Day 10.
August 30th, 2021.

I awoke relatively late on this day.
I think it was close to 8:00 a.m.
I was in “go slow” mode.
It was a crisp, fresh mountain morning.
Over breakfast in the hotel dining area, I spent close to an hour chatting with a couple of tourists from Texas, after which I began loading up the bike ahead of the coming ride for the day.
Outdoors, the Harley motorcycle parked next to mine had a flat tire.
I noticed that right away because one of the important things to do as a long rider, is to train your eye to perform all the important visual physical checks of your machine and related traveling equipment and gear at each stopping and starting opportunity.
If for nothing at all, for your safety and security.
As I performed my own checks the Harley owner came out and was on the phone, with his insurance agent, hoping to locate a wrecker service and repair shop to accommodate his needs.
We chatted for a while and parted when I pulled away and headed back into the forest and onwards along my next leg of the journey.
But not before checking in with Buster and Marilyn in the remote chance of rendezvousing for breakfast.
Circumstances, situation and location couldn’t make that possible.
So today, the set plan was to make it as far beyond Billings, MT. as I could - again mimicking part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s trail.
This would give me the opportunity to visit and experience Pompey’s Pillar National Monument which is 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Billings, MT.
Pompey’s Pillar is the smallest National Monument in the U.S.
You will find Native American Petroglyphs carved into the face of this sandstone “pillar” which is about 45 m (150 ft.) tall and an acre in area, situated at a ford in the Yellowstone River along the banks where it sits.
This is one of the most notable places of discovery along the Lewis and Clark Expedition route.
I was not about to miss it.
Named for/after Sacagawea’s son, it is the only spot along the whole journey where physical confirmation of their presence remains and is preserved.
Here, William Clark carved his signature in the rock surface, registering the presence of the expedition at this point/place.
So I visited the adjoining visitor’s interpretation center, taking in a lot of history, coming away a little more knowledgeable and better educated.
Well worth the visit for me.

Returning to my bike I reached for a bottle of water, rehydrating myself before motoring on, having made a decision to try and make it as far east as I could on this day.
I figured that the further east I’d go would be just that much less I would have to do, come the next riding day.
So back onto Interstate Highway 94 which closely mimicked the course of the Yellowstone River, I continued my journey eastwards.
Oh, the wind!
In all my anxiety, I had quite forgotten about the wind.
Even on this leg of the journey, I began to fight the wind coming across the highway without realizing it as I headed towards the towns of Custer and Bighorn.
With nothing on the plains to stop or break it up, it streaked across the open highway with ferocity and showed no signs of easing up, rather intensifying.
Oh well, it was what it was.
Nothing I could do about it but embrace it and do the best I could to keep the bike tracking in lane.
456 km (285 mi) later, I arrived in the small town of Forsyth, MT.
Although this distance was really not that much in comparison to other riding days, the wind had worn me out.
It was late afternoon and having having lost time due to my easterly movement I opted to find a place to bed down for the night.
The Rails Inn Motel couldn’t have shown up soon enough.
I was hungry and after checking in, I went out in search of something hearty to munch on for the night and to see a little bit of the town itself.
It was right at sunset and the warm orange glow of the setting sun captivated and inspired me to take a quick cell-phone camera photo for posterity.
The only two places open were a Dairy Queen establishment - which had a queue at the drive-through window with wait times of which my appetite did not gel with and a Chinese Restaurant smack dab in the middle of this little town which my eldest daughter, via phone, quickly and easily located via an “app” on her phone and relayed its location to me via text.
Chinese food didn’t sound bad at all.
So Chinese food it was, for the night!
Making my way back to the motel, I got held up at railroad tracks just off Main Street by a passing train which was as long as forever!
I used the opportunity to “take some video” as I waited at the crossing for it to go by.
So back at the motel I settled down for the night with a call of thanks to my daughter, and did justice to the very generous portion of food she had located for me.
Sleep came easy after a good hot shower.

Next - Day 11