Adventure 464: FOMO Tour/Day 2/Bozeman to Makoskika State Park

Jun 15, 2018

The day started off with a narrow miss. The Wiley Cager almost skunked me which would have left me in a state of depression so dire I may have been tempted toward road rage. But thankfully, I was saved with a maneuver that can only compare to the Trump "Charity" foundation's bookkeeping practices. Nonetheless, according to those procedures I am clearly a winner. (I am too trusting - I'll need to check his every move!  Anything not to lose!!) We stopped in Custer, MT for a bike ride and lunch. We cut the ride short due to a sudden downpour, but lunch was deliciously prepared by my Bunny. Our six hour drive was uneventful, which we thank the traveling mercies for, and the open range of Montana sped past us in a sea of waving sweet grass. I remember when my son Steve and I rode this route in 1995 (Judy and Elizabeth provided the sag wagon). It took us seven days to cross Montana. We'll do it in three this time, pushing hard as we are to have time to enjoy the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tomorrow, we'll stay in Fargo, ND. But tonight we're reprising our visit of twenty-three years by staying here in Makoshika State Park. That's MA (As in do what Ma says), KO (As in Congress is a Co-conspirator), and SHIKA (As in you better not get caught as a leaka). The whole word, which means bad lands, runs together quickly and twists off the tongue like the water rivulet marks that distinguish these earthen mounds. The park, the largest in Montana, is in Glendive, MT. The campsites are rustic, and it's not hard to imagine a people before us camping here. and before them the dinosaurs roaming! Even then, despite the obvious hardship of surviving in these bad lands, I can imagine people and creatures carving out a good life here. We certainly are, insulated by our good fortune, encouraged by our faith, and buoyed by as  much joy as we can wring out of a day for we truly believe that life is good, especially today.

 Selfie of the day just before the rain chased us back to Custer.

 Fric and Frac, our horse and carriage

 Yucca it up.

 These fellows will come rumbling down some time soon.

 The "Cager" with her skunk eating grin.

 And me, with my Trumpy grin, as in "I did nothing wrong!"

 This is the land of the dinosaurs. Rugged mounds of surprisingly soft earth.

 I think my steep drop off physically began somewhere after my fortieth birthday.

 I know much  has been up hill ever since.

 Geologically, we're just on the edge of the badlands. Much of the ground we'll cover tomorrow will look like this.

Give pause to the notion that things change over time.