From Garryowen, it was northwest to the Canadian border. We had planned to cross at Sweetgrass/Coutts, which set us up for an easy drive to Calgary and Banff, as well as kept us on the U.S. side of the border with cheaper fuel for as long as possible. We’ve traveled several routes from the Canadian Rockies to the midwest across Canada in years past and really didn’t find them any more scenic than the U.S. routes, so there was no reason to cross before we needed to.
Our destination for the night was Great Falls, Montana, which would put us only 100 miles away from Canada and also get us away from the storms predicted in southern Montana. The drive was generally pleasant and non-eventful. Scenery was … Montana. A few stretches were actually quite beautiful, but most were unremarkable big, open country.
With the weather cooler (high only around 80) and needing some provisions, we opted to stay at a Walmart that got decent reviews. While our stay was okay in the end, we were very surprised to see permanent residents set up in the parking lot. The road was also quite noisy with too many loud cars trying to impress someone as they drove by. While it did the job, we wouldn’t stay here again or really recommend it to someone.
Since we were crossing the border the next day, we wanted to use up some of our produce. Oma baked a strawberry-rhubarb crumble while we were at Walmart to use up our strawberries and rhubarb. I picked up some ice cream inside, and it was quite a treat.
The next morning we did chores before hitting the road and heading to the Canadian border.
Day 6
Miles: 290*
Driving time: 5:30
Roads: Mostly highway, some freeway
Overnight: Walmart in northern Great Falls, MT
Weather: Cloudy am, mostly sunny pm (62°/80°)
Total miles: 1,449*
* Since our motorhome is our only vehicle, mileage includes side trips.