We drove across 400 miles of Montana on Friday, and arrived at Medora, North Dakota, about 5 pm. But the big story was Miles City, Montana.
Sue has this talent to find great local restaurants, and for this lunch stop in Miles CIty she found wonderful Yelp reviews for “The Main City Grind” – a combination deli, hamburger, and coffee shop. The food was good, and Ted struck up a conversation with an 86 year old woman named Esther.
Esther told us she moved here from Michigan about 15 years ago to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. Prior to that, her family had a second home in this town of 9,000, and would come to Montana to escape the brutal winters of northern Michigan. (It had never occurred to us that someone might actually go to Montana for the winter!!!)
Small towns are great. People are welcoming and love to talk about their town and life. After lunch, we spotted the “Cowboy Cobbler” store and walked in to buy a leather strap for Ted’s hat – $2 for a yard of it!. Sue heard a Matt Maher song (a Christian artist) playing on the radio and mentioned it which got a big smile from the owner. At the gas station, Ted chatted with a guy named Jim. Jim owned a greenhouse in town, and during the winter drove trucks across country from California to keep his income going. In the Napa Auto Parts store, while purchasing a small item, Ted talked with Walter who was very helpful. Small towns are unique and wonderful.
But small towns also have their challenges. While driving down main street, Ted suddenly had to slam on the brakes. The street went under the railroad tracks. The posted sign stated: Clearance 11′ 6″. Whoa! We need 12′! A close call averted by quick observation. We were able to back up a few dozen feet, turn onto a side street, and find our way to the truck route out of town! Yep, Ted had thoughts about that one all day.
This weekend we’ll explore the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is in North Dakota near the border with Montana. “When Theodore Roosevelt came to Dakota Territory in 1883, he was a skinny, young, spectacled dude from New York. He could not have imagined how his adventure in this remote and unfamiliar place would forever alter the course of the nation. The rugged landscape and strenuous life that TR experienced here would help shape a conservation policy that we still benefit from today”. (www.nps.gov/thro)
T & S
PS: On September 23-25 there is an astronomy festival here!