BIG HORN, BEARTOOTH, BOZEMAN & BEUNING

INDIANS WON THE BATTLE BUT LOST THE WAR - Sept. 6 & 7
Howdy!  I really need to get some cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat.  We're in the Wild West and spending 2 nights in Hardin, MT which is about 60 miles east of Billings and 15 miles west of The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  We visited this site early Saturday.  This National Monument is a memorial to the soldiers who died during Custer's Last Stand, as well as a memorial to honor the ancestors of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes who fought in this battle to protect their families, land, and way of life.

Metal sculpture at the Indian Memorial.

White headstones representing where U. S. Army soldiers fell at Last Stand Hill (George Custer among this group).
 Over 200 white headstones are scattered over the battlefield.

 

Red headstones represent where Indians fell.  About 60 red headstones are scattered around the battlefield.

 RED LODGE & ROCK CREEK - Sept. 8 & 9
We continued to mosey our way through southwest Montana and came to the charming western town of Red Lodge.  Our campsite on the north side of the Beartooth Mountains is on the bank of Rock Creek where the water is crystal clear and the sound of it rushing over the rocks makes this the prettiest campsite we've stayed at so far. 

Our back yard.

BEARTOOTH PASS
The northeast entrance to Yellowstone national Park is 60-some miles on the other side of the Beartooth Mountains. The road over Beartooth Pass winds up and over and through the rugged mountains with 20 mph hairpin curves, switchbacks, and spectacular views of the mountains and valleys.  The summit of Beartooth Pass is over 11,000 feet.

Beartooth Mountains

YELLOWSTONE

We entered Yellowstone National Park at the northeast entrance and gawked at the beautiful scenery and wildlife along the way to Mammoth Springs.

Great American Bison - right next to the car.

Mammoth Springs

Nature's sculpture constantly changing.



Driving back up Beartooth Pass, the Jeep started to sound an alarm.  I said "What's that?"  Jim checked the gages and said "the engine is overheating".  I won't repeat what I said.  We pulled off the road; steam was pouring out from under the car hood and the coolant was boiling over.  We let it cool down and started along our way.  It wasn't long before the engine started to over heat again.  We pulled into a picnic area by a beautiful mountain lake, got some water out of the lake and added it to the coolant thing.  We were able to get back home with no further problems.

That's hot, and so is he.

BOZEMAN, BILLION, & BEUNING - Sept. 10 & 11
We took winding scenic State Highway 78 past ranches and through tiny towns on the way to Bozeman.  As soon as we got set up at our campsite at the Bear Canyon Campground, we called the Jeep dealership in Bozeman and got an appointment to get the Jeep fixed the next morning.  The dealership name is Billion Dodge Chrysler and apparently the Billion's own most of the town.  Good name!

Jim called Craig Beuning, who moved here from New Richmond about 18 years ago.  We met up with Craig at his place of business, Full Circle Race Track, where dare devil speeders race around the indoor track in high tech go carts.

Look who we saw in Bozeman. 

In the evening, we met Craig for cold beer and a great dinner at The Plonk on historic Main Street.  We had a fun night sharing stories of the Nederfors family, as well as world travel adventures. Thanks, Craig!  (Anders, here's a message from Craig, "Call Me!")

SEPTEMBER 11
This morning I took the Jeep for it's repair appointment.  While driving down Bozeman's Historic Main Street, there were fire trucks and police cars parked on the street with lights flashing and several American Legion members standing along the street holding flags in remembrance of 9/11.  All American flags in the city were flying at half mast.   



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