Day 35: July 20, 2016 Return to ND Comment via blog

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I left Forsyth without breakfast but I soon had second thoughts and turned to the GPS to see what food sources might lie ahead. The town of Miles City looked promising and I took an instant like to the place when I saw the herd of stationary cattle advertising it. The initial payoff was a very good breakfast at the Hole in the Wall but there would be more.

I passed the Range Riders Museum on the way into town and the bit of research I did over breakfast convinced me I needed to head back. In 1939, five cowboys launched the idea of a museum to preserve the memory of their way of life and three years later the building that anchors the current complex was dedicated. In order to be considered a Range Rider, one must have ridden the open range prior to 1910.

This is a very small and very arbitrary sample of what the museum contains. Photographs, models, and artifacts large and small now fill several buildings including that original 2800 square foot log structure that is the current entrance. One of the volunteers working in the museum stressed that everything in the museum has been donated and I'm sure that's a big part of what makes it feel so authentic.

When you're this close to the Badlands I guess the occasional Bad Route is to be expected. That was in Montana. In North Dakota things look quite different.

The North Dakota capitol in Bismarck was built in 1932 but it looks almost too prim and proper to be even that old.

The Laughing Sun Brewery was a comfortable and friendly place with good beer. I think you could order in pizza but they had no food service of their own. A fellow next to me suggested a couple of places including a classic 'burger joint.

The Woodhouse instantly reminded me of Sumburger in Chillicothe, Ohio. You call in your order through a table-side telephone and it magically appears. Good food at a decent price.

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