WOW, WOW, WOW – if you haven’t driven through Montana from Missoula to Butte, you are missing an amazingly beautiful drive. The climb from the Idaho-Washington border is long and gradual through Missoula to Butte. The Missoula to Butte is really beautiful. Then just after Butte (which probably explains the name), we climbed straight up to 6383 feet above sea level at the Continental Divide in the Rockies. And, then knowing about gravity it was straight down – 6 miles of 6% grade – so steep and curvy that semis were required to go 25mph – DOWN HILL! But as soon as the 6 miles were up it was back to nice relatively flat curvy driving.
Montana, like all cold weather state is doing a lot of road work. While we are slowed to 45 or 55 and one lane, the lack of traffic makes it much less problematic. At least, in Montana they lower the speed limit from 75 for cars/65 for semis to 45 or 55 depending upon the type of road work being down. Wyoming never lowers the 75 mph limit at all. Even sometimes there are sections with no speed limit at all.
