In my quest to see all the American states, I went on a road trip with W to Montana, North and South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and Colorado in early June 2024.
We landed in Billings, Montana. On the plane, the man next to W told him his story of growing up in Montana. Though he loved the fishing, hunting and grand landscapes of Montana, he moved to Seattle decades ago for work as there were few jobs outside farming. He was flying back to Billings to attend his mother’s funeral who passed away a few days prior.
Prairie #
This stretch of America is the open country, miles upon miles of pristine prairie and steppes stretch as far as the eyes can see, like a giant green tapestry stitched to the blue sky. Once in a while, we passed by prairie dog colonies where hundreds of little critters watched on as we drove by. Some didn’t give a care and continued their diggings, some simply sat at the entrance of its den like a confused dog on a sofa. Grazing whitetail deer, pronghorns, bighorns or even the mighty bisons can be seen along the road.
Badlands #
Other than the prairie are the badlands, rugged steep slopes scant with any vegetations, that are constantly eroded away by every drop of water and gust of wind.
“Six inches of top soil is all we got, underneath is just rocks. You guys come at a good time. Once summer hits, all the grasses would die, it would be 100 degrees and everything will be brown.” Pointing to a patch of exposed soil in a dried up riverbed, Ranger Mark at Badlands National Park explained on a ranger-led prairie walk.
“On average, the badlands erode one inch a year due to rain because is so little vegetation and its soft sedimentary rock composition.” He continued.
“That is a wolf spider, and she is carrying her babies on her back. I do not like them!” Mark exclaimed as someone in the group pointed to a finger-long spider running across the dry riverbed.
After the walk, we asked Mark for local food recommendations.
“Lulu’s down the road does the best Indian tacos, it also has pizzas and stuff. It’s about 2 miles from here.” Mark said, gesturing towards the road leading out of the park.
We drove to Lulu’s, it looks like one of those roadside diner/whiskey bar/cafe in the 60s. Unlit, creaking wooden floor, exposed overhead beams made from single pieces of timber, the air smelled of a mixture of smoke, oak and rum. An indigenous woman sat on one of the stools at the bar, a kaleidoscope of liquor bottles lining the wall behind the counter. For a moment, I couldn’t tell if she was the owner or a customer.
“Emm, hello. Can we have some Indian tacos? Do you have a menu?” I asked awkwardly. “My cook has just went home, no Indian tacos”, she looked at us finishing a shot of whiskey in front of her, “I can fix you a pizza if you want?” “Okay, sure” I answered, a little disappointed.
There was no blackboard, no menu, no nothing. Her cook has just gone home, all she could make was pizza, so we ordered a pizza with “everything”. While we are eating, a black cat wandered into the room, followed by a gray one, then an orange one:
“Are these your cats?” “No, they are feral.” “I have a cat at home called Henry.” I pulled out my phone and showed her a few pictures. “Wow, isn’t he cute. They are funny things, cats. I didn’t like them first, but they kinda grow on me.” She paused for a moment drinking out of her whiskey glass. “Once a couple of guys came in, saw the cats and started to send me cat food in the mail when they got home. So I feed them, but these are feral, some of them still won’t let you touch them.”
As a tabby cat strolled into the room, she continued:
“One time when I backed my truck out I heard a scream, and I thought, ‘Oh my god,’ it was that kitty. I took her and put her in a shoe box and gave her some food. I was pretty sure she ain’t going to make it. She disappeared after a few days, I thought one of them coyotes must have got her. Then one day, I saw her just wandering about and sleeping on my front porch.”
She chuckled, “I guess she only has eight lives left now.”
Mount Rushmore #
Mount Rushmore feels the most touristy out of all the places on this trip. There is a big parking facility with multiple levels, food vendors, an amphitheater and a large visitor center. There is also a dedicated space where people are welcome to exercise their First Amendment rights where I saw a person preaching the benefits of yoga and meditations. It is a bit out of touch with the general patriotic ambience, but cool nonetheless.
Devil’s tower #
It is quite striking from a distance. I recommend either going early or late during the day. We got there at around 12pm, it was crowded. Parking is limited on a one in, one out basis, we waited for at least 30 minutes due to traffic control.
Jun 20, 2024, Mérida, YU, Mexico