I took a zero in Darby which is an interesting little town. The show called Yellowstone is filmed nearby and the locals and tourists seemed to be a bit more upscale than you would normally find in a tiny Montana town. I think there are some large ranches and fancy vacation homes outside town. It is still a very small town though and at times there is only one restaurant open and the waits can get long.

I got all my shopping done, bought a bird house for Barb and a really cool antique shop, and ate, ate, ate.  I ate breakfast with Mayor, Salty, Stretch, and others. I am starting to really like Salty. The first couple times I ran into him he seemed a bit standoffish and I wasn’t sure. But now that I’ve been around him a bit more I realize that he has a really big heart and cares about everyone around him. He is a gruff former marine who says what he thinks without much of a filter which is refreshing. He seems to have no fear of anything.

While shopping for groceries I met a very kind older lady in line at the register. She asked me questions about my hike while we waited, which I always enjoy. I said goodbye and started the 1 mile walk back to my room at the other end of town. As I was walking she drove past and waved. She then did a U turn and came back to give me a ride. It turned into a little history lesson about Pocahontas who passed through this area long ago. She took me to the little Pocahontas memorial area hidden between buildings in the center of town. My guide was very enthusiastic and sweet, and it was a fun half hour or so.

In the evening I walked across the street and watched the Darby Days concert for a bit. They were playing county rock and were pretty good. I wandered around the booths – quite a few were for hunting and farming equipment and talked with the vendors. Tomorrow they will have lumberjack contests here.