2018, Day 1: En Route

Yesterday, Mom and Dad set out for Frazer, MT to pick up where they left off in 2016. Though personal reasons cut the 2016 trip short after only a day, and family/other obligations kept them from their path in 2017, Dad is ready to hit the road again. The long drive from Utah to Montana necessitated a nighttime layover in Gillette, WY, to shave off some of the fatigue (ba-dum, psh). The hotel had a nice pool for Mom to get a water aerobic workout in, as well. This morning's detours took them to Devil's Tower Trading Post where mom picked up her customary refrigerator magnet. While Dad walked the mile-and-a-half trail around the gate, mom stayed by the car and browsed some local scenery, including a community of prairie dogs and the Devil's Tower monolith, which sparked up a family debate over the Oregon Trail and its respective 1974 computer game, and their relevance to said-Tower (there is no relevance, the confusion was with Chimney Rock). But I digress. I'll let Dad tell it.

"I hiked the 1.3 mile trail around the mountain, taking lots of pictures. The highlight was seeing 4 climbers working their way up the mountain. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we stopped in Miles City at a Mexican restaurant. We got to the motel in Wolf Point around 5:30, checked in , changed clothes, and drove 19 miles west to Frazer. Weather was around 70 degrees, minimal wind, rolling hills—basically flat, though. Rode 25.27 miles in 1:59. After the sun went down it got dark pretty quickly. Ended at Milepost 597. 25 miles felt good, despite the heavy lump in my stomach from lunch."