Gorgeous morning # 25. They really need rain here. Last night’s campground was one of the nicest private sites we have had on the trip. It was in Billings but on the Yellowstone River and 5 minutes from I 90. For the next 4 days we will be in state and NP sites.
We have a longish drive today so we need to be away earlier than yesterday.
We are still following the Yellowstone River and parted company with I90 just east of BIllings to take I94. Somewhere along the way the Yellowstone River picked up the Bighorn River. Still cattle ranching but it is pretty isolated country. Interesting that we have seen more Pronghorns along I94 than we did in any of the parks.
Just west of Miles city the topography changed, more buttes and Badlands. We have climbed quite a bit. Going further north and east, the beautiful orange and yellow colors of the trees growing where there was water and the grasses along the roadside gave color to an otherwise bleak landscape.
Whatever crops there are appear to be wheat and the inevitable hay. We left the Yellowstone River at Glendive, MT.
We pushed all the way through to Medora and the park to have picnic lunch. Nothing along the way looked appealing. Fall appears to have arrived as far as the trees are concerned, temp is still in the high 80s, and the leaves are dropping.
We did a quick run of the scenic loop just see what to expect in the park tomorrow then drove through Medora on our way to our campsite. Tonight’s campsite is a dry field. Half of the park is reserved for horse campers. We have no internet so we drove back to Medora so we could zoom with our daughters. Sitting at a picnic table beside the historic (reproduction) train station with a cold drink except I can’t figure out the logic behind the table/Seat design
While we were waiting to log into the zoom call, a train came by. I still find trains captivating. We have been marveling at the numbers of long trains we have seen while driving across Montana, a lot of them at sidings waiting for their turn to roll. Not to mention the variety of what they are all carrying. Getting our goods from place to place is truly a tribute to logistics.
When we pulled into our campsite today we felt a little disappointed. It was hot, dusty, and just a field. However we have come to appreciate that what we perceive is only an analysis of the moment. When we came back later for dinner, the lighting had changed and we had the campsite almost to ourselves. The hills had lit with evening light. Once the sun went down we had an incredible starlit evening with the milky way in full display with the Big Dipper as clear as we have seen in a long time. Coupled with a good meal, some wine and Vivaldi and Mozart it made for a magical evening.
Louise and Brian McLeod Travel Blog 
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