any 'montanans out there?

After hiking around South America all summer, my son decided to bicycle home to Wahsington DC- from Portland, Ore.
he's been on the road about 2 weeks now, and he's somewhere east of Misoula (sp?). He was following the lewis and Clark trail last i spoke to him.
Anyone familiar with the area he's travelling in?

I"m not a Montanan (grew up in North Dakota and now live in Minnesota) but I have traveled in Montana a few times. The Lewis and Clark trail through the "eastern half" of Montana follows the Missouri River, but I"m not sure of where it goes in "western" Montana. The Missouri River starts at Three Forks, Montana (along I-90 highway) where 3 rivers (Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin) join. This is quite a ways southeast of Missoula. The Missouri heads generally north from Three Forks to Great Falls and then northeast and east for a LONG way. I don"t think there are any roads close to the river for much of that distance beyond Great Falls so following the Lewis and Clark Trail (the Missouri River) by bicycle will be a challenge to say the least. Montana is huge in east/west dimension.

I live just North of Missoula in the Mission Valley. If he"s following the Lewis and Clark Trail and is east of Missoula he could be heading for that part of the Lewis and Clark Trail that runs along the Yellowstone so he"d most likely be heading through Butte, Bozeman
(some times referred to as Bozangeles), Livingston, Billings, etc. The northern part of the Trail runs along the Big Muddy(Missouri River).

Are the folks pretty freindly towards the cyclists out there? After spending 3 months in South America he says he can deal with anyone, but I still worry about my first born boy.

He may be folowing the L&C return route along the Yellowstone. Most all folks in Montana are pretty friendly but you do get the odd types that have drifted in from elsewheres that are the odd call. Just be wary passing through Sweet Grass County. That song from the 70's (Eagles ain't it)is for real.

Lots of pretty country along the Yellowstone till he gets way out in the eastern side but that still has it's own raw beauty.

Spent 15 years in the Missoula area. First, there are tons of bicyclists who pass through Montana every summer enjoying the beauty of the state. That in itself won"t be a problem.

As with every state, the vast majority of the people are good people (my opinion). That being said I wouldn"t go into some small town cafes and bars and start spouting off about how those darn miners and loggers are raping the countryside.

There are some bitter people who have seen good paying jobs disappear in the forests and mines in part because of environmental regulations. And the last thing they want to hear is some outsider telling them how to live their lives.

So if you have a chance to talk with your son, tell him to enjoy the scenery, spend a lot of time listening, and if necessary bite his tongue when it comes to hot-button issues.

The people in that state are "salt of the earth", but some of them are frustrated by low wages and "outsiders" buying up all the prime property and driving up the prices.

For what it"s worth, I"d still be in the state if it weren"t for the financial reasons. I loved it there but left for a better job.

Larry