day 37 July 14, 2026 Dickinson, North Dakota to Belgrade, Montana

The reason we had traveled this northern route was we wanted to go see the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library that just had opened on July 4th This is a very fine new really ecologically-built center focusing on Teddy Roosevelt’s life and presidency in the early 1900’s.

We had planned on spending a full morning there, with an extra tour. We made a decision to make a brief stop where we got to see some of the highlights. Patti stayed away from the crowds and wore her N95 mask and was careful. But it was a much briefer stop. Patti‘s energy wouldn’t have held up for anything more.

If you ever get a chance, we would recommend this museum. There was lots of really interesting, interactive screen experiences and photos that you could do. We skipped all of that, not wanting to touch anything. But we enjoyed learning more about this progressive president who single-handedly created so many national monuments., and wildlife and birds sanctuaries around the country. He was a great outdoor person, and worked on many progressive causes. 

One of the highlights was a chance to talk with Roosevelt. It was an amazing experience in what AI can do. We had a chance to ask questions. The image of the president would ponder for a moment and then answer the question. He would not answer a question about today's political situation but would talk about the values and principles that should guide leadership of the country. It was clear that, if TR was alive today, he would be dismayed at the direction of the country. We would have liked to stayed longer for more conversation but Patti's energy level said it was nearly time to leave.

After this stop, we headed down the road. We would spend most of the day driving across Montana enjoying the flat farm and ranching land and then the beautiful mountains. We felt sad that we were not going to have time available to stop and enjoy them.

We were grateful to get to our funky little hotel, almost a hostel in a small town in Montana. We had protein shakes for dinner and went to bed at 8 o’clock. Life on the road when you’re sick has some times that are kind of dull. We slept as much as we could, however, because tomorrow would be a very long driving day.