From Gardiner, Montana, just outside the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, I headed north. Still in the Rocky Mountains and near the Continental Divide, the drive through the changing colors of autumn was beautiful.  Being after Labor Day, the traffic was light.

Glacier National Park is in the northwest corner of Montana. Driving at a comfortable pace, it was at least a 6 hour drive. My plan was to drive to Kalispel Montana and stay overnight there.

Up early the next morning, I drove to the park. My goal was the Going-to-the-Sun-Road which would take me from one end of Glacier National Park to the other. My timing turned out to be luckily perfect. Traffic was light but the road was still 100% open. The two-lane road afforded some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen.

Each bend in road presented an even more stunning view. As you can see, the topography was amazing: deep valleys and soaring peaks. There are at least 150 peaks over 8,000 feet and Mt Cleveland is over 10,000 feet.

After a couple of leisurely hours, I emerged at the northern end of the park near the Canadian border. I headed east. My next goal was the 2 part (North and South) Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. It was quite a drive so I planned to overnight in Lewiston, Montana.

After a sound sleep and a hardy breakfast of bacon and eggs, I drove east toward Roosevelt National Park. The topography was radically changing. I was leaving the Rocky Mountains and entering the Great Plains. I was also roughly following the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition in reverse. Leaving the Rockies dramatically reduced the strain on my 1956 4 cylinder, 36 horsepower VW bug. I will not encounter any mountains in the same league as the Rockies the rest of my trip.

As you can see, we have left the Rockies for the Badlands. This is the part of where Teddy Roosevelt spent a couple of years after both his wife and his mother died in the same 24 period.

After touring both the north and the south units of the Roosevelt National Park, I left North Dakota for South Dakota. My goal was Rapid City, South Dakota. A small quiet town, it was easy to find an inexpensive motel. I was exhausted and went out like a light after a delicious meal of meat loaf and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Up early. Bacon and eggs, and I was on my way to one of the great icons in America: Mt Rushmore. It was an easy half hour drive. The Black Hills, the location of the granite mountain of Mt Rushmore, are all part of the Great Plains. Before the Europeans arrived in America, the Black Hills and the mountain were sacred places for the Sioux Indians. The Sioux Indians were part of the Bison People of the Plains Indians who lived almost exclusively on the tens of millions of buffalo roaming the plains. As a result of their extremely nutritious diet, the Bison people were both extremely tall (averaging nearly 6 feet 4 inches) and extraordinarily vigorous and healthy.

Sadly, with the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, the Sioux were driven off their lands. The massive granite sculptures (over 60 feet tall each) of the 4 great American presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln) are quite impressive. Mt Rushmore stands as quite a monument to freedom and democracy.

My next stop will be deep in the heart of the mid-west: Lincoln, Nebraska. Almost 550 miles, I will get in well after dark. On the positive side, the drive will be relatively flat so I can maintain a reasonable speed with no strain on my bug.

Flat was an understatement. Traffic was light. After the Rocky Mountains, the scenery was bland to say the least. The biggest thing in Lincoln was clearly Memorial Stadium and Nebraska football. The food was wholesome, the portions generous and the rooms cheap. After a full day of driving, I passed out the instant my head hit the pillow.

After exploring Lincoln (I felt like I was in the 1950’s), I headed for Omaha. Omaha, like Lincoln seemed to have a 1950’s feeling about it. The people seemed to have the warm, friendly feeling I had heard about mid-western people. Again, the food was like home cooking with generous portions. The eggs were sunny-side up and the bacon was thick cut and delicious. I was so full and mellowed out, I had to drink some coffee to energize myself enough to get back on the road.

My bacon and eggs, meat and potato diet kept my mood and energy stable. I deliberately avoided desert. I wasn’t getting much exercise. I had to constantly and deliberately drink a lot of water.

I was only about 20% into my trip and it was already amazing. I was pleased I made the effort to make this trip happen. What an education.

High quality protein like JDD protein and lots of pasture raised whole eggs – awesome nutrition for you and your kiddos.

Talk with you soon.
Joe