TODAY'S THE DAY! We're leaving Montana in our dust and making a break for the Nebraska North Dakota border. We hit the road at about 10:15 and started heading northeast. Our goal for today was to get to the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, just inside the Nebraska North Dakota boarder in Williston. "K" has been talking this spot up for months, it's probably what she's been looking forward to the most out of everything on the entire trip.
I've irrationally held a grudge against the entire state of Montana for almost 20 years now. No, really. When I was 17 and moving up to Spokane, I was driving too fast for the conditions and slid off the road. It was the last day of February, there was snow and ice EVERYWHERE, and I was doing 80. But it definitely wasn't my fault, I completely blame the state of Montana, and I have since that day. I've been in Mpntana a few times since then, but I still never let it go. After this trip, though... I have to admit, the state is beautiful. I've seen little hints of both Arizona and Washington throughout the state as we've driven, and I certainly can't complain about an 80mph speed limit almost everywhere. Is it enough to make me forget that time, all those years ago, when it threw me off the road? Maybe.
"K" did some searching for things to do between our hotel and the Trading Post, but she only came up with ONE option. In the city of Glendive, MT, there's a pretty little park with some slides, swings, and other stuff the kids could play on. We pulled over for a little bit for the kids to burn some energy and had a picnic lunch under a gazebo. We hit the road again without much delay, with the Trading Post as our next stop.
Tragedy Strikes
We crossed into Nebraska North Dakota, took the roundabout, and drove 20ish more minutes. As we pull up to the driveway of the Trading Post at 4:12pm, we see a man get into his truck and drive away after having just locked the gate and . Bewildered, we pull in where he had just left and stare at the sign that says "HOURS: 9:00 - 5:00" for a few seconds. And then it hits us... Nebraska North Dakota is in a different timezone than Montana. We arrived 12 minutes after they closed, and "K" missed out on the stop she was most looking forward to, the entire trip.
We drove solemnly back basically the same distance south that we just travelled north, to Dickinson, North Dakota (which is roughly due east of Glendive, MT where we stopped for lunch). Tempers and negative behaviors seemed to be a bit more present today, so we've decided to grab some dinner and head back to the hotel room for a little bit of a movie and some extra rest. To cap off our night, the great state of North Dakota decided we needed a torrential downpour while we unloaded our roof bag from the car.
I have no pictures to share today, only sadness. Share in our despair.