June 3 - From North Dakota to Montana

From North Dakota to Montana – June 3, 2011

We woke to cooler weather with stiff winds but still plenty of sunshine.  We headed west on I-94 and stopped to do a quick look at Theodore Roosevelt National Park which is sometimes referred to as the Badlands of North Dakota.  We told Rachel and Deana good-bye as we were continuing on to Montana and they were spending the day in both North and South sections of this park.  They return to South Dakota tomorrow and Denver Wednesday to fly home to North Carolina.  It was good fun to be with them for a short part of our trip.

Rita and I continued west on I-94 which soon took us into Montana.  We battled a strong headwind and our gas mileage showed it.  We stopped for lunch in Miles City before continuing on I-94 west to exit 49 where we took Montana highway 47 south to I-90.  Soon we were at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument on the Crow Indian Reservation.  When I was growing up it was called Custer Battlefield but was changed in 1991.  This area had recent flooding problems when the Bighorn River overflowed its banks.  Our morning drive on I-94 followed the Yellowstone River which was nearly over its banks too.

We toured the battlefield on foot and by car.  We saw the hill where Custer and his troops made their last stand.  A white headstone was placed where each US trooper, civilian, or scout were killed.  A granite headstone was placed where Indian warriors had fallen.  There are a lot of white headstones scattered around and few granite ones.  We saw the one with Custer’s name on it.  His body was dug up and buried at West Point shortly after the battle.

The day ended when we drove to Billings, Montana, and checked into our hotel for the night.  Now for a short walk to dinner and, hopefully, a good night’s sleep.