Monday June 21

The days are so long…by evening, what happened in the morning seems like it happened last week.

Shower and shave at the “J”…. refreshing as always. Then took a ride through Fargo, ND. Wanted to hear people talking to see if they sounded like the movie…they didn’t. Bought some weather stripping tape to fasten the vent visor thingy on the passenger side window that had been vibrating for the last 1000 miles. It worked like a charm.

Drove, drove, drove to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was impressive…. the views and buffalos, groundhogs, and birds were spectacular. On a tip from a ranger I checked out this one particular viewpoint where I was advised to “get out and walk” for best results. It was a short trail that led to this outcropping where you could see strait down and out on virtually all sides accept where the trail lie behind you. It was incredible.

I ran an idea I had by the same ranger as above. I wanted to bypass all the cities in Montana and stay to the north on Rt 2…he said it was a great idea. Again I was not disappointed. With full tornado warning in affect I headed down this lonely highway where the sunset was combined with the spectacular colors of the storm clouds all around. At dusk ,where everything earthly seems black against the sun setting background I saw the silhouette of two giant sets of elk antlers on this knoll beside the road. Although there was lightning all around I never felt scared…the photos are spectacular. Big Sky lived up to her name today.

Exhausted…I needed a place to sleep. At times driving at night in Montana seems like a video game. There are so many animals up an about that you have to be on high alert to dip and dodge them all. I finally reached a town where it looked like I might be able to rest; however, it appeared that I was the only person in town not a member of the tribe. There were Native American teens all over the place drinking and racing all over in their muffler-less pick-up trucks. It was so sketchy I had to keep driving. Eventually I found a hotel parking lot that did the trick.