Day 4, Sunday

524 miles today
2064.4 total

I got on the road pretty early today and the traffic was very light. This was the last day of interstates and have finally made my way to some pretty awesome 2 lane roads. Working my way into North Dakota and the speed limit is 70+ mph, of course that puts me at 84 mph, and I'm still getting about 40 mpg's.

The roads are very long and the landscape and sky are vast. It makes for awesome travelling, but I found out that the gas stations are starting to thin way out. I found out when my low fuel warning light came on!  I cruised for about 10 miles confidently because I was sure I would find a station and I was right, although it was pretty suspicious looking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwknxCfcSDg&list=UUyuWHThrwHSucCAX0Gc4SbA&index=1&feature=plcp


Nobody home and there was a padlock on the pump.  I think it is for farm equipment and you have to call in advance to get someone come down and open up.

I had been getting about 40 miles a gallon and just drove 15 miles with the light on. I was guessing it was a one gallon reserve, but really wasn't sure.  And as I said, there were vast amounts of flat land and far reaching skies, and I could see for what seemed like 30 miles in every direction, but saw nothing except empty land.

There was a sign up the road that listed 2 towns, one was 22 miles in the direction I was headed, and another 20 miles in the wrong direction. I chose the longer trip in the right direction and shoved off.  Well, 20 miles later I came across a gas station ... nice ... it was closed ... f-bomb. There was a shop next door with a nice, older, local couple and I asked them if there were any other stations around.  The woman defers to the guy, and he thinks for a minute and says there are 2 stations, one is two blocks down the road, and the other is 3 blocks.  I took a peek down the road and didn't see anything, so I knew he was talking about North Dakota blocks.  No choice, off I went.  I did eventually find it and it was open!!!!  I filled up my 5.5 gallon taken - it took 5.416 gallons. I did a little quick math - gallon is 128 ounces, I had about 8/100's of a gallon left, which is just about a shot glass full of gas!

Before that, I met Mark Mowbray, who was retired and is now the Executive Director of the Yellowstone Trail Association and is travelling all over the US on his own dime. He sleeps in his SUV for 3 nights, then a hotel for a night. Sounded like he is keeping busy and making a nice contribution in his retirement!  He told me that the first ever cross country route was built to get from Seattle Washington to Yosemite, and then Plymouth Mass to Yellowstone. He said it predated Rt 66 and also numbered hiways.  I guess that makes Yellowstone top dog in the Parks universe.

Got my first decent meal in many days at a cool retro style dinner.

Kroll's Diner

Stopped just short of the Canadian border because it was getting late, but then noticed it was 9:30 PM and the sun was still 3 fists above the horizon!

I'm typing this on day 6, I have some catching up to do. It's1:30 EST, not sure what time it is here.

Random pictures:

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A plug for Mark - yellowstonetrail.org  I have not had time to look at the site yet myself.

2nd gasless station

resting