Montana...my summer home

 I've been away from my blog for awhile but wanted to post an update.

The day before departing for Montana I was invited to an "alumni" gathering at Young Life where I worked many years ago.  It was fun to see some of the old gang.  I hadn't stepped foot in this building in 17 years.  Most of the staff works from home now so the place was eerily quiet.

The next morning I had an early morning doctor's appointment and then it was time to load up the cats and head north.

We had a short first day of travel.  We stopped at Guernsey State Park in Wyoming.  The campground was almost deserted which was nice.  It was on a big lake that had nice beaches.  I bet it's wonderful in the summer when you can swim and kayak.

When you travel with Ellen you have to learn to stop and smell the roses.  I saw a historic marker for the Oregon Trail so we stopped to take a look.  I read the historical information while Irv found a geocache.  Half a million pioneers traveled on the Oregon Trail to Oregon, California, and the Salt Lake Valley.  I admire my pioneering ancestors.  I wouldn't have survived.

We took a different route to Montana this time to avoid an avalanche area on the east side of Yellowstone.  Little did I know that we would be passing the Little Big Horn National Monument.  It was raining buckets so we pulled over to wait out the storm and then did a little exploring.  It's hard to do too much exploring when you're dragging a 35' monster behind the truck.

Little did I know that Little Big Horn is home to the Custer National Cemetery.

There is a big monument to the 7th Calvary.  The remains of 230 soldiers killed during the battle are buried beneath the monument.

Throughout the park there are markers where each soldier's bodies were found.  The one in black is General Custer.

I have to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this monument.  This battle occurred because the U.S. government reneged on it's 1868 treaty which gave the Black Hills of South Dakota to the Lakota and Cheyenne. When gold was found in the Black Hills guess what happened...the U.S. wanted that land back and ordered the natives back to their reservations or be considered "hostiles".  The growing tensions resulted in a battle in which Custer and his troops were overwhelmed by the native warriors.  Our country has a lot to be ashamed of including the treatment of native people.

Our second night on the road was spent at a beautiful campground in Big Timber, Montana.  The water was high and running fast.  Too cold for a campfire.

The next morning we dealt with high winds going over one of the mountain passes on I-90.  At one point we were averaging 4 MPG and had to stop for gas just to make it to Bozeman. 

We saw very little snow along the way, but as we started getting closer and closer to West Yellowstone the landscape changed.  Irv did a great job of getting my trailer backed into its spot.  Normally this is a pull through site, but not this year.

The snow has been melting very quickly.  Now I can even see my picnic table.  I still haven't set up my outdoor patio area or gotten the lawn chairs out.  I need it to be a little warmer before that happens.  It still gets down below freezing at night.

We started our 10 hour shifts this week which means we work four days and get three days off.  That's the only way they can entice people to come work at the gate.  Yesterday was the first of my three days off so I had a lazy day and worked on my bison's fur for a few hours.  This is not a Yellowstone bison, this is an Oklahoma bison.  My brother took the photo and graciously allowed me to use it for yet another bison painting.

Irv was able to stay for a few days and then flew home.  Our horse sitter sent us this beautiful picture of the boys.  Can't wait until Irv and Aspen come for their next visit!