Tom and I traveled to Montana to collect Dan and his belongings from the 2 month internship he had with his sister and brother-in-law. On the way we did some hiking. This particular hike warned of bears, rattlesnakes, and poison ivy. I ended up with the poison ivy.
We opted for this hike because there was no elevation gain. The day prior we climbed a mountain with significant elevation gain. I quickly realized that bicycling doesn't not properly prepare one for hiking. Dan laughed at me the rest of the week each time I walked up and down the stairs saying, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.
Here is the 7000+ ft beauty we climbed - Storm Castle Peak. When Tom realized I had selected this mountain to climb his comment was, "it's insurmountable."
Later we caught up with Dan.
We also visited Williston, ND where all of the oil drilling and fracking is going gangbusters. It was fascinating to see. We drove in on a Saturday night and couldn't believe how much traffic there was. The landscape was dotted with oil wells and flairs of natural gas burning, billboards advertising employment and housing, new businesses, and much more.
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| Tom was intrigued with this little business in Williston: Boomtown Babes - a drive up coffee shop whereby scantily-clad women serve up hot drinks to their customers. He thought the coffee and service were both quite good... |
This museum in Glendive, MT took a creationist approach to dinosaurs.
Montana rest area
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| Back on the farm in IL, bass fishing has become quite the evening activity among Dan and his buddies. |
Enjoying the front porch
