Montana State Fair.
We started the day with a lovely breakfast of eggs, Canadian bacon and cheese in croissants...delish!! After a natter with Rob and Carey we headed off into the sun for the Montana State Fair which is held in downtown Billings. OMG it was hot!! Must have been at least 32 degrees and not a breath of wind all day...needless to say we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible! The State Fair was held on their show-ground and included a funfair, cattle showing, c*** crowing contests, various stalls, a horse show, camel rides, motorbike stunts and showcases of various local talent from needlecraft and knitting to cheerleaders and zumba demonstrations!! I have to confess to not joining in the zumba....! We spent a few hours looking round
alternating between the cool air-conditioned halls and the scorching heat outside. We hung around long enough to see the motorbike stunt show which was incredible...those guys were absolutely crazy!! As that was in full sun for a good half hour we decided that was all we could cope with that day and headed back to Rob & Careys to collect our stuff and to head out with them for dinner. We went to a Mongolian Barbecue...it was something we'd seen several of whilst travelling and after quizzing Rob and Carey on it decided it was something we had to try as it sounded really good. It was a bit like a Chinese all you can eat buffet except whatever you put in your bowl you then gave to the chefs who cooked it there and then in front of you on a huge circular hot plate. Nom!! Was soo tasty...there were a multitude of sauces of which they advised you to use at least 7 scoops of to stop your food sticking to the grill...all sorts of combinations were possible from mild and zesty to very hot and spicy!! After a super meal, feeling rather stuffed, we said our goodbyes and headed off into the evening towards Yellowstone Park. The idea being that we could get a full day to look around if we stayed the night just outside the park. We took the route suggested by our hosts which took us up through Red Lodge, a mountain pass that reaches heights of over 10,000 feet!! By the time we got there it was dark so we couldn't appreciate what would have been amazing views, however there was a full moon shining very brightly that gave us a ghostly look over the mountains. I think this coupled with seeing hardly any other cars was probably one of the best drives we've had, the road was incredibly steep and twisted its way up the mountainside, snaking its way along, sometimes with nothing between us and a drop of hundreds of feet to the rocks below!! The higher we went the colder it got and soon we were passing snow and ice...Andy got me a snowball...a rare gift in the middle of August!! We made it safely to the other side and eventually found a lay-by in which to spend the night. A truly exhilarating day in all!!