You really don't know how large some of the states are until you drive across them. The drive across North Dakota is 350 miles. That's 350 miles of farmland, a few small towns, the capital city of Bismarck, a lot of hay bales, and a giant cow on a hill.
With headwinds gusting from the west, the drive took a lot longer than we expected, and consumed much more fuel than we had planned - not to mention our car being pushed around, hour after hour after hour.
In western North Dakota, we stopped at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where we purchased an annual America the Beautiful US Parks pass. This may be the best value purchase we have made in decades.
Our drive through the Roosevelt Park was beautiful. However, the wind continued to howl, and the conditions were not appropriate for any hiking or exploring. We did see a small herd of wild horses, along with a small herd of buffalo. The aspen leaves were changing to yellows and golds, and the scenery was beautiful.
After our visit to the park, we continued on our drive through North Dakota, counting the mile markers to see how far it was before we entered Montana.
Once in Montana, we soon exited off the interstate onto a rural road. This 2-lane road was practically deserted, and with the speed limit at 75, was pretty frightening, particularly with all of the antelope grazing by the side of the road.
Once we crossed the border into Wyoming, we had only one destination in mind: Devils Tower National Monument. Having wanted to visit this monument for decades, we truly had no idea what to expect. Out of nowhere, the tower appears. And, as we arrived before sunset, we had enough time to walk around the monument, and take in all its wonder and mystery. It is a magical place, and a destination for spiritual travelers, many of whom have left prayer flags and messages in the trees surrounding the monument. Made famous by the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Devil's Tower is best seen with the setting sun, as the colors of the rock change constantly. It's hard to visit Devil's Tower in conjunction with any other sights, as it is in the middle of nowhere. But I think that's what makes it so very special.
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