A few more miles and we were in Butte. Our first stop was Denny's. They have all you can eat whole wheat pancakes for only $4. We gorged on fluffy, syrupy goodness and played cards. Then we found a bike shop in town that was much more helpful than we had anticipated. They catered specifically to bicycle tourists and let us into their back room where they had tons of snacks and refreshments for us to take along.
As we were getting our bikes ready to leave outside of the bike shop, a man with a bright green cast on one arm carrying a plastic bag came up to us and happily gave us a bag of powdered donuts and some sparkling water. He said a lady had thrown the bag out of her car window to him as he was holding up a sign for money. But he said he didn't need any food, just a little extra cash. Ben and I were just the opposite. All we needed was a little food and we were good for another hundred miles.
On our way out of Butte, we stopped at the visitor center to cool off from the heat, then precariously made our way back out onto the crazy highway that had road construction everywhere. It was scary, but we got through the worse of it and found shelter underneath a freeway overpass right before a rainstorm came pelting down.
Walking up the steep cement slope of the overpass, I found the temporary home of many a passerby. There was the perfect spot for a bed. Old sweaters, blankets and plastic containers covered the ground. Graffiti colored the walls on both sides with names and dates of old travelers. Some had left quotes about finding Jesus and clues about the kind of people they were and what they were searching for.
As the rain cleared up, Ben and I made our way to the small town of Deer Lodge. Stopped at the grocery store for some dinner and found a spot to camp just outside of town, up a gravel road and on top of a hill in the middle of a field. Even though we could feel another storm coming in, we didn't pitch up our tent and simply laid our sleeping bags down on a tarp so we wouldn't be seen by anyone. That decision proved to be less than comfortable as the night drew on and it began to rain.
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