MONTANA & NORTH DAKOTA

Before we left Miles City we went to the Range Riders Museum---I hope that everyone can see this museum---it's amazing. The entrance 4 rooms had display cases of everything imaginable in the early settlers' homes (quilts, dishes, pots/pans). There were room after room of guns from the early West to WWII (just made us both drool), a whole room display of women's hats, women's fashions with wedding outfits and every-day dresses. Also a 30' x 60' banquet room with all 4 walls covered with photos of all the Range Riders since their beginning. The compound also had 8 x 10' rooms with 3D scales of each of Fort Hall, the Indian Village, and Train depot with tracks. These 3D rooms was mind-boggling because of the minute details. But, the things that impressed me most was the Indian artifacts and their family photos complete with narratives of their lives. As you leave the compound to get back on the street, there was no STOP sign--just the sign pictured above!

From Miles City, Montana, we traveled to Dickinson, North Dakota (no sights--just sleeping). On 3 July while still on I-94 we stopped at Exit 127 at the Sunset Cafe in New Salem North Dakota. I'm detailing all this because YOU MUST plan your trip to arrive here for their breakfast. Wayne had the usual breakfast--nothing new to write about. But I saw something on the menu that I just had to try and that was the "Breakfast Fleischkuekle". I asked the (great) waitress what it was and she replied, "it's a patty sausage, egg and cheese wrapped in pastry and deep- fried". What's not to love--all my favorite food groups and fried!!!!! It was so delicious. The pastry was so crispy and flaky that I broke off the outside crust and saved it to eat with grape jelly. If I could have, I would have ordered seconds but this one was bigger than my out-stretched hand and I couldn't eat any more!!! Think I'll cook these when we get home (if I remember how my stove operates).

After eating breakfast (and getting our first souvenirs of a cute salt/pepper set and a tiny cream pitcher and homemade snicker doodle and oatmeal-raisin cookies to go), we continued on I-94 right through the horizontal middle of North Dakota. Along the interstate, we saw some beautiful trees everywhere that are light green-silver with almost black bark (we found out these with Russian Olive trees) and saw field after field of what looked like tiny yellow flowers (we learned these are canola fields). And, lots of oil-wells --- Nothing like we have in Alabama!!

In the pictures above, we are at the Frontier Fort/Bar & Grill/Gift Shoppe/RV Camp Site in Jamestown, North Dakota. Here they have reconstructed a whole frontier village of saloon, post office, train depot, art gallery, blacksmith, church, old cabin, jail, school, stables (for pony or stage coach rides), general store, leather goods, library, newspaper, and house where Louis L'Amour wrote most of his Western Novels. This whole Old West village is maintained, outfitted and run by local people of Jamestown. There is also the largest statue (over 30' high)of a buffalo, a herd of buffalo with three albino, and a Buffalo Museum. This is also a MUST SEE if you're ever in North Dakota--I sound like a tour-guide or an advertisement for the State, don't I? But, it is very interesting.

Is that enough for now? Hope you enjoy seeing parts of Montana and North Dakota through our eyes. Until next posting, love and prayers--------