I now know why Montana is called Big Sky country – the sky really is bigger here and the landscapes seem to stretch forever. Yes, we are still traveling – despite Burl’s swollen foot and the fact that we’re not on a schedule, he refused to take a day off and said we’d just have a “short day” which resulted in over 400 miles! Go figure!
We were quickly out of South Dakota and spent a few hours in Wyoming where we enjoyed a picnic lunch of leftovers from last night and then while Burl napped on a blow-up twin bed, I took a hike.
Soon we were in Montana and saw our first glimpse of snow. 
The terrain in Wyoming had included lots of evergreen forests but the view gave way to vast open spaces and a more rolling landscape.
We only had one stop planned and that was at the Little Bighorn National Park. We arrived at an opportune time to hear a ranger talk and then saw a movie about the battle before touring the museum and doing a driving tour of the battlefield where the calvarymen, Indians and horses are buried. The officers, including Custer, are buried at West Point or Arlington.
This was a major battle in the Sioux War in the 1870′s and resulted in being Custer’s Last Stand as Lt. Col. George M. Custer lost his life in the battle with the Sioux who were lead by Sitting Bull. It was clearly a case of winning the battle and losing the war for the Sioux since they eventually lost their lands.
- Quote on the Little Big Horn National Park Visitor Center
I liked this quote on the side of the Visitor Center – it reminded me of Rotary International and all our organization does to promote international peace.
I have decided that the Indians may have had the last laugh after all since we have seen countless casinos in this area and I figure they are extracting their revenge on the white man by getting rich off of gamblers!
We ended our day in Columbus, MT which is a small town on I-90 which has an excellent local Chinese restaurant. In honor of missing the annual Southeast Rotary Shrimp Feed, I had the shrimp lo mein - trust me, it wasn’t as good as the prawns, garlic toast, beer and fellowship I missed with my fellow Rotarians.
Burl is now icing down his foot again and I’ve secured reservations for the next two nights. We’ll be traveling to Glacier National Park and since we’re going into a weekend in a remote area, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Tomorrow night we’ll be in Kalispell on the west side of the park and on Saturday we’ll stay in Cut Bank on the east. Looks like we head to Canada on Sunday.
I did finish another book today – “Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral” by Kris Radish. I bought the book at a used book store a few months ago choosing it as much for the cover art as for the synopsis on the back cover. I loved the whole premise of the story – Annie Freeman has died in her 50′s of ovarian cancer so before she died, she sets in motion all the reservations and plans for 5 of her chick friends to spread her ashes in different locations around the US – all places that are revealed to have had special meaning to Annie in her lifetime.
I discovered in the early chapters that I really didn’t care for the author’s use of metaphors. For instance, in one passage she wrote, “the smell of coffee reminded me of a fishing lure.” Huh? Not any coffee I’d want to drink! So I ended up skipping long paragraphs that bored me and stuck pretty much to the dialogue. I’m leaving this book in the hotel room for someone else to read.
The book did make me think of my own funeral and I’ll admit I’ve given some thought to dying – not in a morbid way but thinking that while I’d like people to have good memories of me, I have to give them reason to think those thoughts. But remembering the wake friends had for my sister the night before her funeral, I’d like my family and friends to have a great party – margaritas, tequila shots (Hi Theresa!), Mexican food, lots of laughs – and of course everyone should have only great things to say about me or I may come back to haunt them.
My friend Leslie has already one-upped all my college friends with her service in 1998 when she had her husband Bob take several of us to Monterrey Bay to spread her ashes in the ocean. Hard to top that idea but had you known Leslie, you’d know she’s a hard act to follow.
Oh well, no more funeral thoughts tonight – time to relax at the hotel and read before I crash.
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Looks like you are having an awesome time, and the scenery is gorgeous!
Yes, Kris Radish has some neat stories about women and relationships, but I have to be in the right frame of mind for her books. Have you read the one about the women who just leave their homes and start walking? I can’t remember the name, but it was a neat book. Haven’t read the one you just finished, will have to check it out from the library. Safe travels!