Meet me in Miles City

Riders/Reviewers: Terry and Pat Hert

When pondering thoughts of excitement and bold undertakings, one’s mind, nor mode of transportation, doesn’t necessarily steer its first instincts towards eastern Montana – particularly the communities of Lame Deer, Broadus, Miles City and Glendive. However, realizing that the feeling of adventure is more a state of mind, Terry and I decided to put all monotonous doubts aside for this TypeRider trip and took off looking for new perspective in familiar territory – or so we thought.

Just days before heading out on our ride, my motorcycle developed a small oil leak. Rather than risk a mechanical failure on the road, we rented a loaner bike from Billings Beartooth Harley Davidson. On a personal note, we highly recommend any motorcycle enthusiast to keep that business in mind if found in a similar situation.

With necessities in tow, we left Billings and headed east to Powder River County and Broadus. Taking I-90 southeast to Hardin and onto Crow Agency, we took the Little BigHorn Battlefield exit and stopped at the Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Café for a morning coffee break. Visitors at this exit can peruse the indoor gift shop with handmade Indian beadwork, Montana-made gifts, and a mini-museum featuring Northern Cheyenne Indian and Custer collectibles. What makes the experience even more authentic are the half- dozen teepees and a small wooden stockade building located outside.

To continue the start of our glorious eastern Montana day, we headed east on Highway 212 to Lame Deer. Lame Deer, with a population of less than 2,000, exudes an incredible richness of history, culture and pride of the Northern Cheyenne people. From the highway, you can see the Lame Deer cemetery, the last resting place of many warriors and great chiefs, including Chief Dull Knife and Chief Little Wolf, who led about 300 Cheyenne people on a 1,500 mile trek from Oklahoma to the north.

Once in Lame Deer, visitors may find native artists selling their creations on the streets. A few blocks off the main highway, the Jessie Mullin Picture Museum features a collection of more than 7,000 pictures, articles, books and artifacts of Cheyenne families. Admission is free and a map of the cemetery is on display.

It was hard to leave, but the afternoon was fast approaching, and there were many more things that remained on our schedule. The weather forecast predicted rain for most of our three days. By the time we got to Ashland, it was overcast and remained so for the remainder of the ride to Broadus.

Arriving in yet another enjoyable small town, Broadus’ residents were warm and welcoming.  With the sun now peeking out from behind the clouds, we spent the next two hours walking around town and some time in a wonderful antique shop called Buffaloland Antiques.  Owned by Sylvia Zimmer, the shop features a collection of antique furniture, fabrics, authentic Depression glass, early American glassware, and C.M. Russell photos and books.  Zimmer also has arranged areas of classic western books that include L. A. Huffman’s photographic histories of the West – Before Barbed Wire, L. A. Huffman, Photographer on Horseback; and The Frontier Years: L. A. Huffman, Photographer of the Plains.  For the hunter-in-you, she even has a family wildlife display of elk and deer. Zimmer says guys love that aspect of the shop, so there truly is something for everyone
to see.

Next, we walked to the Judge’s Chambers where we had reservations for dinner.  The restored and converted 1929 home of the Honorable Judge Ashton Jones and his lovely wife, Amelia, the Judge’s Chambers boasts a dinner menu based on the concept of prairie food. We enjoyed a very exquisite and entirely unexpected delectable meal in this small eastern Montana town. I had a steak with a tasty glaze, while Terry had a seafood pasta dish. Writing about it now still makes my mouth water. To add the exclamation point to our already scrumptious dinner, we topped our tummies off with chocolate mousse for dessert!

With overnight room reservations still two hours away in Miles City, we grabbed the grips and headed north on Highway 59 to Custer County. A sunny, yet chilly late afternoon ride, the Holiday Inn Express in Miles City was a welcomed site for these road warriors. Gorgeous, clean rooms with all the comforts of home – perfect mattress; big, puffy pillows; and plush blankets made turning in by 7 p.m. an easy decision.

The next day, the morning sun greeted us as we rode downtown and to dine at a classic restaurant called The 600 Café. Judging from the antiquated solid counter top and mosaic tile floor, and what appeared to be original bar stools, this eatery takes you back to yesteryear.

After indulging in the genuine home cooked breakfast, we left The 600 Café only to discover the High Plains Classic Car Show just down the street at Riverside Park. Cars from all over the country were on display—from Model A’s and T’s to a number of sports cars. We even saw a shining white stretch limousine—all being reviewed by a panel of out-of-town judges.  A  big crowd gathered around the muscle cars. I learned that one car was apparently similar to one that had been sold at the Barrett/Jackson car auction in Phoenix for over $1 million.  All in all, there were 144 cars total with more than 1,000 attendees — not bad for a western cow town more nationally known for its World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. Terry could easily have spent the entire day there talking to the car owners and swapping stories.

By 11 a.m., we headed east to on Highway 12 to the town of Ekalaka for a buffalo shoot. Never heard of Ekalaka? Well, located in the heart of Fallon County, Ekalaka is a town of less than 400 people.  However, no sooner were we on the road that the weather turned windy, damp and cold. We met another couple on a motorcycle that had pulled off to the side of the road. By this time, it was raining steady, so we stopped to make sure they were alright. They had just come off the gravel road ahead of us and strongly recommended that we not go any further.  Looking at the rain and low hanging clouds, we decided to turn around and head back to Miles City.

What better way to spend the rest of our day in Miles City than to end up at The Hole in the Wall, known for seafood and steaks—big steaks, Old West 24-ounce size steaks!  The Hole in the Wall ironically, is actually a hole in the wall of the The 600 Café that leads to this more upscale family supper club. It was another fabulous dinner and really took the chill off a rainy evening.

On Sunday morning, we had plans to go to Bridge Day in Glendive.  It’s a local event that celebrates the preservation and birthday of the Historic Bell Street Bridge over the Yellowstone River. Apparently, the town’s people and surrounding communities enjoy a full-day of non-stop live entertainment, children's activities, wagon rides, historical tours, food and drinks, a motorcycle contest, fly-over, and even a duck race. 

Fortunately, we woke up to sunshine and pleasant weather, so we decided to get a move on by 7 a.m. We were no more than 30 minutes outside of Miles City and it clouded up, and 15 minutes later we rode head-on into rain. We turned around at the next exit and headed for home.  

As you may recall, we were somewhat anxious to find out where our TypeRider trip was going to lead us. By the time our trip drew to a close, Terry and I agreed that this was a fantastic weekend for both of us. It was relaxing and fun and the schedule gave us time to discover and enjoy places on our own.  We were genuinely sorry that we were rained out of two of the activities that would have been new experiences for us.  But, in Montana, the rain is rare, so we appreciate it when we get it. 

_______________________________________________________________________

For questions regarding this article, please contact info@thetyperider.com,
Cynroc, Inc., 406-652-0227