The morning after Christmas, the van was packed and my eyes were set westward.  That first day, I drove 700 miles: past Pittsburg, Cleveland, and ended the day, just south of Chicago, in my van.

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The following day was a marathon!  I drove off and on for almost 15 hours, where every hour I would listen to a book on tape, podcast, call a friend, or stop to get gas or take pictures.  In this manner (and with a healthy portion of holiday treats) I managed to make it deep into South Dakota before pulling off the interstate, conceding to the cold, and curling up in my sleeping bag for the night.  

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The final day of the drive was the shortest, but most eventful.  I woke up to a frigid morning in the Badlands of SD.  Next, through Wyoming I went, and finally, into Montana.  Here the roads became icy tracks of wind-blown snow, but surprisingly, Bessy (the van) took it all in stride as if she was born a figure skater!

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At 8pm I pulled into Bozeman MT and had an excellent but pricey meal at a nice farm-to-table restaurant (my first expense of the journey other than gas).  

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My friends started arriving later in the evening, so we made plans to check out the famous Hyalite Canyon the following day...

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too be continued