As we left Terry in late morning, we passed by the Kempton Hotel, the longest continually operating hotel in the state of Montana.
The Yellowstone River is just outside of town, so we went to look at it. This muddy mess looks nothing like the clean river that flows through Yellowstone Park.
Driving about 40 miles northeast on I-94, back the way we come yesterday, we found Makoshika State Park. Had to take a look!
This park is situated in an area of badlands where many fossils have been found. From the entrance station to the end-of-road turnaround is just a few miles, so here we go...
Just barely visible in the far distance is the ranching valley that follows the Yellowstone River.
Sandstone, laid down millions of years ago, has been attacked by wind and rain, leaving interesting formations under harder pieces of stone.
The road winds to the top of a hill, about 2,500 feet in elevation, that is named "Radio Hill" for obvious reasons!
They don't call this Big Sky Country for nothing!
Erosion has laid bare the many layers of sediment laid down when this area was a great ocean.
From hundreds of small "hoodoos' to great, long ones, it is amazing to think that these have resisted falling for thousands, or millions, of years.
Parking at the end-of-road turnaround, we set off to see a formation called "Twin Sisters", only to find that another visitor was on the trail! This 3 1/2 foot specimen was simply enjoying the warm sunshine. We gave him a wide berth nevertheless!
Geologic time is measured in epochs, several of which are visible here.
How do these things support those huge rocks?
Our first glimpse of the Sisters.
The trail leads through a coniferous forest, with pinecones just forming.
The Twin Sisters....
And at their base, as if to be an altar, a great slab of stone is supported by soft sandstone. The many little white specks are small, abrasive, white pieces of hard rock. I'm sure a geologist would know what to name them, but we just called them "salt"!
No more dramatic view of natural erosion can be seen than here in Makoshika.
Leaving the Sisters to stand watch over their home, we turned our attention to home.
And it's a Big Sky!
Returning to Terry, we walked with Sasha around the residential district of town. Only a few blocks in each direction, we couldn't help but notice the sad state of the town. The baseball field in the city park is overgrown with weeds and in disrepair. There may not be enough young people in town anymore to field a team.
Many occupied homes are in need of repair.
And more than a few need to have the weeds removed, or at least cut down to a manageable height.
It's so sad to see a town slowly fading away. Businesses have closed, the last dentist left town years ago, and the hospital is staffed only as needed by out-of-town people. Emergency? Call for an appointment, evidently...
We will remember the friendly owner of Small Towne RV Park and his young helpers, and wish him and his family well as they struggle to keep heads above water. Good Luck!
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