DAY #11 - JUNE 20, 2021 - BILLINGS, MONTANA - GILLETTE, WYOMING - CUSTER'S LAST STAND AND A CHANGE IN PLANS - 255 - MILES (3,425)

(GILLITTE, WYOMING) Day 11 of this adventure started in Billing’s Montana, and it came with a big change of plans. I had originally planned to continue west toward Bozeman and Butte, but this being the height of the summer travel season Hotel were at a premium. Both Glacier and Yellowstone are relatively close and that with the overwhelming number of people traveling to them this year most of the hotels are sold out for several weeks to come. The hotels that have rooms available either require a multi-night stay or jack the rates up so high that I could not justify the expense. One Holiday Inn I checked listed their base rate at $456 per night. A Comfort Inn was almost as bad at $312 per night. So instead of continuing west, I have decided to head south and then eventually back east. For the next couple of day, I will be playing it by ear, but I am not ready to end this adventure, just going to change course. I checked out of the Hotel a little after 7 a.m. this morning and headed southeast on Interstate 90. I stopped for Coffee and gas in the small town of Hardin, Montana and while I was pumping gas a deputy sheriff pulled in beside me and we got to talking. During the conversation I mentioned that I thought a friend and former co-worker lived here in Hardin Many years ago. Come to find out the deputy knew my old friend Harold “Bud” English. Bud retired from Virginia and Moved to Montana and took a job dispatching for the Local Sheriff’s office a few days a week. We spent the next 30-minutes sharing stories of out Mutual Friendship with Bud. Bud later moved away from Hardin and Passed away a few years back. Taking to this deputy brought back many fond memories of my time in First Division and old 311 or as Bud would say “Trey, Ace, Ace – Richmond.” Just another example of what a small world it really is. Ok enough of my reminiscing and rambling. After leaving Hardin, it was just a short drive down to the Little Big Horn Battlefield. The site of Custer’s Last Stand. This was a bucket list stop for me, so I spend most of the day driving around the battlefield. I didn’t want to miss anything, so while driving the battlefield I also took several hikes down into the coulee’s and to the sites where Custer, Benteen and Reno were confronted by more than 7,000 Indians that were camped here along the banks of the Little Big Horn. Custer and the 7th Cavalry left Fort Lincoln on May 17, 1876, and it took them a little more than 3-weeks to travel the more than 400 miles to the Little Big Horn. Once in the area his scouts reported back that they had seen signs of a large Indian Camp, but they didn’t know just how out numbered they were. About a week after arriving at the Little Big Horn the Indians attack and over the next two days (June 25-26, 1876) the entire 7th Cavalry was wiped out. It was the last victory that the Indians would experience. There are so many back stories here I have plenty of material for several Sunday Stories when I get back home. After spending all morning at the Battlefield, it was early afternoon when I departed and headed south toward my hotel, some 150-miles away. Along the way another one of those Brown Signs beckoned to me and off I went to the Explore Fort Phil Kearney and the Fetterman Massacre Sits. Fort Phil Kearney was built to aid and protect travelers along the Bozeman Trail. Captain William Fetterman was assigned to the fort when on a Bitter cold December day in 1866, he and his detachment encountered a group of Indians. During the ensuing fight Fetterman and all 81 of his men were killed. This resulted in what is known as Red Clouds War and over the next two years conflict between the Indian and travelers along the Bozeman Trail intensified. Finally, the treaty of Fort Laramie was agreed to and all the forts along the Bozeman were abandoned. Soon after Fort Kearney was abandoned the Cheyenne burned it and some to the other forts to the ground. The treaty held and the area was at peace for the Next 10-years. It was the Custer exposition to the Little Big Horn that broke the treaty and resulted in a renewed conflict between the army and Indian. The renewed fight would rage for the next 14 years, finally ending with the Massacre at Wounded Knee. But that is a story for another time. After leaving Fort Kearney it was an uneventful 80-mile drive to my hotel where I am plotting my next move. The adventure continues.

DAY #10 - JUNE 19, 2021 - DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA - BILLINGS, MONTANA - WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM & A BROWN SIGN - 364-MILES (3,170)

(BILLINGS, MONTANA) Today’s adventure started in Dickinson, North Dakota where I spent the Night. From My hotel it was just a short 30-miles drive to the small town of Medora, North Dakota, and the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I visited the North Unit yesterday with only a few other visitors. There was plenty of room in all the North Units parking area and I could explore at my own pace. That was not the case at the south unit. I arrived at the entrance station right at 8 a.m. and there was already a long line to get in. It took about 30-minutes for me to make my way through and enter the park. Once in I skipped the Visitors center and began the driving the scenic loop. Once in, I found the beauty of the Badlands along the Little Missouri River to be just as amazing as the North Unit. I enjoyed wonderful views at the first few pull outs, but the deeper into the drive the parking areas and pull outs were full. Several times during the drive I encountered a Bison Jam, where herds of Buffalo were grazing in the fields right near the road. People, including me would stop to take photos before moving on. The Buffalo here roam wild and according to a park ranger, these buffalo were introduced into the park in 1956 when 29 animals were relocated here from Nebraska. The herd has grown until it was capped at 400 in the south unit and an additional 300 in the north unit. Once the herd exceed the cap which is designed to ensure the health of the herd as well as the landscape, the excess animals are relocated to other park and private habitats. The ranger wenT on to say that the Buffalo was once almost extinct, but today there are over 500,000 roaming the range in both public and private settings. Buffalo are notorious for having poor eyesight but have keen sense of smell and hearing this was evident when a couple of kid got too close to one to the big shaggy’s and you could tell when he heard them, he started shaking his head and charged a few steps at them. I cut them a wide path because I remember what Pea Eye told Gus in Lonesome Dove, “Those big shaggy’s will hook ya.” The Theodore Roosevelt National Park was supposed to be my only “planned” stop of the day as I had about 300 miles to travel to get to my Hotel in Montana. So, most of my afternoon was spent driving and I was making good time until I saw one of those Brown Signs and away I went on another Brown Sign Adventure to Pompey’s Pillar National Monument. Located just about 20-mile northeast of Billings, Montana, Pompey’s Pillar is a huge sandstone rock that sits on the Banks of the Yellowstone River. For centuries it has served as an observation point for Native Americans who have carved thousand of petroglyphs into its face. On their return trip from the Pacific Ocean, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark split their exposition near present day Missoula Montana. Lewis followed the Missouri River to the north in hopes of contacting the Blackfoot Tribe while Clark took his group east to map the area along the Yellowstone River and to attempt to contact the Crow. On July 25, 1806, Clark wrote in his journal that he arrived at a “remarkable rock situated 250 paces from the river and from the top had a most extensive view in every direction. This rock which I shall call Pompey’s Tower after Jean Baptiste “Pomp” Charbonneau.” Charbonneau was one of Clarks most trusted guides. While camped here on the banks of the Yellowstone River, William Clark carved his name and date into the face of the huge rock. Today, Clark’s carving is visible behind a protective glass plate. My little Brown Sign Adventure to Pompey’s Pillar was well work the side trip even though it made me considerably late getting to my hotel. But it was another good day on the road.

DAY #9 - BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA - DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA - ENCHANTED HIGHWAY & TEDDY'S NORTH UNIT - 391-MILES (2,806)

(DICKINSON, NORTH DAKOTA) This marks Day #9 of this adventure and it started out with a little hiccup. I Spent the night in Bismarck, North Dakota and when I was trying to leave the Hotel this morning, I couldn’t get the doors to unlock using the key fob and had to use the hidden key. Then when I attempt to push the button to start the car it wouldn’t start and there was a message on the display to hold the fob near the start button. Still no luck. So, I called the Honda Dealer in Bismarck and talked with a guy in the service department. He immediately told me that the battery in the fob was week and ask me where I was. I gave him the name of my hotel and without hesitation he said he would be at the hotel in 15-minutes. Fifteen Minutes later he pulls in wand quickly replaces the battery in the fob. When I ask him how much I owed him he said nothing. I insisted on paying him for his time and he refused, telling me to enjoy the rest of my trip. Thanks to Darren(?) at Bismarck Honda for saving the day. This little hiccup cost me about an Hours but a few miles west of Bismarck I entered the Mountain Time Zone and gained my hour back. This day was about one particular stop and what a stop it was. Today, I visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Now this National Park is unique in the fact that it is split into two units that are about 65-miles apart. So, I opted to visit the north unit which is the more remote of the two units. It reminds me a little of Big Bend National Park in that you really must make an effort to get there. I am certainly glad that I made the effort. I didn’t not know what I expected, but I was blown away by the contrast in the different areas of this North Unit. I didn’t know that North Dakota had its version of the “Badlands”, but they do and a large part of it is protected by the National Park. In addition to the “Badlands” and the Little Missouri River there are grasslands where herds of buffalo roam free. The driving tour is a 14-mile out and back drive (total of 28-miles) and along the way I took a few of the shorter hikes. The longest I took was a 2-mile loop. It was a nice day to hike, temps were on in the mid-70’s, low humidity but strong winds all the way. The wind is always blowing on the plains. It was amazing and in no way do the photos capture the beauty of the area. I am looking forward to visiting the South Unit tomorrow. It took me a little over an hour to make it back to Interstate 94 and I still had a lot of day light left so I decided to make the 32-mile drive down the Enchanted Highway from I-94 to the small town of Regent, North Dakota. Along the 32-mile drive there are a series of gigantic metal sculptures that were created in 1989 by a local artist named Gary Greff. As I drove south on the Enchanted Highway, the sculptures were space about 5-miles apart. Each sculpture was so unique and different from the other. I am no art critic, but they were super cool and a little quirky. The drive down the Enchanted Highway was a great way to bring this day to an end. Tomorrow, I will probably say goodbye to North Dakota and enter the land of the Big Sky. The adventure Continues.

DAY #8 - FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA - BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA - A BIG BUFFALO AND FORT ABRAHAM LINCOLN - 229 -MILES ( 2,415)

(BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA) Well, Day #8 of this Adventure begins my second week of travel. I am well over 2,000 miles traveled and quickly working my way toward 3,000 which should come sometime this weekend. I spent the Night in Fargo, North Dakota and got a late start as I didn’t check out of the hotel until a little past 9:30 a.m. But this was by design. There was one more thing I wanted to see in Fargo before heading west and it didn’t open until 10 a.m. So, right at 10 a.m. I walked into the West Acres Mall and quickly found the Roger Maris Museum. The word museum may be stretching it a little as it is only a large glass display case that stretches about 70 or 80 feet inside the mall. But the display is packed full of artifacts from the career of the Yankee great, including Jerseys from the teams he played for, several homerun baseball and bats from that historic 1961 season and hundreds of photos from the life of Fargo’s favorite son. I’m glad I waited around; it was so worth it. Now it was time to put Fargo in my rearview mirror and head due west on Intestate 94. About 100-miles later near Jamestown, North Dakota, I spied a huge Buffalo of to the north. While it wasn’t a brown sign, I was still curious, so I took the next exit and found my way to the National Buffalo Museum and frontier village. The museum detail the many uses Native Americans and the Mountain Men had for the Buffalo. There were once millions of buffalos roaming in the west but over time the buffalo were hunted for sport and today there are less than 500,000. The Giant Buffalo that I saw from the Interstate bills itself as “The Largest Buffalo in the World. It stands more than 25-feet tall and weighs almost 60-ton. In 2010, the City of Jamestown named its second most famous resident, Dakota Thunder. Who is Jamestown’s most famous resident, you ask? Well, Jamestown is the Birthplace of noted author, Louis L’Amour. He lived here in Jamestown until he was 15. Then he moved west to California with his parents and there he developed his interest in writing and the rest is history. Back on the road I continued my westward trek across North Dakota arriving in Mandan in the early afternoon. I headed down to the banks of the Missouri River to the site where Fort Abraham Lincoln once stood. In 1873 the 7th U.S. Cavalry moved into the fort to ensure the safety of those working on the Northern Pacific Railroad. The first post commander was Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. Although he preferred the title of General, a rank he obtained during the Civil War, his actual rank while stationed here a Fort Lincoln was Lieutenant Colonel. Fort Lincoln would be his last assignment. In 1876 he departed the fort to roundup the Native Americans so they could be relocated onto reservations. He confronted the Native Americans at the Little Big Horn in Montana. Colonel Custer and more than 200 soldiers under Custer’s direct command were Killed. Fort Abraham Lincoln was eventually abandoned in 1891 and over the years residents and travelers destroyed its building, using the wood, nails and even the shingles to build their own structures. Many of the buildings including the Barracks, Stables and the Custer House have been rebuilt on their original foundation. I spent most of the afternoon at Fort Lincoln before heading back to Bismarck and a quick stop at the North Dakota Capitol I had wanted to take the elevator ride up to the observation deck, but it was closed this afternoon for a special event. So, I settled for walking around the grounds before heading over to my hotel. Tomorrow the adventure continues, stay tuned, same time, same station.