June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30-July 2
Friday, June 30
We took it slow this morning. We didn't have far to go today. Breakfast was at the hotel, then we packed up and headed out.
We arrived in Billings, MT, just after noon. Kelly joined us for lunch at the Pita Pitt. Yum!
Then we walked back to the Yellowstone Art Museum, where she works, for a short tour.
We left after a while to check into our hotel.
After she got home from work, we drove over to Kelly's to play with kitties for a while, then had dinner at the Last Chance Pub, which is a cider brewery. I had a white cheddar/apple sandwich with nutella! Yummy.
Then we drove back to her place for a while before returning to the hotel for the night.
Saturday, July 1
After breakfast at the hotel, we drove over to Kelly's and packed a picnic lunch to take with us today.
We drove down to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, where we spent a good portion of the day.
After wandering around the museum for a while, we walked up the hill to the monument site itself, walking around that area for a while.
At the top of Last Stand Hill is a fenced area containing markers. These indicate where bodies were found after the final battle. The bodies themselves have been relocated and buried under the large obelisk nearby. The white markers indicate fallen military. The one with a black shield on it is where George Custer was found. Red markers throughout the monument indicate fallen Indians. There's even a marker in memory of the fallen horses!
The photo on the left above shows the view across the top of the memorial field looking back towards the Visitor's Center and the military cemetery. The second photo shows the obelisk commemorating the fallen soldiers. The bodies are buried beneath this marker (except for George Custer). The third photo shows the gates to the memorial field. The photo on the right shows the marker commemorating the horses that died here.
Also, in this area near the top of the hill, is a monument to the natives. The photo on the left shows a sculpture in this area.
The photo on the right shows some of the native grasses growing near the top of a rock wall that's part of the Indian monument.
Then back to where we had parked the car for our picnic lunch at the edge of the cemetery. The cemetery was also pretty interesting!
The photo on the left shows one view of the Veterans' Cemetery. At one time, it was available to any US veteran. However, it's now full.
More views of the Veterans' Cemetery.
After lunch, we drove on the driving tour of the rest of the grounds, where there were stops for several of the important encounters of the battle.
Then we drove back to Billings.
After cleaning up, we went out to eat at Juliano's. What a nice place! I don't usually eat outdoors while in the States, but this yard was well worth it. And the bugs were kept to a minimum!!!
Sunday July 2
After breakfast, we packed up and drove home. Most of the drive was routine and uneventful, however, just before the Wyoming-Montana border, we just missed hitting a deer.