Day 10

Friday, Sept 19

Travel day.    We have to take the southern route to Great Falls because the oil boom means there are no camping sites anywhere near Williston.   We traveled along the Yellowstone River for much of the day, the route William Clark and his party took on the return trip East.   The Yellowstone flows into the Missouri up by Williston.

Beautiful drive on Interstate 94 from Bismarck to Miles City, Montana.    Neither of us had traveled this route before.    Saw another wind turbine farm in North Dakota.   Then, some oil wells near Dickinson.

We weren't prepared for the North Dakota/Montana Badlands and the Teddy Roosevelt National Park.   Exceptionally beautiful!      Watched a group of horse riders unload and then ride off into the badlands.    Jealous!

The terrain along the Interstate is ruggedly beautiful from Dickinson, ND, to Miles City, MT.   The plains are broken up by large buttes and the Yellowstone River valley.     Stella wants to stay here and have us buy some sheep or cattle.  

Watched a local guy practicing his roping on a "saw horse cow" here in Miles City.

We are now in Mountain Time.   Weather remains very nice, but windy.   Highs near 80 and lows in the high 40s.    

The Next Exit book recommended by Barbara is very useful while on the Interstate system.   There's a Next Exit smartphone app, but the book is handier to use.   (and you don't need connectivity!)

Still drinking gas like a Med Cruise sailor in Toulon!    

Linda adds:   I can only add that is one is unemployed and looking for work,  North Dakota is booming with oil related jobs.  With the growth in population, other business are also growing to support it with lots of new apartments and quick build housing.  We saw a train pass that was one car after another heading east with oil.  Oil rigs are much different from those I remember as a child traveling across Kansas to visit our grandmother.  You can, however, still see the vestige of the old west....miles of golden terrain with buttes; cattle and horses appear and you wonder from where; a lone house miles from anything.  Beautiful in its' remoteness.