wyoming & montana on monday

monday, september 28, 2009

last night should have been one of the motel nights, but we car camped at the conoco truck stop in moorcroft, wy, in 27 TWENTY SEVEN degrees.  it was surprisingly comfortable in the vibe, yep. but cold as ice in the morning when we went in for coffee. 

backtracking about 30 miles, we went to devils tower.  it’s a pretty amazing sight to see.  it was on the list of things i wanted to see on this trip, and i even got to let it sit on my hand :o)

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legend has it that 7 indian girls were chased onto a low rock by a attacking bears, their prayers were answered and the rock carried them upward, and the bears scratched at the rock, creating the furrows.

we were only clipping the north east corner of wyoming, heading to montana so as to enter yellowstone via the bear tooth pass.

heading north, we passed by custer battlefield":

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drove through gillette, wy – energy capital of the nation!

then to the jiffy lube in sheridan, wy, for an oil change.  we continued north and west back on interstate 90 up into montana.  we saw signs for pictograph cave state park, so we took a quick detour to check it out:

 

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then through billings, montana, then south to red lodge mt, just at the entrance to bear tooth pass.  no car camping there allowed by town law, so we again splurged and got a room  at the red lodge inn, the cheapest in town.  james, the proprietor, was a happy guy, made us hot chocolate, and gave us the whirlpool bath room and the single regular room rate, just because.  late that night, at about 4:10 in the morning, i woke to a loud bang.  i wouldnt find out until the morning that IT WAS A BEAR!!!!! that turned over the dumpster…RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW!! all this time, me having bear fear, but really wanting to just see one…and there one  was, not 5 feet outside my window, under the street light.  all i can say is that was one lucky bear, as buddy was on guard, and he could have been done for.