Day 4: Billings, MT

This morning was off to a rough start when my wifi was super spotty at the hotel. I had to take my first early morning meeting on my cell phone because my computer couldn't connect strongly enough.

Then, I checked out of my hotel room at 7:30a (I'm on Mountain Time now) and headed to McDonalds to work there to enjoy free WiFi and hash browns. Well, the McD's was closed to inside dining so instead I pulled into a parking spot outside the building, within range of their WiFi, and worked another hour from my car.

Finally, I headed to a really cool coffee shop in downtown Dickinson, ND called Brew. It used to be a small church (the oldest in town).

I worked there for a few more hours but the WiFi there was questionable as well and decided not to wait any longer. By 10-ish my time I hit the road for my next destination: Billings, MT. I was annoyed at the WiFi, spending my morning nomad-ing, and the idea of falling behind on work.

About half an hour into my drive, I stopped at a scenic view overlooking Theodore Roosevelt National Park (Uncle Mike, if you're reading this, Theodore Roosevelt was a US President.) Within seconds my day was saved! Stunning views, reminded me of the Grand Canyon just not as deep and way more grassy. You can't see in the photos but you could see wild horses and bison down below.

I also ran into a man and his 2 early-twenties sons who were from Needham, MA! Quite a coincidence for a roadside pullout somewhere in western North Dakota.

From that point on, the green grassy hills gave way to rugged landscapes, buttes, and tumbleweeds. I had never seen anything like it and that was my view for the next 3+ hours.

The Yellowstone River:

Finally pulled into Billings, MT around 4:30 my time. Grabbed a hotel room immediately and fell asleep on the bed within minutes. It's been a long few days with a ton of driving and waking up early to get my work in.

After a little nap, I walked a couple blocks to get pizza and a beer and then headed back to my room to put in another hour of work and catch up on client messages. All good.

Though, I will say that I am starting to enjoy the early morning/late night work schedule. Daytime is wasted doing work.

I booked an AirBnB for the next 3 nights in Bozeman, MT (only 2 hours away) so I'm looking forward to taking a break from driving for a few days.