Big Skies!
Yesterday I landed in Billings, MT, picked up my ridiculously yellow rental car and headed out for some shooting before meeting up with Ira in Wyoming.
I remember going thru Billings when I was a kid - probably on our way down to Colorado for a family reunion in Estes Park, CO. Salient on that trip was my kid sister getting all excited and yelling “Hooray! Buffalo Billings” as we arrived. And its stuck with me. Whenever someone says “Billings” I hear “Buffalo Billings.”
I headed out of town east, with no particular plan except to visit the Little Big Horn Battlefield - I have a few specific memories of visiting there on that previous trip.
Since my last visit,
they’ve built a whole new memorial (and one much more
fitting) of the battle for the First People’s side.
It was quite striking, well-designed and told the
warrior’s story beautifully. Much nicer than the
aging cemetery plot for the invaders and their
mecurial, sociopathic leader.
As luck would have it, I
have a book on Custer and the Little Big Horn on my
iPod, so I played that the entire day to get the
backstory.
The battlefield itself
was gorgeous - rolling green hills, swaying grasses
and flowers and get this - Agave plants - somethign I
never expected in Montana. Overwhelming all was the
intoxicating sent of the prarie - I can see why
someone would fight for this little corner of land.
I visited both monuments,
did the ravine hike (I was the only one on the trail
- its a very challenging 1 mile walk on a graded
path) and then drove down to the second battle site 5
miles away.
I also stopped in Hardin,
MT. They had a little country museum that I just dig
on visiting - you know, old buildings with nice
installations of what it was like in the early
1900’s. Lovely stuff.
