Our first day on the road we covered nearly 530 miles across Montana and North Dakota. We only stopped for gas once and were able to use the camper for bathroom + lunch breaks, which worked great.
The drive across eastern Montana and into North Dakota really has forgotten beauties. Pompeys Pillar is just off of I-94, about 30 miles east of Billings. The prehistoric-looking landforms and breaks near Glendive are just so cool. We spotted a few buffalo out grazing in the Little Missouri National Grasslands, and the pastoral farmlands and old homesteads in North Dakota are charming. We counted windmills and the kids loved seeing the oilfield machinery at work on the plains. Knowing we wanted to get a good start on our journey east, we didn't stop much and knew our first day would be one of our longest on the road.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, just outside of Mandan, North Dakota, was our first official campsite. We pulled in just after dark and were pleasantly surprised to find the campsite to be very clean, quiet (only about 10% full), and right on the Missouri River. Much to the dogs' delight, whitetail deer wandered among the sites as well.
We were excited to go exploring after breakfast. The kids broke out the football and bikes to get in some fun and exercise before we hit the road again. There are several trails that loop around the campground, so Ray and I walked the dogs while the kids rode their bikes. We watched a bald eagle fishing along the Missouri, read about Lewis & Clark visiting the area, and hiked to the Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village. There are also army barracks and Custer's house to visit.
It was a quintessential fall day with cool, crisp air and beautiful changing leaves all around. We even came across an old railroad track.
For just $25/night this park had 50amp hookups and water at the pull-through site, plus a dump station on the way out. We thoroughly enjoyed this campsite and would love to visit again - a hidden gem!
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