Montana road trip: Billings

We spent our last full day in Montana driving through Yellowstone. We just hadn't gotten enough the day before and my husband desperately wanted to see the Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls. Due to heavy snow falls the rivers were higher than normal and the falls were dumping remarkable amounts of water. The water would fall down the face of the cliff, hit the river, and then bounce back up. The power of the water was tremendous.
We drove to Billings over Beartooth Pass. These mountains have some of the highest elevations in the lower 48, and this summer they're dusted in more snow than usual. At the top of the pass, people were sledding and throwing snowballs.

We passed through the town of Red Loge, an old mining town that's been gussied up with hanging flower basket, cute boutiques, and restaurants with outdoor patios shaded by colorful umbrellas. An American flag hangs from the front of every storefront and it feels like the Fourth of July on the day we drive down the main drag.


Billings
From Red Lodge, we charged onto Billings, finally arriving at nightfall. Unlike western Montana, the east lacks mountains and trees, but the barren plains are still spectacular, especially on a summer evening when the sky is turning pink.

We stop by Terry Park where sprays of water shoot up from the ground, showering the kids running around in swim suits. The cool water is welcome in this town that gets hot in the summer.
For dinner, we head for Montana Avenue, the old part of town where a passenger train once stopped back when Buffalo Bill Cody hung around these parts. During the 1930's, 32 trains a day stopped in Billings. Then in the 1970s, the trains came to a halt and the neighborhood turned into a ghost town. But more recently locals have embraced the area and it's now the best place for a beer or a steak, or to shop for a pair of boots or a sundress. And there are trains still passing through, though these don't carry passengers.
We had dinner at the Rex, where a chef from Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show once cooked behind the stove. My husband and I shared smoked chicken and the kids were happy with their hamburgers. The steaks looked good but they're way out of our budget.