Twenty Trip--Beartooth Part Two

September 4th, 2012

After the scenic overlook Dad pulled over at our prompting just so we could "take a few pictures." Which we did. But what good are pictures of a hill from the bottom? Wouldn't they be much more interesting from, say, the top?

We weren't going to go all the way to the top, really we weren't. The top is a long ways up, and we didn't have time to go all the way up there. heh heh...

I really only meant to go a few yards up, just so I could point at a spot and say "This is The Highest altitude I have EVER been at."

That's what I wanted to do.

And yet, every time I started to do that, I thought "I could take just one more step and be even higher..."

We kinda sorta went all the way to the top. =)

That, if you can read it, was our exact location. 

If you look closely, you can see our car waaaaay down there. We were on top of the world!

And just to show we had been there, we stacked rocks. 'Cause that's what you're supposed to do when you go somewhere with rocks--you stack 'em. And if/when I go back there, I'll hike up and see if the rocks are still stacked! If they aren't, I'll ceremoniously re-stack them.

See, there is where we started,

and there is where we ended up!

Quite a hike in the mountains--it took a while to catch your breath after--but gorgeous.

Can't wait to go back.

~Kiwi~

Twenty Trip--Beartooth Mountains

September 4th, 2012

Have you any idea how hard it is to narrow all these pictures down into an acceptable blog-post-length? Especially when almost every snapshot has a story behind it?

I did try, though. At least give me credit for that.

We exited Red Lodge and took off down the Beartooth Senic Byway, which zigzags up the side of the mountains, circles around the top, then heads back down the other side. This was my first expedition into any real mountains (after this, Tennessee doesn't count anymore), so I was enamored with it all. 

In fact, Mom had to scold me several times because I wasn't holding still long enough to take a picture! I guess when one has driven for 3.5 days straight and consumed an unhealthy portion of the bag of peanut M&Ms, combined with awesome new surroundings, one can't help but MOVE!

Almost at the top, there was a rest/scenic pull-off that we stopped at.

As evidenced by this picture, I was dreadfully bored through the whole thing. Terribly dull.

I mean, it's not like the views were great or anything! What was there to be excited about?

(Other than being Queen of the Mountain, of course. That is always exciting.)

~Kiwi

Twenty Trip--Red Lodge, Montana

September 4, 2012

East of Joliet, there are miles and miles of open highway. 

We drove quite a ways with no sight of anyone else. The land was empty and lonely, and I'm not so sure I'd like to live out there, but it wasn't so bad to drive through. 

Southwest of Joliet is Red Lodge. A pretty town on the edge of the Beartooth Mountains, we explored all up and down the historic main street. 

Mom spent the whole trip obsessed with seeing a Moose. This was the first Moose we found, although I'm not sure it's the type she was thinking of?

Our meal at the Red Lodge Cafe consisted of enormous hamburgers! 

This bank was the site of an attempted robbery by the Sundance Kid, as the plaque explains.

~Kiwi

Twenty Trip: Joliet, Montana

While at the Little Bighorn Battlefield, we started a conversation with an older gentleman who was visiting with his son. He had a radio voice and quite a few stories to tell. It came out, during the course of conversation, that he is from Joliet, Montana. (For those of you in the Illinois area, it's pronounced "Jolly-ett," rather than our "Joel-iette.")

The next morning we happened to pass straight through Joliet, which happens to be the home town of sculpter Charles Ringer.

What could we do but stop and take pictures? I mean, it's MATER!!

And then there's Creepy Dude, officially titled "Creature."

Do you know how hard it is to imitate Creepy Dude when your mother is laughing at you? Or when you would rather the people driving past did NOT see you making a Creepy Dude face?

~Creepy Kiwi Dudette

Custer's Last Stand--or "The Deathplace of the Guy I Became Really Angry At"

Monday, September 3rd, 2012

After overnighting in Belle Fourche, MT, we got an early start Monday morning.

Our main stop for the day was the Little Bighorn battlefield. We were there for about 4 hours, walking around the actual battlefield, the information center, and the military cemetery they have there. 

When the aftermath was found, each place a soldier had died was marked. Sadly, many of the names were unknown or simply not noted, so most of the markers just have "U.S. Soldier, 7th Cavalry fell here" carved into them. 

The officers' stones, however, all have names. 

We noticed how most of the markers were grouped in twos, sometimes threes, and only rarely was there one all by itself. It was sad to see how nobody wanted to die alone--or be the only escapee.

This was at the far end of the memorial grounds. Long story abbreviated, Custer split up his troops, which was a grave mistake. Custer's group was obliterated, and the other half didn't fare too well themselves. 

Reno's group was trapped on top of this hill. They sent 12 men down this ravine in the dead of night to bring water up from the river--only 4 of them made it back alive.

Oh, and Custer had two of his brothers and one brother-in-law in that battle with him.
What a horrid day for their family!

The Indians have their own monument there as well, and you have to admit, it's a bit cooler
than the block-o-marble for the U.S. Troops.

After spending the day there, I felt much more sympathetic towards the Indians, and rather irritated by Custer. To quote my dad, General Custer's slogan should have been "There they are! CHARGE!!"

Want a quick, horribly politically incorrect quote from the day?
Once out of the battlefield, we stopped at a gas station for drinks. Both of attendants and several of the customers were obviously Native American. Upon our return to the car...
"Thems a lotta Indians!"
"That's what Custer said."

~Kiwi

Those Bad, Bad Badlands

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

After stopping on the Missouri River for lunch, we continued on to Badlands National Park. It completely eclipsed the Missouri lunch. The formations were so different from anything I had ever seen! 

All the pictures I had seen of the Badlands were at the base of the mountains (hills?) looking up or across. I had never seen how you can look DOWN at these hills, or the portions of the canyon where there's a maze of eroding ridges. If one had time (and non-squeamish parents), one could follow those out for miles, winding back and forth and jumping cracks in the earth. 

Because of the angle of the sun, the shadows (or lack thereof) were confusing. Distance was tricky to determine as well. I would walk along, but things beside me didn't seem to move, or I'd be past them sooner than I expected. It's very hard to describe that sensation--let's just say that until I got used to it, I didn't walk close to the edges!

My mother was wonderful. She let me climb all over everything without scolding me too much.

It was lovely. I'm going back there someday!

~Kiwi~

A Sunday Afternoon by the Missouri

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

We lunched by the Missouri River in South Dakota, right about where Lewis & Clark camped for a night or two.

 This is the place where my jaw first dropped. And looking back at it now? This, though beautiful, was nothing compared with what was ahead!

 I braved rattlesnakes and whatever other unsavoury beasts could have been lurking, and went barefoot.

It was a lovely warm, windy, sunny day. We couldn't have bought better weather! It made the trees look really green, and the river and sky so very blue.

~Kiwi~