7-28, Little Bighorn Battlefield

One of our planned excursions for this trip was to see the Little Bighorn Battlefield in eastern Montana.  As with many sights on the I-25/I-90 corridors between Colorado and Montana, we'd passed the sign for this a hundred times (and just kept on driving).  This time we made the planned stop and stayed a few nights in a nearby RV park.  (What a treat it was to stay in an RV park-- did I really just say that?! I loved the ability to bathe, Nik loved the wifi, Em loved the playground and Sven loved the huckleberry ice cream sandwiches they handed out at check-in.  As I've said before, sometimes it's just life's little things that really do matter!)  Sven and I were pleasantly surprised that the battlefield was such a hit with the kids.  Nik seemed to soak in the historical significance of what took place here and Emalie really tried to understand ("Was Custer the bad guy?!  Were the Indians the bad guys?!").  We watched the movie at the museum, we listened to the curator speak at the welcome center, we drove the roads of the battlefield hearing audio accounts of the stories, we hiked up to the monument and envisioned the terrifying moments of Custer and his men as we looked out over their fallen markers.  We wondered what life would have been like during these times so long ago.  Revisiting this history made me think of all the things we did and saw when we lived near DC.    It may not have been the 'most fun' thing to do, but I think it was a time in history worth seeing and honoring.  

This is where Custer and his men died.  The stone with the black is where Custer fell. 

Memorials and cemeteries can be hard to explain to little (or not so little) ones.

"Over 220 soldiers, scouts and civilians" are buried in this mass grave.

"The white marble headstones scattered over the battlefield denote where the slain troopers were found and originally buried."

The national cemetery at the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

We splurged for the $20 Junior Ranger vest but not the $60 cavalry hat!
($60?!?!)

Sitting Bull and Custer, Nik and Em.

7-27, Stormy Sky

Each and every trip as we approach Montana, I always look to the sky.  Is it REALLY bigger?  Somehow, my answer is always YES!  The clouds this day were not of the cheerful variety, but instead dark, ominous and moody.  It was fascinating to watch the changing sky as the storm made its way across our path.  

And at the end of the day, calm or not, I'd still say this holds true: