We pushed it a bit too far today, Mobridge, SD to Drummond, MT. But more on that later.
We were woken up at 11:00PM by the phone asking if we had a dog in the hotel room. Nope, no room for the beagles on the bike.
Was able to get back to sleep and then wake up early to leave. Temperature was very cool at near 50F and traffic was predictably light. Saw a beautiful sunrise as we hit the road.
This was Sunday so we had church on the bike. Enjoying His creation from the seat of a motorcycle and being thankful we are fortunate enough to go on these adventures.
One more picture of sunflowers as this field was in full yellow glory. It was really nice to see early in the morning with all the flowers pointed at the sun.
We were on US12 all day today. The highway skirts along the top op South Dakota and into North Dakota. We got gas shortly before entering North Dakota so we went through the state without our feet ever touching the North Dakota ground. The small section of North Dakota we were in had many large groups of motorcycles. There was likely some event in the area, and as best I can figure out after searching online, it was the Bottoms Up Motorcycle Run centered in Bowman, ND.
From there, we moved into Montana. US12 in Montana describes desolate. I was expecting little traffic, but this road rivals the Alaska Highway. I think there was even LESS traffic than the Alaska Highway. The road is in good condition and the scenery changes many times. From pure flat scrub land, to large hills, to eroded buttes. The constant changes kept things interesting.
We also saw many deer and antelope throughout the day. The deer were their skittish self, but the Pronghorn were happy to hide in the open.
After eating a great lunch at the Pioneer Cafe in Roundup Montana, we continued on the highway west. Shortly after eating, smoke could be seen in the distance. As we got closer and closer, we saw the forest just beyond the highway was on fire. It was very dramatic to see the flames and the smoke covered the area for miles. For well over an hour, we could smell the strong smell of smoke.
We hit several construction zones in Montana. There was one by Forsyth, MT that there were warnings about online before leaving for the vacation. However, it was nearly complete and was an almost new road. One bridge was being redone which required a detour. The detour consisted of a secondary bridge as there was no roads to detour on.
There were several more construction zones. Most had warning signs that said motorcycles should seek alternate routes. These warnings went unheeded. Montana construction seems to be done by destroying the road, then doing nothing for some time leaving loose gravel. At least it was dry. In 2008 on the way back from Alaska, we went through this same type of construction in northern Montana, but it was deep mud. Not fun on a Goldwing, but we were accustomed to this after the Alaska Highway construction.
We were making good time and decided to stop near Helena. Once we got to Helena, for whatever reason we did not stop. We ended up and I-90/US12 with no hotels found since Helena. I was getting tired but we kept on by getting on the interstate. Several exits with no services later, we were forced off the highway due to it being closed from a serious accident. We exited at Drummond, MT and found a room for the night. There were not many available since many were taken by helicopter pilots and other firefighters.
We ended the night at the Wagon Wheel Cafe for a good dinner at the end of a long day. The last of the Oreo Cakesters were eaten as well.
The day's total mileage was 741.2.
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