Little Bighorn & A Moose!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013
From now on, I'm going to start each blog with the date of the events I'm writing about.  When I write and post the next day, it automatically posts that date and I'm getting all confused.  Happens easily these days with no calendar or watch!
Anyway.....Little Bighorn Battlefield and Custer's Last Stand was an experience that will stay with us for a long time. We ended up spending almost four hours there in the heat of another 95 degree day and that says something.  We got there just  a few minutes before a park ranger presentation.  The guy was a former history teacher who has studied this battle for the past 25 years.  He was such an excellent storyteller and being able to point to this ridge or that line of trees along the Little Bighorn River, made it so real. It was a very solemn and sad experience that moved me to tears more than once.  Rick wasn't surprised. After the park ranger spoke, there was a great film and then you could actually walk through the battlefield. There is a white stone marker placed where each soldier died and a red stone marker for each Native American.  There is still debate about how many Indians died that day because they take their dead with them rather than burying them where they fell. You can then drive through the park and see and learn about the larger perspective and strategy of the battle.  An excellent experience for anyone coming  this way.  Thanks to our friends, Dick & Jan for recommending.
We left there late afternoon and headed out for Red Lodge, MT.  It was still very hot and I was still spraying myself silly.  It was a 126-mile drive north and west through Billings and then south toward the Beartooth Mountains.  Once we turned south and went a ways, you could actually start to feel the temperature drop as we climbed into a higher elevation. It wasn't long before we stopped to put on jackets. Yay!
Now dusk was approaching and we were getting a little nervous about wildlife. Sure enough. Barely got the words out of my mouth and there were two deer in the road ahead. Saw several more in the fields.  Then we went by this line of trees and I thought I saw this huge steer right next to the road.  Then I saw moose antlers!!!  Was I seeing things?  Rick got my camera, turned us around and we went back.  After a couple of passes, we found him on the other side of the tree line.  He was huge and calmly eating dinner.  I got a few pictures but they are on my camera and I can't send them from my phone.  I'll definitely send them later. 
Hope you're still awake after this long post but I guess we had a lot to share.  :)
Happy trails.