19MAY2011 @ Billings, MT (Me) and Ft. Yates, ND (Canoe) - Sleeping on a bench at the Billings bus station, while not comfortable, is priced right. At 0400 I woke up and stayed up and at 0630 was bussing east with 15 or so others. The prairie is much greener than when I passed through last month. Many fields display standing water also and the Yellowstone River has yet to reach the high water mark. One can expect serious flooding in the next month.

At 1515 I arrived in Bismarck - now back in Central Time - and caught the A-2 City bus at 1540. After a 1-hour stop at a shopping mall, the M-1 bus got me to the Spirit of Life Church in Mandan ... where at 1740 the Standing Rock Reservation bus picked me up. By 1830 I was checked in once more at the Prairie Knights Casino ... far far better than the Billings bus station.

As nice as it is in this casino, I really want to get underway again. I have not, however, completely shaken this cough/congestion despite beneficial effects of expectorant. Friday will clearly be rainy and Friday night a huge storm cell is expected to visit. That and a not friendly Friday wind from the east at 20 mph has caused me to decide to stay here until Saturday morning. Saturday the wind is expected at 13 mph ... and the main storm will have passed ... so Saturday it is. The wind for Sunday through Wednesday will be from the various northern directions, and not too fast. I am optimistic that with a Saturday beginning I will awaken Sunday morning facing four good mileage days ...