May 8, 2014
We departed Sheridan about 10:00 –
another gray day but the snow had stopped and there was no wind or
rain. We were a little lazy and then cooked up a nice breakfast
before leaving. Within a few miles we could start to see the sun on
the snow covered Bighorn Mountains.
Soon there were patches of blue sky and shadows! Nice! We are tired of rain and cold! Things just improved from there and most of the day was sunny and warm – high temp 64. Really nice! We crossed into Montana – another state for Fred and Scout.
We were here last for our Yellowstone trip and like this trip – really not seeing a lot of the touristy things in the state. One of us was able to break out of his destination-focused travel mindset (temporarily) and we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield NationalMonument. (For a former Cavalry officer it is almost a requirement.) We got our National Park Passport stamped and entrance was free with our Geezer Pass. Saved us $20.00 – got to love that! The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located just off I-90 on the Crow Indian Reservation. This is the location of Custer's Last Stand – and his death - in the battle against the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho who refused to be restricted to their reservation, preferring their traditional nomadic way of life. The US Cavalry was defeated soundly, with 247 men lost, including Custer and his brother. There were 60-100 Lakota and Cheyenne casualties. The Lakota and Cheyenne won the battle but lost the war. There is also a National Cemetery located here where fallen soldiers continue to be buried.
After this sobering/somber experience we continued on
our way to Great Falls. Shortly after leaving Billings we got
our first view of the beautiful snow covered Rocky Mountains. The
Rockies are always so impressive. Later we passed an Invenenergy
wind farm – BIG blades on those wind machines – and really neat
looking with the snow covered Big Snowy Mountains in the background.
North of Hobson, MT we passed a very strange roadside “sculpture”
.
Today we saw mule deer, prong horn, magpie, and since it is spring, many baby lambs and calves. Montana is called the “big sky state” and we experienced that today. We would top hills and it seemed you could see forever.
There were many farming operations – huge, and cattle ranches – mostly Black Angus. This is really beautiful country! Tonight we are in Great Falls – need to do some re-supply tomorrow and then will probably cross into Canada Saturday.
Soon there were patches of blue sky and shadows! Nice! We are tired of rain and cold! Things just improved from there and most of the day was sunny and warm – high temp 64. Really nice! We crossed into Montana – another state for Fred and Scout.
We were here last for our Yellowstone trip and like this trip – really not seeing a lot of the touristy things in the state. One of us was able to break out of his destination-focused travel mindset (temporarily) and we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield NationalMonument. (For a former Cavalry officer it is almost a requirement.) We got our National Park Passport stamped and entrance was free with our Geezer Pass. Saved us $20.00 – got to love that! The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located just off I-90 on the Crow Indian Reservation. This is the location of Custer's Last Stand – and his death - in the battle against the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho who refused to be restricted to their reservation, preferring their traditional nomadic way of life. The US Cavalry was defeated soundly, with 247 men lost, including Custer and his brother. There were 60-100 Lakota and Cheyenne casualties. The Lakota and Cheyenne won the battle but lost the war. There is also a National Cemetery located here where fallen soldiers continue to be buried.
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| Visitor Center and National Cemetery |
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| Click to enlarge |
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| ??? |
Today we saw mule deer, prong horn, magpie, and since it is spring, many baby lambs and calves. Montana is called the “big sky state” and we experienced that today. We would top hills and it seemed you could see forever.
There were many farming operations – huge, and cattle ranches – mostly Black Angus. This is really beautiful country! Tonight we are in Great Falls – need to do some re-supply tomorrow and then will probably cross into Canada Saturday.
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