Miles City, MT
We thought it would be an easy drive from Billings to Miles City this morning. However, we didn't bank on a fifteen mile construction project on US 12. More on that later.
Headed north out of Billings to Roundup so that we could take US 12 across Montana. What we had found as the Yellowstone Trail was now called the Lewis and Clark Byway. One of these days, I'm going to have to read an account of their travels from St Louis to the Pacific and back again. We have encountered many of their historic travel signs in our travels to and from Seattle, as well as to North Dakota.
Wide open spaces north of Billings, as well as when we turned east on US 12. Then we hit a construction project which caused us at least a half hour delay as we waited for the pilot car to come from the opposite direction. We could see why they needed the project. US 12 for most of the way was just two lanes with no shoulder and steep drop-offs for most of the route.
We paralleled an old railroad bed which we found later was abandoned in 1980, but once again we found that people used the same routes for old trails, railroads, and US highways. Several small towns along US 12 between Roundup and Forsyth, but most were just a building or two. One building which stuck out was an two-story brick schoolhouse - long abandoned and now Vananda is just a ghost town.
At Forsyth, US 12 combines with I-94 so we were forced back to interstate travel into Miles City. Our plan was to get to Miles City, check in to the hotel and then play golf at the Miles City Golf and Country Club (grandiose name for a little tree-lined nine hole course). The problem was that we arrived at the golf course a little before 1 p.m. and they had a shotgun start of their senior league at 2:30! Decided to try it anyway and see how far we could get before they went to their shot-gun start. Made it all the way through nine holes and had fun. Different playing on a golf course with big trees - not used to that.
As we came into Miles City, we had brown bare hills to our south and the green valley of the Yellowstone River to the north - quite a contrast. Miles City is a town of about 8,000 and has quite a collection of stores, bars, museums, etc. Neat little town, but not one where we think we'll settle down.
When we arrived in Miles City, the front of the Red Baron was covered with crickets - had to go to go to the car wash to get some of them off - not a complete success, but better.
Headed north out of Billings to Roundup so that we could take US 12 across Montana. What we had found as the Yellowstone Trail was now called the Lewis and Clark Byway. One of these days, I'm going to have to read an account of their travels from St Louis to the Pacific and back again. We have encountered many of their historic travel signs in our travels to and from Seattle, as well as to North Dakota.
Wide open spaces north of Billings, as well as when we turned east on US 12. Then we hit a construction project which caused us at least a half hour delay as we waited for the pilot car to come from the opposite direction. We could see why they needed the project. US 12 for most of the way was just two lanes with no shoulder and steep drop-offs for most of the route.
We paralleled an old railroad bed which we found later was abandoned in 1980, but once again we found that people used the same routes for old trails, railroads, and US highways. Several small towns along US 12 between Roundup and Forsyth, but most were just a building or two. One building which stuck out was an two-story brick schoolhouse - long abandoned and now Vananda is just a ghost town.
At Forsyth, US 12 combines with I-94 so we were forced back to interstate travel into Miles City. Our plan was to get to Miles City, check in to the hotel and then play golf at the Miles City Golf and Country Club (grandiose name for a little tree-lined nine hole course). The problem was that we arrived at the golf course a little before 1 p.m. and they had a shotgun start of their senior league at 2:30! Decided to try it anyway and see how far we could get before they went to their shot-gun start. Made it all the way through nine holes and had fun. Different playing on a golf course with big trees - not used to that.
As we came into Miles City, we had brown bare hills to our south and the green valley of the Yellowstone River to the north - quite a contrast. Miles City is a town of about 8,000 and has quite a collection of stores, bars, museums, etc. Neat little town, but not one where we think we'll settle down.
When we arrived in Miles City, the front of the Red Baron was covered with crickets - had to go to go to the car wash to get some of them off - not a complete success, but better.
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