Day 17 & 18 - Boondocking Audible Call

Boondocking Audible Call

Had a great time at Devils Tower and Deadwood, off to boondock for two nights as we make our way to Glacier National Park. On the way to our Harvest Host, Canyon Creek Brewery, Billings, MT, we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument which emphasizes a clash of cultures. It memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. On two hot June days in 1876, more than 260 soldiers and attached personnel of the US Army met defeat and death at the hands of the several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors, led by Sitting Bull of the Lakota’s. The most famous death was Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and every member of his immediate command. Although the Indians won the battle, they subsequently lost the war against the military’s efforts to end their independent, nomadic way of life. Today the valley has small white markers throughout where the soldiers died. The visitor center is well done and over the years has been adopted to include more about the Indians, their struggles and the battle.

We arrived Canyon Creek Brewery in Billings to blistering hot temperatures, we were able to park the rig where the sun hit the back end and allowed the generator and ACs to cool the living quarters. After a quick run to resupply libations, we went to dinner at a spot suggested by Whitney and John, The Burger Dive, winner multiple years as the best burgers in America. The place lived up to its name, black and white tiles on the floor that looked like it had been there for decades, memorabilia from the past and champion winner certificates decorate the establishment. Great burgers, John tried the latest winner, “I’m Your Huckleberry” covered in Huckleberry Hatch chili BBQ sauce, beacon, goat cheese, arugula and roasted red pepper mayo. I had the “Garlic” burger, roasted garlic, garlic basil mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. Yummy, delicious burgers with great fries and onion rings. Highly recommend if you are ever in Billings, MT!! Whitney, John and I checked out the brewery after dinner, fun spot that was crowded with locals. Good beer and nice spiced seltzers.

After a hot night in the rig, Pat called an audible and strongly suggested we find a campground where we could plug in and run all three ACs and skip the next boondocking spot. Yes, I

listened and booked us into a local KOA campground in Great Falls, MT. Remember that proverb about closing a door opens a window, happened again. With the change, we were able to have a great birthday dinner for Whitney and enjoy local entertainment, The Rivertown Rounders, playing country music from before I was born. This couple has played every summer night at the KOA for 34 years. We had a lot of fun singing along to old country as well as new favorites. After a pleasant sleep with AC’s running full tilt, we headed off to Glacier National Park, but first, stopped at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, MT. They had a wonderful film that outlined the 2-year exploration (1804 – 1806), President Jefferson charged them with expanding the west after the Louisiana Purchase and finding the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean. After traveling as far as they could go up the Missouri river, they camped with the Indians for the winter and proceeded west only to determined there was no water way to the Pacific Northwest. It was interesting that two women played a significate role in their success, Sacagawea, wife of Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau who was hired as in interpreter, joined the expedition with her newborn son, Jean Baptiste, and acted as an interrupter with the Indians. Upon encountering white men, a Shoshone medicine woman, told the leaders to not harm the white men, as white men had helped her in the past. It turned out that the leader of the Shoshone was led by Sacagawea’s brother Cameahwait. The reunion of sister and brother had a positive effect on Lewis and Clark’s negotiations for the horses and guide that enabled them to cross the Rocky Mountains. The Center is interesting in that it runs parallel tracks as you wind through the exhibit, one side of the isle tells the white man’s story, the other side the Indian story. A good book that summarizes thier adventure is "Undaunted Courage." We enjoyed listening to it during our travels.
Stats: 514 miles, gas, 89 gal
Weather: sunny, days high 90’s, night low 70’s.
Photos: Little Bighorn memorial, replica canoe Lewis &Clark portaged 18 miles around Great Falls, singers and Whitney's birthday cake.