The above photos are from earlier in the trip, the top one of the stream at Rainbow Falls,and the second of Agawa Bay in Lake Superior.

My visit to Dickinson, North Dakota, was very pleasant. The campground manager was extra friendly, the golf course was like a country club—and for some reason the pro shop employee let me play for free and wouldn’t even take a tip—and I shot a 45 on a long course. Of course, such fine times couldn’t last and as I was driving back from the golf course, a clunking sound developed in the front end. I was enough to make me realize that I had to have it looked at and tomorrow was Sunday, which meant that nothing would be open. I went to Applebee’s for dinner and then went to the movie theater to watch Inception, which I enjoyed very much, with some stunning visuals. By the time I got back to the campground it was 12:30 and I unloaded the back and went to sleep.
I awoke at 6:15 and felt that I had to rush, but fortunately, there wasn’t any reason to rush and I calmed down, took a shower, got some coffee and a breakfast biscuit, and checked out to see if the Walmart Auto Service might be opening early. It wasn’t going to open until 12:00 so I decided to drive toward Spearfish and figure things out better later. I got off the exit to drop down to Spearfish and rethought my plans. Obviously what was wrong with the truck was fixable but it might take a Nissan dealer and a couple of days. So I realized my most sensible option was to drive to Billings, the closest large town. I checked to see if they had a Nissan dealer and they did, and I reserved a room at one of the Motel 6’s there. I also left a message at the dealer, telling them I would be there at 7:30 Monday morning. I hope they can fix it in a reasonable time. It meant I had to give up Spearfish and the Big Horns, but it would be a real mess if I broke down out on some National Forest road.
I am half way to Billings, having purchased a Montana fishing license, and I have already taken a long bike ride while doing my laundry. I hope to fish a bit and play golf, but who knows.