Our drive to Lolo outside of Missoula took us through Bozeman and Butte; two very different places that might have been similar. In Bozeman we stopped for lunch. We ended up at Ted's Montana Grill. The Ted's in Atlanta was a favorite of ours before it closed so it was a little nostalgic (and the burgers are always good). While there, I also got some very snazzy bike shorts made of some plastic / cloth hybrid. I have gained a higher appreciation of artificial fabrics on this trip.

Next there was Butte. Butte was a copper mining town and the mine owner was the "Anaconda Copper Mining Company." It is laid out on a hill and all around you can see old copper mines like the one in the picture below. You can tell by the well-built buildings on the main drag that Butte was once prosperous. On one of the main intersections was a large bar that evidently caters to the biker crowd. That's the main sign of life I noticed; otherwise it seems to have fallen on hard times. It is situated similarly to Bozeman so I couldn't help but wonder what the difference is.

I later learned from our river guide in Salman Idaho about the Berkeley Pit (see https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/berkeley-pit ) which is an abandoned open pit copper mine situated above the town. We didn't see it but we learned that it has filled with water and is so toxic that it has been named a Superfund site. I suspect that is the difference between Butte and Bozeman.

We only stayed long enough to take a few pictures before heading off to Lolo.