Day Nine - Billings, Montana

The Johnsons keep trucking. We logged 665 miles today, driving from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, to Billings, Montana. Lord willing, we'll be in Missoula sometime tomorrow.

Lunch was challenging. We exited off the highway at Dickinson, North Dakota, to find some kind of covered area for a picnic lunch since it was raining off and on. We found a nice pavillion in the middle of a large grassy park that gave us some shelter from the wind and rain. The only problem was that for some reason the closest parking space was about 100 yards away. So we heard some tearful complaining as we forced the kids to walk through the cold wind to the picnic area.

On top of that, the break took far longer than we expected (though we should expect it by now) because of all the usual activities: nursing Moriah, walking the dog, changing diapers, taking kids to the bathroom, etc. Nearly three hours later everyone is fed, pottied, cleaned, and we are ready to hit the road again.

And we do hit the road, for all of 10 miles. At that point Maggie announced that she really had to go to the bathroom. So, we pulled over to a visitor center in the Badlands to take care of Maggie. But, while we're there, Robyn realizes that Moriah is actually ready to nurse again! So, she nurses Moriah, we all go potty again, and we're ready to go. It's here at the visitor center that we saw this big guy lounging next to the parking lot. He's our first wildlife sighting.

The only problem with the stop is that Maggie couldn't really go after all. So, we try again about 50 miles later. Again, no dice. She finally succeeds later after dinner.

Speaking of dinner, we returned to a steak restaurant that Robyn and I discovered in Miles City, Montana, four years ago. It's called the "Boardwalk Restaurant" and is a local favorite, judging by how busy it was. If you are ever driving through Montana, be sure to stop there for dinner. Everything about it is unpretentious and the food is great. Plus, they give free cheeseburgers for kids and free ice cream for every diner.

We spent most of the day driving straight into a very strong wind. I calculated our miles per gallon in one stretch to be just under 12!

After tomorrow we'll have a break from driving for a few days as we visit family and friends in Missoula. This is good, since the level of toys, books, jackets, empty water bottles, etc., is steadily rising in our Suburban. A few more days without repacking everything and it will be about the level of our eyes.

It was a long day of driving and we are all ready for the much shorter day on the road tomorrow.