Stopover: Billings
I think the only way to start this post is with a confession: We left Ray in a gas station bathroom in Miles City, Montana. We were already on the highway on-ramp when Ben yelled, “Wait! Where’s Ray?” Eli jumped out of the car and doubled back (only about a block!) to retrieve her. Fortunately, she had her phone and I was able to tell her (a) not to panic and (b) that she can totally hold this against us in therapy as an adult.
Once we all were back in the car, we continued to Billings, Montana, where we spent two days with my Uncle Gary and Aunt Ginny (family on the Mermel side).
The Montana Mermels have been in Billings for more than two decades now. But, since I was already off to college around the time of their move, I had never visited them before. It was really fun to spend a little time getting to know their hometown.
We took a day trip to Devil’s Canyon in Wyoming, where a relaxing boat tour took us through the steep canyon walls. We spotted many Mountain Goats on the cliff walls.
We also got to experience the loveliest hospitality by my aunt and uncle who cooked for us four times – custom Qdoba, Japanese, steak, and pancakes! And who hosted the kids for a sleepover party at their house.
The KOA where we stayed was a really nice campground with a fun pool and mini-golf course. There was even a resident cat who came by (but regrettably we opted not to keep!)
From Billings, we made our way to Great Falls, Montana, where we checked out the Lewis and Clark National Interpretive Center. We learned that this was the spot that the expedition team realized they could only continue upriver by portaging their three semi’s worth of supplies up five different waterfalls – a distince of eighteen miles. The Center did a nice job of telling the story not only of the expedition but also of the Native American tribes who called this area home and who were instrumental in supporting the explorers.
About an hour from our destination that day, we came upon a terrible accident. A car and trailer had caught fire on the road and the sparks from the explosion triggered a brush fire! We learned, fortunately, that the passengers in the vehicle were unharmed. We waited for about thirty minutes before deciding to take a different route to camp. While the accident was sobering, the thing I found most unsettling was how quickly the accident set in motion the bigger fire. The first responders seemed to have prevented the fire from getting out of hand, but had it been dryer or hotter, it easily could have become a much bigger problem.
Around 8 pm, we arrived at camp and tucked in to get ready for our next four days in Glacier National Park.
