It was one hell of a ride! Well over 1,500 miles in three days… (probably closer to 2,000 actually).
I decided to switch jobs at the end of May and, in the process, took a few days off to explore two states I hadn’t spent much time in if at all. I had been to West Yellowstone in Montana, but that hardly counts as anything. I had, however, never set foot in North Dakota. That has now been corrected!
As you most likely know by now, I always post NPS site visits in separate posts, so this post will only feature photos of everything else along the way. Keep scrolling; I have included a map of my itinerary!
First things first. I left my place around 4 or 5 in the morning (I don’t remember), and headed over to Spearfish, SD. On the way, I saw some awesome landscapes, small towns and the Wyoming Black Hills.
Spearfish, SD: Cool little town with a few breweries. To the north of that, I visited what is supposed to be the Center of the Nation… (Longitude wise, obviously). They are aware that the monument is actually about 20 miles away from the actual center though. No need to write them an email 😉
On my way to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I saw a few cool spots. One of them was one of the very first towns I drove through in North Dakota: Bowman.
After I was done visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I made my way west towards Montana. I stopped in Beach, ND at a place that was supposed to be a brewery, but they weren’t brewing their own beer quite yet. Not sure they ever will based on what some of the locals were saying… and my own experience. It felt more like a dive bar than anything else. Oh well. It was an experience nonetheless. The locals were very…. local.
I kept driving and finally found a brewery and a motel in Wibaux, MT. The next day, I drove to Billings and went through some pretty bad storms on the way. The upside: I got to see one of my favorite lights. I simply love when the sky is dark but the sun is somehow around. I’m not very good at describing it so I guess you’ll just have to take a look at the photographs below.
On the way to Billings, MT, I stopped in Pompeys Pillar, MT and may have found an example of everything that is wrong with this country… 😉 (Read the caption for the photograph). Classy!
Pompeys Pillar National Monument is actually a few miles west of town and is operated by the Bureau of Land Management and is not a National Park Service site per se. The views from the rock are absolutely stunning and (if you actually believe it… and full disclosure I’m a tiny bit skeptical), you can see William Clark’s (of Lewis & Clark) signature of the side of the rock. It is protected by glass and you can hardly see it, but it’s there. I promise. I’m only skeptical because I feel like anyone could have carved that into the rock whether contemporary to Clark or later. PS: Make sure to click on that panorama!
And now, we’re FINALLY in Billings, MT! (And no, it’s not the end of the day yet! Far from it…) Click on the first pano and make your way through. The views are breathtaking, and I managed to create some of my widest panoramic composites yet! In the background, you will see the Beartooth Mountains, with Montana’s highest peak. From Billings, you can see six mountain ranges: Beartooth, Pryor, Big Horn, Bull, Crazies, and Big Snowy mountains.
Though this is the end of this post, it was far from being the end of the road. I hit up Bighorn National Recreation Area that same day and slept in Buffalo, WY.
My third day was spent driving back to Colorado and stopping at a brewery I hadn’t been to yet in Cheyenne, WY.
What a trip!
Oh and here is that map I told you about:
morgane byloos photography 
It’s a great ride, amazingly beautiful open sky country, drove thru those states in the month of May, all the way to Banff. Just have to make sure that the gas tank is full, as the gas stations are far and few in between. Nice pictures, thanks for sharing!
Totally missed your comment! I apologize. Thank you for dropping by!