout besides that. It’s important for us to stay fit, as we want our bodies to be an asset rather than a limiting factor.

Mid afternoon after another nice ride, we arrived at John (@jgreer916) and Jen’s log house in the woods outside of Alberton. What an amazing place – and it is a pleasure to get to know John and Jen. Another tent space success story.
In the evening they offered us to stay one more day. We happily accepted – John brew his own beer and have it on tap in the basement, so how could we say no?

After a pleasant morning just hanging around the house, doing some of all the practical stuff that you have to do when traveling, John and Jen took us for a float down The Clark Fork River. It was fun and very scenic. I tried captaining the raft for a short stretch. I need more practice before going head to head with anything resembling real rapids.