OK, granted, it's not the best town in Montana but its city life is above par. Last night we walked around downtown and the center was bustling. You wouldn't see this in a southern city for a town this size.
But the city's main business, the oil refineries, are making the air here smell like Whiting, IN or Stockton, CA. And that means horrible. The nitrogen oxide that the refineries emit are giving me a headache. I almost drove away to points further away until I discovered the Heritage trail along the Yellowstone River where I took Sadie for a walk at 10am. From the paved trail along the river's northern banks we walked .25 miles to the Double Moon County Park where several miles of network trails allow hikers pristine walks along the muddy banks of the swift-flowing Yellowstone river. It was here in 1806 that Lt Clark (he was never officially promoted to Captain by Congress) encamped on his way back to the Missouri, while Capt Lewis explored rivers further north.
It was a nice hike, just over an hour. We hiked along the river, along the Jeune trail until that trail met up with the Dull Knife trail which was flooded over. Bullfrogs croaked in the reeds, birds of varous plumage flew over head. My feet got muddy and so did Sadie's paws, but she didn't mind as she used the river to drink from. It was quickly getting warm and a heat wave is predicted for tomorrow
Once I realized that the free admission to Little Big Horn wasn’t until the next day, I bummed. What to do? It was too hot for a city hike (and dogs aren’t allowed in city parks) so I decided to get an errand done and shop for a cheap cell phone. I found a Target on the north end of town and got a Tracfone and a few other goodies. A paved Heritage Trail was nearby, a paved multi-use trail I had seen from I-90. Here it meandered around a smelly water plant. Walking Sadie here was as good as I was going to get for now.
It wasn’t a very scenic stretch along this section of trail as I walked eastward. Two refineries were visible from my vantage point. Cyclists rode past me, and other dog walkers were coming in either direction. I was ready for an hour walk, out and back, along this stretch, just to get some exercise and so that Sadie wouldn’t be so bored.
Just my luck that about .5 mile down the trail I came across the Two Moon County Park, a small reserve right on the northern banks of Yellowstone River with pristine shoreline. This was perfect as the trails offered some shade.
We hiked along the Mallard Trail, a .7 stretch that came right up to the river’s banks. Parts of the trail had recently eroded into the swift-flowing river, and at the trail’s easternmost edge it was flooded over and muddy. I had no choice but to turn around here.
Despite the muddy water (not to mention what kind of chemicals the refineries are dumping into this river) I saw plenty of wildlife: winter geese, mallards, bullfrogs, and a few songbirds. Sadie enjoyed her 1.5-mile walk off-leash before we got back on the Heritage Trail, back to the van, and then south toward the Big Horn National Recreation Area. This was a nice option for wilderness camping without being too far from tomorrow’s battlefield tour.
I had started today with 2702 miles on the odometer and ended with 2846, the shortest distance so far on this road trip. I pulled into the first campsite I could find on the north shore (which doesn’t have much, but I was in no mood to drive another 70 miles toward Sheridan)
More later...
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