Day Two: (11/07/11) We woke up early and left quietly so as
not to disturb Joe’s roommates (although they did not have the same courtesy
the night before…) and we got back on the road. North Dakota was a lot more fun
than expected! We stopped at the Welcome Center and picked up about 20
brochures that would take us all the way to Washington. The lady there really loved her job.
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| Friends! |
Anyway, things were going really well – the scenery was
gorgeous! – until we lost the luggage carrier that was attached to the top of
the car!! I am not kidding, this was a scene out of a movie. We are driving
along and we hear a funny thumping noise, we look at each other and shrug, I
look in the rear view mirror and we realize was happened and start screaming
and I pull over and before I know it Lauren is dodging traffic in the middle of
the highway chasing down the giant duffel. Thank God some nice men pulled over
to help us – they threw the giant bag on the back of their truck (with very
little effort) and drove it to our car on the side of the road. They pulled
some spare bungee cords from the bed of their truck and helped us secure the
carrier again. The stupid thing didn’t budge after they were done with it. We
said thank you and were on our way once again. Few! No real damage but we
agreed, that was enough excitement for one day.
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| The Badlands by Moonlight |
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| Bison! |
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| Deer! |
As we are getting close to Montana we pull over and get a glimpse at the Teddy Roosevelt National Badlands. This is breathtaking so we decide to take the driving loop around the park. Hands down, the best $10.00 I’ve spent in my entire life. It took almost two hours to do the loop, but I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Words cannot explain the sights we saw. Truly amazing.
We finally get to Montana!! And they have a nice big
“Welcome to Montana” sign so I beg Lauren to pull over so we can take a picture
with it. This is what you’re supposed to do on a road trip after all, right? I
snapped some photos and we scurried back into the car because it was now
freezing. We stopped for some dinner in Glendive, Montana but when it came time
to take care of the bill I realized my wallet was not in my pocket. And it was
not in my purse. And it was not in the car. Ok, freaking out. I remembered having
it when we were at the Montana sign.
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| The Bed & Breakfast |
So, we drive back to the sign and look for it... By this
point it is pitch black, extra thank you to Daylight Savings Time, and we can’t
find it. Lauren secretly wants to kill me, but she kept her cool and was really
nice about it all. We decide to call it a night and try to find a hotel near
the border so we can wake up early and look for it in the morning. Ok, great
plan, except this part of the country is over-taken with oil workers and every
hotel we find is full. (Except Beaver Creek but that place was way too sketch
and the guy at the desk had a face tattoo. No way.) We are at our wits end; if
we go further it won’t make sense to come back and look for the wallet, but
there was over $100 in cash in the wallet, not to mention if I don’t have an
ID, flying home will be an absolute nightmare. We finally find a bed and
breakfast (thank you Ted and your google skills.) We settle in for the night in
coziest little room – we both took 45 minute showers to help us calm down. This
was the best nights sleep we’ve ever had.