Day 2 started bright and early, thanks to John's internal clock. We hit the road early, drove through some beautiful Black Hills. This bridge made entirely of wood was work some oohs and aahs from our crew. First stop: Sturgis. McDonalds for iced tea for The Mama, Sturgis Coffee Company for some foo foo drinks for Katie and Maggie, and a driving tour of Sturgis. Then we headed north toward Bowman, seeing some seriously impressive bars and concert areas around Sturgis.
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| This bridge was supported by wood beams |
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| Sturgis concert/rally area |
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| The beauty of SD |
We didn't know what to expect on the drive from Sturgis to Bowman. None of us had been in that part of the US. You know how I said the Sand Hills of Nebraska were sparcely populated? That was child's play compared to northwest South Dakota. It was stunning, and empty of people. The ranches were sporadic and probably mostly hidden from the highway. The pastures were gorgeous, short green grasses as far as you could see, only the occasional Butte to change the scenery. We did notice that there weren't that many cattle on the pasture, which I assume is a lasting effect of the blizzard from a few years ago. We assume the herds are still being re-established.
Next Stop was Bowman, ND, for lunch. I was on my own for the ND run, but I'm stubborn in that if I make a goal, I'm going to complete the goal. So, while Jay ordered some chicken strips to finish up our picnic lunch of chicken-cucumber-kale-spinach tortilla wraps, I ran around the Bowman, ND fairgrounds to get my mile, while K and M walked about the same distance. It was awfully nice to run in 55 degree wind, instead of 90+ degree calmness of our hometown on the same day. We even found a nice little playground and picnic area to eat lunch.
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| Picnic lunch at Bowman, ND |
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| North Dakota mile, ran at the fairgrounds |
Then it was onto Montana. Four hours is about the maximum we want to stay sitting in the car, so we did some google searching and settled on Forsyth, MT, for a stop along the Yellowstone River. The area we stopped had a nice public bathroom/outhouse, and the river was running fast. All my kids need to be happy is rocks, water to throw rocks in, and a nice hiking trail.
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| Natalie's rock collection grows. |
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| Yellowstone River at Forsyth, MT |
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| Yellowstone River |
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| Yellowstone River at Forsyth MT |
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| Sleichter Squad Selfie |
Once again, we made better time that I had hoped, so I didn't ask; I just drove to the Pictograph Caves south of Billings, MT. I should add that Jay would have been driving, but the weather was turning severe back in Kansas, so Jay spent the afternoon watching radar and directing our wonderful neighbors as to when to shut the buildings. And so, I got to be the head navigator and driver. And as such, I wanted to see some ancient cave drawings. There weren't many cave drawings left, but the hike was nice, the view was worth the 10 minute meandering drive, and the rock walls were impressive... at least to these Kansas kids.
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| Ghost Cave at Pictograph State Park, Billings MT |
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| Pictograph Cave. The faded red in the middle is a cave drawing. |
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| The Great Plains may have said that drawing on the right is a soldier and a shield, but John said it was a short fat man. |
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Another little hike, about 0.6 miles, but had to watch out for snakes and heard some bats waking up.
After the caves, it was time to call it a day. We stayed at our first airbnb for this trip, and loved the space to spread out. Three bedrooms, one bath, kitchen meant everyone got a break from all this family togetherness. When I suggested we order pizza for the kids and Dad and I go for a date, it was unanimous. Apparently the kids like a break from parents as much as parents like a break from kids! So, Jay and I got a little date time, spent discussing the county fair, our travel plans, farmers market, coronavirus pandemic, and goals for the summer. Then back to the house for laundry and baths and relaxing.
On the agenda for tomorrow -- Glacier!
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