Day 7 - Onward to Montana

Travel   From: Bismarck, North Dakota   To: Bozeman, Montana   Distance: 573 mi (921 km)   Travel time w/brks: 10 hr 53   Distance since start: 2,623 mi (4,218 km)

Tuesday 6/27/2006

We got up at 3:15am and pulled out from the campground around 4am. We're starting to get the routine down now. We headed west on I-94 towards Montana. After about 2 1/2 hours the interstate passed through the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We went through a part known as the Painted Canyon, as the sun was coming up. It looked very nice. We stopped and took a few pictures.

Sunrise in Painted Canyon of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Horses and a Bison (to the right near the woods) in the Painted Canyon

We continued along the prairie and crossed over into Montana. The roads continued to be good.

Entering Montana ("Big Sky Country") from North Dakota

Seen from the truck window along I-94 in Eastern Montana

After about 6 hours we stopped for breakfast. The kids went to the restrooms. Isabella then bolted out into the field with the camera, with Karl just behind. She wanted to take a picture of some horses on a nearby field. But she did apparently not read the signs at the rest area before she ran out.

Isabella and Karl run off into the weeds to take pictures of horses...

But they did not read the sign... I had to yell them back!

We continued to see an increase in our elevation as we continued west. While out in Bismarck we were at about ~2,000ft. We now climbed above 4,500ft. We crossed over Yellowstone River several times. We also started to see mountains with snow caps. We had to fuel up along the way. Doing so in rural Montana offers more Diesel choices than we have at home. Actually, at home you have to look for stations that even have a single grade!

Lots of diesel choices .. stay away from the red one or get busted!

We climbed over a pass of about 5,500ft just before getting to Bozeman. The Duramax and Allison did excellent. It stayed in 5th gear most of the time and only occasionally shifted down. The transmission temperature only got up to 190F after an extended climb. The engine got up to about 210F and the fan-clutch sped it up for a while. We had to drive through Bozeman to get to the KOA. We got a quite reasonable site. We also discovered that Bozeman's hot springs were just next door. Once we had unhitched, I walked over with the boys. We got a good discount. They had 9 pools indoors with varying temperatures. You might think it would be too hot, but not so. The temperatures ranged all the way from cold to 104F (40C). The temperature you felt also depended on where in a particular pool you stood.

Hot springs next door to KOA

Multiple hot pools to choose from

A bigger pool and then several smaller pools

I got a receipt from the attendant before going back with the boys to the campground. This allowed us to return back. Later on, I rested while Isabella took my spot on the ticket. They let her in on our day ticket instead of me. She had a great time too. When ate dinner in the trailer and got ready for bed.

Campground   Name: KOA Bozeman, Montana   Our hookups: 30 Amp, Water and Sewer   WiFi: Yes, but problems with Skype   GSM service: No   TV Channels: Cable (but we not connect)   Cost: $36/night   Reservation mode: KOA's website

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