Today (Sunday) was a relatively easy 28 miles thru the town of Darby to Sam Billings campground.
At the grocery store we stocked up for a few meals and talked with a Texan named Mike who was heading in the same direction we were.
Darby was a quant small town the kind you imagine Montana to have. We ate lunch at the Big Cat Cafe. Our waitress Nicol (no E) treated us well.
We stopped to dip our feet in the inviting stream and met Rich and Kate who were fly fishing with a guide. This area is somewhat famous for pricey outdoorsy resorts. She said the fishing guide was “only” $450 for half the day. Out of my league. They were staying at the rather posh Triple Creek Ranch.
Our campground was nice because it was a mile away from any road noise and only a few people here. The stream nearby gave us the opportunity to test our water filtering/purification methods and we enjoyed our first campfire. This is the camping I was waiting for.
“Relatively easy day” = 28 miles. Um. I had lunch at 17 miles, and a shower soon after 28 miles, with an eye on market salads for dinner. (Riding pain is optional, you know.)