Regina to Bozeman, Montana

This will likely be a short post, as it was a long day of driving, I'm tired, and the Blue Jays are playing the Dodgers. They can't win if I'm not watching, right? Actually, early on the Dodgers are up 2-0. It's not that the Jays can't come back, but the Dodgers are a darned good team. Edited to add: I woke this morning to learn that our Jays beat up on the Dodgers 11-4! You can bet I'll be watching the highlights today.

In any event, I was up and out the door by 6:30 this morning. It was dark in the city, but within the 20 minutes it took to reach the south end, the sun was beginning to make itself know to the east. How pretty is that?

The border crossing was easy. I was the only vehicle there, she asked a few questions, checked my passport and looked inside the back of the vehicle and let me go. I don't know if an I-94 was issued, but will check when I get to Yuma. If not, I'll need to apply for another form, a something, something 325. I recall the number, just not the name. All visitors to the US over 30 days are required to apply for one or the other. When someone flies, the first is automatically issued, but not so at land crossings. I didn't bother to ask...she didn't seem all that friendly.

I took Highway 16 south to Glendive, then joined the I-94 through to Billings. There was a stop in Glendive for fuel ($2.99 for a gallon - I'm too tired to do the math to tell you what that works out to a liter), and a second stop in Billings for another top-up. In total I spent less than $60 for the fuel, and have a little over a half tank to start the day tomorrow. There were other pit stops for potty breaks and something to eat, as the one rest stop I wanted was closed. I won't stop and use a washroom without purchasing something, so picked up a couple of Sprite for later. I had water in the car to drink, and picked up a sandwich for lunch.

The route from Billings to Boseman on I-90 is incredibly scenic. Lots of hills, a mountain pass or two (not too high), trains, cattle, and often a view of Yellowstone River. I took a couple of photos on the highway - just above the steering wheel so I didn't have to let go of it. I saw two police cars, one entering Billings, and another 20-30 miles out of Bozeman on the other side of the divided highway. The latter was moving fast with the lights flashing. I certainly hope it wasn't an accident, rather a speeder.

Speaking of which, the speed limits here are NUTS! On both interstates the limit was 80 mph for smaller vehicles, and semis were limited to 75 mph. I stuck to the truck limit most of the time and sometimes slower. I also stayed in the right hand lane unless I was passing a slower vehicle, and would often slow to their speed to allow faster moving vehicles to pass us both. I did not feel comfortable taking some of these crazy curves at such high speeds! 

Note there are no photos from Billings to Bozeman. We were in the more mountainous area with lots of climbs, drops, and curves, so I wasn't taking a hand off the wheel.

I reached Bozeman about 5:15 p.m., checked into the hotel and walked down the block and across the street to Applebee's for dinner. Goodness, there portions are large! I think I ate half of it, knowing I want to be in bed early tonight and I want to avoid heartburn in the middle of the night.

I've got the game on the television and will crawl into bed. If I fall asleep, so be it, I'll turn it off at some point. My goal is to be out of here between 7-7:30 in the morning. Tomorrow's stop is planned for Twin Falls, Idaho, about about a 7 hour drive. I may go into Nevada depending on my mood (and level of exhaustion!) I won't do more than 8 hours of driving though.

Thanks for following along!