Big Sky -- Big Everything

Montana is huge. Not only does it seem to take forever to drive from west to east, everything -- valleys, mountains, and sky -- is massive. Once we left the slightly forested area around Missoula, we saw more Okanagan-like yellow hills with huge bulky mountains cropping up in the distance in virtually every direction. Those high Rocky Mountains were blue and purple, which make a distinct contrast to the wide valleys.

As we neared Wyoming, the terrain changed slightly, becoming gradually uneven, showing more interesting land formations and even more sagebrush. Somewhere near Gillette, we saw Hershey Kisses-shaped hills rising from the sagebrush. They showed red soil or rock, especially near the top. In one place, there was a row of about 6 or 7 such hills, and close by was a sign “Red Hill Road”.

This is cowboy and Indian country for sure. It was the scene of major wars, including Custer’s last stand and the conflicts between cattlemen and farmers. Livestock is still a mainstay of the area, but there is also plenty of evidence of coal and oil. The speed limit throughout the area is 75, and the interstates are easy to drive with very little construction and virtually no hold ups so far. Gas ranges from $3.40 to about $3.75 a gallon.

I’m actually typing this on my laptop while Brian drives. It’s fine until my battery runs down! We tried to get on the internet outside a motel in Gillette when we stopped for gas, but the signal strength was too low to do anything.

We plan to stop earlier tonight since I have some work to do – I’ve written goals for three subjects along the road, but I still have a number to do. Lila will be waiting to get them for the IEP’s.

I forgot to mention a wonderful sight that met us as we rounded a bend on I-90 somewhere near the Wyoming-South Dakota state line. Most of the fields are basically yellow or grey. However, down in a little valley out to the south was a small area that apparently had a source of water – I think it was a creek bed. There were tiny clumps of trees along the creek bed and out into the valley. These trees, unlike any others in the entire area, were brightly adorned in light orange and bright yellow next some dark green foliage and black dead branches. It was a stunning sight in an otherwise somewhat boring landscape.

We’re in Rapid City, South Dakota tonight after what seemed to be a much easier drive – just under 1000 km’s – seemed a lot less than yesterday somehow. We stopped quite early and had supper at the local Denny’s.