Bismarck, North Dakota, Or Bust!

Thunderstorms with gusting winds forced us to stop in Terry, Montana yesterday.

Having stopped short of our
intended destination yesterday...

...we are determined to drive

to Bismarck, North Dakota

today.

We drive past irrigated
fields.

It's another hot day today

with an expected high of

92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cattle graze on the
plains.

We are welcomed to

North Dakota.

The North Dakota 
Visitor Center







I am amazed at how green it is here.  Crossing a state line was like crossing into technicolor.

We pass Home on the Range

I have to research these
stacked geological
formations.

A glimpse of the northern end of the Badlands.

The boulders seem to

have fractured & then

tumbled to the ground.

Oil extraction & farming go

together in North Dakota.

We are traveling through the

Little Missouri Grassland.

Salem Sue, the world's largest
Holstein Cow, can be seen
from miles away.

We cross the Missouri River.

And enter Bismarck.

Destination achieved!

Dumping and Filling at Cabela's in Billings, Montana

Cabela's has two dump

& fill sites.

Instructions & the keypad to
unlock the sewer access.








After making a purchase, bring your receipt to the Customer Service Desk to get the code that unlocks the sewer access.

Our water hose is attached to the

 potable water spigot for filling

our 100 gallon water tank.

Eric is busy with the sewer hose.

Eric finished these necessary
tasks & put the hoses away.






I settle into the driver's seat and give Eric a break from concentrating on traffic.

The Cabela's Shopping Experience in Billings, Montana

I am excited to visit a Cabela's.

My brother, Al, has been a
catalog customer for decades.






New York is waiting impatiently for the first Cabela's to open this fall, in Cheektowaga, near Buffalo.  I wonder how long it will take for Cabela's to build a store in the Albany area.

The entryway has benches.

Cabela's shares its work

in the community.

I went to Women's Clothing
& looked for hiking pants.







No luck today...

Cabela's has  a great selection

Women's shoes & boots.

 Big Horn Sheep perch on

top of the displays.

A Grizzly Bear presides over
the Men's Clothing.









Eric is trying on jackets....  I hope he finds one he likes.

Deer & Moose heads look out

over the camping equipment.

A fisherman/woman could get

lost among the rods, reels,

lines & lures.

This display of animals

is beautiful.

I wonder if Cabela's gives
archery lessons.







Some customers, namely me, shouldn't be allowed out of any store with a bow and arrows with sharp points.... Not without training.

Shop for high end binoculars,

monoculars here.

The Hunting Department is
quiet right now.

Cabela's General Store & Cafe is

 the place rest & refuel before 

returning to serious shopping.

Stop at the Customer Service
Desk for the access code for
dumping your tanks after you
make a purchase.

Eric shows off his

new jacket.

The halo... Is it a sign?

Continuing Our Drive East to North Dakota

We pass rugged hillsides.

Drive through open plains. 

Watch for deer.

The Yellowstone River

meanders near the highway.

A very large bird is nesting
on top of this power pole.

Eric continues driving east.

We stop at Cabela's to
see what they have to offer
in Sporting Goods.






I take over the driving from Eric.

This flaming tower is

part of the Natural Gas

storage facility.

We are now driving
east on I-94.

Eric gets his turn with

the camera.

Miles City has a very
appealing sign.

The sky is getting darker.... 

Between strong gusts of wind &
rain, I pull to the side of the road.

Lower profile vehicles continue

to drive in the downpour.

Eric takes over and continues driving east.

About two miles up the road
there is hail coating the middle
of the road & the road shoulders

The temperature outside dropped

from the high 80s to 62 degrees F.

The winds and rain picked up
again....

We're leaving the highway &
looking for a spot to spend
the night near Terry, Montana.







Eric got permission to park in an empty lot next to a gas station.

The sky is dark & malevolent to

the northwest.

To the southeast, the sky is
light blue with clouds.

A rabbit comes by to check out

 the new "thing" in the

neighborhood.