3 of us heading that direction at the end of the week, my wife, our youngest son and myself. Heading out there to pick up an old car for restoration, kind of a smash n grab trip. 13.5 hr drive out there on Friday, stay the night, load the car Saturday morning and head back home with it.

I'm just curious if anyone would have a recommendation for a decent place to stay a night in the great falls area. And I suppose if there is such a thing as "must see while you are there", we should probably hear about that too. Largest ball of twine, or what ever they've got out there. It's not really a sight seeing trip but, if there is something worth seeing we should probably check it out.

I like the Staybridge.

Worlds Smallest River is kinda cool and a quick easy stop.

The Playground is a bit more upscale than I prefer but a very nice gentleman's club regardless.



Dave

Did you send deflave money again to put down on it?

Yes, I sent him everything I have.





What's staybridge?

Worlds smallest river?

Google fu.

Staybridge be lodging, shortest river be roadside attraction.

Good, very good.

Have dinner at Borries.....its in Black Eagle.

Or Andys in Havre in your way through.

One thing about the playground......sometimes its amateur night.

The joint doesnt seem so upscale on those nights.

Borries, 10-4.

Not coming through Havre, I heard there's a world class A-hole up in those parts.



Actually the A-hole advised against the north route due to terminal boredom associated with the route.

Besides, It looks like Minot area is tore up with road construction.

So we're dropping down to 94 for a good part of the route west, hopping off 94 in Glendive.

Good plan to get off at Glendive and go up highway 200 to the Falls.
Giant Springs park is just beyond the Lewis and Clarke center which I think is a must see. But I am a history buff. The story of going arround the falls and the work that was involved is interesting.

Haha! Fair enough.

You are gonna miss out on numerous abandoned grain elevators, little towns with nothing in them, (like where I live) and junk yards right next to the road. There is a neat one east of Malta. Just sayin......

Have a good trip.

Giant springs park, Lewis and Clarke center, both sound interesting. We will have a 12 yr old with us so, these might be good things.

You need to go to the Sip n Dip and see the mermaids.

Staybridge is good and a relatively new place right on the river.

The Celtic Cowboy is kind of a fun place for lunch and a beer.

If you're going back through ND, you may want to check out Bad Lands Nat'l park. It's a lot cooler than I thought it would be.

Never been there, but sip and dip lounge with mermaids sounds interesting.


http://ohairemotorinn.com/

lewis and clark museum, worth the 1-2 hours it takes to check it out

The Sip and Dip is overrated.

Andy's fugking sucks.

Your 12 year old will like the Lewis and Clarke thing. It's very near the world's smallest river. That whole area is where L&C did their huge portage over the falls.




Dave

Especially when someone like me swims with the mermaids.

Terrifying.

Naw, Andy's is pretty good. Especially when your home town has no real options, besides food poison and harassment.

We'll check that stuff out.

Everyplace has their little local treasures, I figure might as well check em out.

Staybridge is out, one room left and only one bed. Holiday inn??

If it's the Express. The other one sucks.




Dave

You might really enjoy the Charles M. Russell Museum, great stuff!

Holiday Inn's can be hit and miss, checkout the reviews for the one your interested in. I stayed in one in Capetown SA I'm pretty sure was a murder scene the day before.

I live in North Dakota and make a trip to the Badlands most every year. Drive through the park at Medora. Very pleasant drive. ED K

Yeah, try the Holiday Inn Express.

It has a water slide for the kids.

Some shopping opportunities as well close by.

Or try the Heritage Inn, no slide but a pool and bar/restaurant.

It's been a few years, but I've stayed at the holiday inn and would do it again. Safe bet there Dave.

And though I know you are pinched on time, but if you can squeeze it in (that's what she said) drive a ways out of town, find a dirt 2 track off the pavement. Which one doesn't' matter so long as it's barren and gives you a good view all around. Get hammered and watch the sunset. the peace and loneliness you'll experience as the wind buffets you around will be worth it.

My $.02.

Hmmm. This isn't around April 1, is it?

You should enjoy the drive on 200, I always do. First time was when we were moving from Minot AFB to Malmstrom. I'll never forget seeing the Stack against the sunset.

Not exactly sure where you are headed but either coming or going if you drive from White Sulphur Springs through Monarch and Belt to Great Falls (or in the reverse) that way it's a really pretty drive through there.

It might be a little out of your way but it's worth it, I think.

Some nice creeks and mountain views through there.

Used to be a decent little place to eat just south of Monarch called the "Lazy Doe" but I'm not sure it's still open. Looked kind of quiet when I went by last fall.

If their going through North Dakota they will be a long way north of Badlands National Park. It's in South Dakota.

Dave,

I live in Fairfield, about 25 miles west of Great Falls. We have a simple home, but it's clean and I've been known to cook at least an edible breakfast. You're welcome to stay with us.

I know you don't know me from Adam, but everyone likes me a lot better once they meet my wife. You'd have your own room and one for your son.

Just an option...Brett

Dave,

I stay in Great Falls a fair amount during the year. I always stay at the O'Haire Motor Inn which is home to the Sip'n Dip Lounge. It's an older style motel. Not real modern but clean and very friendly service. Locally owned and it's in the old downtown portion of town. Not far from the CM Russell museum which I would recommend. O'Haire number is 406-454-2141.

Sip'n Dip lounge is an experience. Kids can be in there while the mermaids are swimming behind the glass until 9pm. Kids I've taken there got a huge kick out of it.

Borries was disappointing to me. Howard's Pizza is really good old-style thin crust pizza. I don't generally eat out so I am not much help in that department.

Thank you sir, that is quite an offer for a goofball stranger like myself. Very kind and trusting of you.


I just got done working for the night so I'm just catching up here. Pam has us locked in for holiday inn express already.

Borries is a steak house, old fashioned type. The kind your folks liked.

Lots of other options, hell even a sushi joint!

I like steak.

We'll know if Dave catches cancer from an injun.

When we go to MT we just stay with Clark.

Me, the missus & the 12 young uns

Man a lotta them kids like aviators & lousy beer

That's too bad but the HI Express is nice. There is a Howards Pizza location within the same commercial development across the parking lot if you get in and are tired and don't want to go out. There are also a couple other chain restaurants in that same development. I think Chili's is there. Maybe another chain and Pizza Hut.

Highly recommend Howard's. One of my top five pizzas anywhere.



Dave

Here's what we're dragging home.

62? I had a 63, black with tan bucket seats and the floor mounted automatic transmission. 352 4 barrel under the hood. I think mine was the 500 XL.

Best Western was good when I stayed there last year

LC

+1 on this, Highway 2 is a mess.

64, Mike.

This one is not an XL. It's a 500.

But it's got it's original Z code 390, cruise-o-matic trans, 3.00 rear gears, power steering, power brakes, and it's still wearing it's original paint.

Ok...Theodore Rosevelt Natl park, in the badlands of ND.

Yep, that would make the trip pretty exciting!

Nice looking car!

Can I have the fuzzy dice??

I've heard.




Dave

pot farmer.

Where is the car located?

Just curious because the background is a bit familiar.

Looks like you're taking 200 all the way across to GF? Great country but a bit sparsely populated. Not much between Glendive and Lewistown.

When you get close to Lewistown, you'll be in ICBM country. Keep an eye out, you might see a convoy moving an ICBM. Hard to miss as they are escorted by a couple attack helicopters constantly circling the convoy as it drives a steady 55-60 mph. I was paced by a helicopter about 40-50 yards off my right side as I drove down the highway overtaking the convoy. Fun times. You will see tons of missile silos as you go.

Jordan has a cool little museum focusing on dinosaurs. Some of the most complete dinos ever excavated were found in the Hell Creek formation north of Jordan.

You'll drive past/through part of the old Binion ranch east of Jordan. If you've ever read any Las Vegas history, you've heard of him. Was owner of Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Vegas. He was a tough mean sob. No wonder he was one of the few that the east coast mob couldn't force out when they moved into Vegas.

The rough breaks north of Jordan and Winnett hold some of the largest elk in the state.

It's the kind of pizza you have to eat hot but man is it good.

day got one of dem big balls of twine out der? love me the big balls of twine. how the hell day make dem big balls a twine anyways? sheesh

Montanans don't mess around with stupid scheit like that

The car was originally purchased in Anaconda MT 3-27-1964

Isn't dropping down to 94 WAAAAY out of the way?

not really.

you'll have to google map it, I screen shot the map routes, made a JPG file, but photobucket is more worthless than ted cruise at a republican convention so....

Are we there yet?

94 out of the way? Not really. In Dakota and Minnesota, 94 and 2 are only an hour or so apart, and as it's been said, 2 is a mess. Any miles saved will be lost in cone zones or driving through the oil patch trucks.
200 is a pretty good highway, with nice shoulders and visibility for the most part. It's fun to drive fast, by the way.
This should be a good time to hit Lewistown, the hay bales should be out announcing a nice crop. The only thing I'd sweat is, the traffic jumps at Eddies Corner where the highway from Billings cuts in on the way into Great Falls. It can get a little thick -- for Montana.

Great...Enjoy your time in Montana!

Thank you, and thanks again for that generous offer.

Seriously.

Pulling into Bismark ND soon for breakfast and fuel.

safe travels dave! Have fun Joey

Perkins, 9am on a weekday and the place is full, wtf? And they aren't all 75 yrs old either, doesn't anybody work in Bismark? Lol

Should be about to Glendive. Enjoy your trip across what Baxter Black referred to as America's Outback. That part of east-central Montana you will be driving through for the next couple hundred miles. I lived in Jordan for a while and love that part of Montana. From about Brockaway to west of Winnett is some of the most sparsely populated areas in the lower 48 along with some real beautiful country.

If you like rugged scenery and have an hour to spare, you can drive north of Jordan maybe 20 miles towards Hell Creek. It will take you in to the Breaks where you can get a view of some really spectacular country that holds a lot of game including some monster elk.

We're still at [bleep] Perkins in [bleep] Bismark waiting for our breakfast.

I'malmost to circle Mt actually. But God damned if I'm ever stopping in Bismark NDever again. Between slow ass Perkins and the chit Exxon fuel I filled with in Bismark, it's kind of wrecked our day. Changing diesel filters on the road, draining the water separator every 40 miles. [bleep] Bismark.

Should be a place to pick up new filters in Circle.

Hope things start looking up for you.

Going to fuel up in Jordan.
This road is smooth as [bleep]

You guys are playing a joke on me with this hwy 200 chit.

25 miles to Jordan, suddenly scenic

Road west of Jordan should be a lot better.

Did you get some spare filters?

There is a farmers union in Jordan where you should be able to get filters if you haven't already.

Hey Dave, lookin fur a new spray setup?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5f0_1469194968

Car is purchased and loaded. Settled in at motel

I have PTSD from our road experience from glendive to a bit west of Jordan. It was like a spacecraft re-entry to earth's atmosphere but it lasted for better than 2 hours. I suffered seven separate concussions, a broken thumb and a ruptured eyeball.

We are thinking about taking a different way back.

40 miles of hell bad road.

All I can say is our roads are better than rural Saskatchewan roads.

Helps to keep the riff-raff out.

Looks like you're heading through Monarch. Have a good trip.

Running south on 89, beautiful country, real nice road too

Safe travels Amigo

Yes, that was a beautiful route, excellent road too.

I always thought the area from Glendive to Lewistown was the senic part of montana.

Lewiston area was neat. I really liked the drive from Belt to white sulphur springs though. More timber, very pretty.

We are in ND now, swung off into medora to stretch legs and grab a bite to eat.