I got up this morning at a decent time and got breakfast then hit the road. I stopped at the store and ground up some coffee for espressos the next few mornings. I stopped at a coffee shack and got a double espresso and was on the road by 9:00.
On the way today I saw a cargo van that had been turned into a camper. They had taken out the garage door in the back and put up a wall with a regular entry door like a house. They even put a window next to the door. Very clever!
I stopped at a historic BLM site called Pompey’s Pillar. It actually had graffiti from Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition carved on a sandstone bluff.
It was a beautiful site and a nice spot for a break and as you can see the weather was gorgeous. There were trails that went up to the actual stone, and then there was a trail to walk along the river.
I had to make a stop a few hours later to get out and stretch and when I did I was nearly bowled over. I have been used to 70° weather for highs, but mostly in the upper 50s to mid 60s. Well, when I got out of the truck it was 88°. That was a bit of a surprise needless to say.
East of Billings it’s been a really nice drive, with rolling hills with lots of bluffs and frequent views of the river on the north side of the interstate.
I went past some signs for “Home on the Range” and saw this:
Just past there, on the other side of the hill, I saw this:
Much different than what I had imagined. Those pioneers lived a good life it looks like!
I stopped in Glendive for fuel close to top off the propane tanks since I’m getting close to my next destination. I didn’t want to take a chance on not finding propane. Both of my tanks had some in them still so I didn’t want to just trade them in. That’s actually pretty expensive even when your tank is empty. It is much cheaper to just get your propane tanks refilled.
Just before the exit you enter the Little Missouri National Grassland.
I finally got to the campground and discovered that after my nine-hour drive, this is what my campsite looks like:
Yep, it’s parking on the shoulder of the main road then humping your stuff up and down a hill. I was so pissed. I have a normal site actually in the campground. I have a feeling this spot was set up to get a few extra sites in to accommodate more people. You can never have enough spots so stop doing this nonsense.
During my journey to Washington nine years ago my first stop on this adventure after leaving Meghan’s place in Spearfish was the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I remember posting about how it all became real at that moment – my life was changing. Little did I know!
