Upper Midwest Tour Day 3, July 12

We departed Homestake Lodge, the Worley Cabin, early, after spending a very quiet night with the curtains open so we could see stars (and maybe the projected aurora borealis - nope).  After driving back to the interstate on-ramp, we found this rather well-crafted sign post.  It is a trailhead for the Continental Divide Trail and tries to explain the "Boulder Batholiths" -- a complicated bit of geology that leaves many more questions.  But, the sign construction is impressive.

Our first stop of the day was in Bozeman for breakfast.  By using Google maps, I was able to find an area on the east side with a number of eateries.  We parked and went to the first one, Western Cafe, which was terrific.  It is housed in an original 1860-70's building, first as a residence, then a commercial establishment, and finally turned into a cafe.  We enjoyed omelets generously filled with lots of goodies. The place was busy and the service cheerful and efficient.

Our next stop was a little after Billings, MT (we were on I-90 and then I-94 all day), at Pompeys Pillar National Monument.  It looked like a National Park Service facility but it is rather a BLM monument.

Modern replica of the dugout canoes constructed and used by Lewis and Clark, made from the largest cottonwood trees that could be found.

The roughly round, 120-foot high piece of sandstone is famous as a stopping point for Clark's journey home in 1806, where his party built dugout canoes.  He was traveling down the Yellowstone River and by mid August he rejoin Lewis at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.  The pillar is named for Sacajawea's son Pompy, who traveled with the Corps of Discovery as a newborn -- he was a year and half old at this point.

Clark "signed" the pillar and while his original message is weathered away, his signature is still visible.  

View looking up the Yellowstone River.  We walked up on the rock to the top to get this view and then explored the trail along the river - lots of mosquitoes!  

The Crow Indian Tribe considers this an important sacred sight and has been visiting it for thousands of years.  The creator rolled this rock across the river and set it up.

We had another 2 hours or so of driving before arriving at Miles City, MT.  The terrain changed as we cruised east - from lush green fields framed by tree-covered mountains to rolling green hills cut by braided rivers (with mountain ranges on the horizon), to rolling dry hills with eroded buttes, more like central Oregon but minus the juniper trees.

We checked in to the MC Hotel and walked 2 miles to a recommended brewpub for dinner -- Tilt Wurks.  The beer was fine and the dinner good, but the place was busy -- it was Wednesday Bingo night.  We watched one bingo round before leaving.  A bingo card costs $20 (for 6 games) but the prizes started at $80 and went up to something like $500 for the final game, at least that is what a lady told us who plays every week.  She said she arrives at 4 pm to reserve a prime spot and waits patiently for the 7 pm start.

We walked back to the hotel (amid clouds of mosquitoes) and retired.