[Side Note: posted on day 11 because we've had no cell reception for the last several days.]

Today started early, thanks to what I hope is the last truck repair on this trip. One of the O2 sensors went out on the way to Missoula yesterday, cutting our gas mileage by about 25%. Thankfully the parts house in town had one (and it's a 15-minute job) because the mileage on this truck was never good, and the camper certainly didn't improve it.

But, y'all, Missoula!

This town is great! So far, all of Montanna is pretty great, but this town is like something out of a movie! It's got crazy fantastic architecture (our Airbnb was in a 100-year-old hotel with a restored theatre on the main level), killer trout fishing (A River Runs Through It was filmed here), great restaurants, and one of the best music venues (The Kettlehouse Amphitheatre) I've ever been to.

In fact, if I hadn't checked Zillow last night, this post would be all about Julia and me selling our house, loading the kids up, and moving here. But with 2-bed, 1-bath condos running close to $1M and homes big enough for all of us upwards of $3M, we won't be moving anytime soon.

But we'll be back for another visit, and you can count on that.

Breakfast was a quick bite at Catalyst Cafe on the lower level of another restored 100-year-old hotel, and then we hightailed it for Ennis, MT. The drive was breathtaking, and when we pulled into The Tackle Shop, our guide, Jim Bob, was ready to fish.

I figured right off that I would like the guy, and when he pulled around in his First Gen Tundra to pick up, I knew I'd figured right.

And then, on the water, he referred to the floating piece of cork at the end of my line as a "bobber" rather than the more pretentious "strike indicator" favored by some of the yuppie crowd, and I knew I figured him right for sure.

I suppose the true test of a guide is the number of bites, and to that end, Jim Bob did not disappoint.

If, however, by the same token, the true test of an angler is the number of fish in the boat, then Jim Bob surely went home disappointed.

I hooked a good-sized brown right off the bat - maybe 20" or so - but failed to land him. I'm used to babying the smaller NC trout into the net. Out here, a set that would rip lips back home doesn't phase these big boys, and I struggled the entire day.

Of about 15 bites, I only pulled three in, and only one of those was [barely] worth a picture.

At the risk of divorce, I won't mention how many Julia landed, but we can redeem ourselves in a few days when we get to Cody, WY, to fish again.

It was late in the day by the time we were off the water, so we headed out into the backcountry to find a campsite. It took a little doing since I'd neglected to download our maps for offline access, but by just after sunset, we were set up, and the steaks were sizzling on the grill.

We've found some kinks to work out with this new camper, and by that, I mean I have to rebuild the entire back of the truck. What worked well for many years with a standard camper shell doesn't work at all with this one having the not-rooftop tent on the roof.

But the setup is fast - about five minutes - and the breakdown is about ten minutes.

That's about ten times faster than our old setup, which gives me a lot more time to sit around and do nothing once we get to camp.

I like it.

A lot.

And if I wasn't already convinced the trip to pick it up was worth it, I am now.

We're headed to Yellowstone this morning, and as we drive the 25 miles out from where we camped to get back to the highway, I have a hard time thinking it could be any more beautiful than where I'm at.