We got off to a great start today on this Road Trip #3 for 2023. We drove from Rockford, Minnesota to a rest stop 112 miles into Montana. We left at 7:02 AM Central time and arrived at our first night’s destination at 7:41 pm Central Time (6:41 pm Mountain Time). We drove a total of 702 miles.
The traffic on Hwy 94 was mild throughout the day. North
Dakota was beautiful. Most of our stops were at rest stops to walk a bit, use
the restroom, and change drivers. One rest stop happened to be a scenic view at
the Theodore Roosevelt National Park rest stop. I snapped a few photos for
family and friends to enjoy. About 13 miles of the National Park runs alongside
of Hwy 94. As we were driving. we saw bison, wild horses, and what have either
been a herd of deer sitting in a field, or it could have been Pronghorn antelope.
They were a distance away from the road and my first thought was deer, we were
traveling at 75 miles per hour though, so it struck me later they could have
been antelope. Either way we enjoyed the view!
The scenic view we stopped at in the Theodore Roosevelt National
Park overlooked Painted Canyon. I am not sure my photos do the area as much justice
as it deserves. Google Painted Canyon near Belfield, North Dakota.
It rained off and on for about 150 miles of our trip through
North Dakota. Since there was so little traffic it didn’t cause any issues.
We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at a Cracker Barrel
in Bismarck, North Dakota. That was our longest break during our drive at an
hour and two minutes. It was also our fuel stop for the day. The gas price was
$4.20/gallon. Speed limit in North
Dakota was 75 miles per hour. It changed to 80 miles per hour in Montana. However,
we elected to stay at 75 miles per hour.
Another note about North Dakota. The electric signs all had
the same message across the state on Hwy 94 today: Drive sober or get pulled
over.
The Yellowstone River also runs parallel to parts of Hwy 94.
Joe tells me it is the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states.
Google is our friend. We Googled the heck out of North Dakota today!
The last photo for today is from our last pit stop for the
day in Eastern Montana.
Joe and I are both rested even after the drive. We had promised ourselves not to push it too much so that we don’t exhaust ourselves. I have a nice picnic table to write the blog on and a bathroom nearby. What more could we ask for today?
A final note for today. Today is the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. I remember how surreal it felt as the events of the morning unfolded. A link to the State Department press statement today:
https://www.state.gov/22nd-anniversary-of-the-september-11-2001-attacks/
I remember the day 9/11. I was on my way home from Ohio. I had been up there for the Karnes family reunion. I had stayed the night in Memphis, TN. I woke up turned the TV on to get dressed and panicked. I knew I had to get to Texas ASAP. I bought gas before hitting the road and was ok. But the next gas fill-up I needed was a wait in line for two hours
ReplyDeleteMore panic. Then I noticed there were no planes in the air
The radio announcer reported the airline traffic had been halted. A little later I saw one airplane circling in the sky
That was really strange until the announcer said the President was in the air going to shelter from Louisiana I believe. So he was right over me! More panic. Prayed all the way home while my family called me every few minutes to see where I was. Hope that never happens again. Love your road trip saga and pics. Just be careful! 💖
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