After we left North Platte, NE, we enjoyed the scenery and towns along US 183 and US 36 through Kansas to Smith Center, where Excel 5th wheels are born, and then Marysville, founded in 1854 before Kansas was a state; the whole US 36 corridor has historical stops along the way.  Now we are leaving Lawrence after a few days of r&r; we like college towns and Regina recalled the 1995 NJCL Convention site; there is a Culver's in town, too.

First time with wifi in a week; we’ve been visiting and traveling so we haven’t stopped at a library either.  It has been a great week; the Sagdalen’s provided a campsite next to their rig at their home in the Black Hills of South Dakota; we enjoyed their hospitality for several days; Betty Jo even planned a birthday party for Paul where we renewed friendships with Marian & Rod, Dan & Lisa, (their kids & spouses), grandkids, great grandkids, and friends including Chaz (famous for porkins) & Lisa, and Phyllis & Jim who also winter at RCR.  Betty Jo fixes great meals and the restaurants in the area are good, too; Regina likes the Alpine Inn in Hill City.  We really like the Black Hills area with its history and spectacular views.  Alas, it turned cool and rainy our last day and has been that way as we traveled south to Fort Robinson, NE, a great place to camp and tour (which we did a little last year); we spent a few hours at the museum in the Agate Fossil Bed National Monument but it was way too windy and cold to take the trails to the fossils; then we went on to view Scottsbluff Monument, Chimney Rock National Site and the museum and then camped less than a mile from the foot of Chimney Rock.  We’ve been stopping at the interpretive markers along SR 92 and Us 26 reading all about the trails: Oregon, California, and Mormon, and also the Pony Express Route.  We’ve been reading and playing games in the evenings; usually if there’s no wifi TV reception on our antenna is poor.

N.B. (Nota Bene = Note Well) When we were in Alaska we heard about the PBS special on The National Parks; when we were in SD Marian and Lisa spent an afternoon at Mount Rushmore with their kids from the Boys and Girls Club taping spots for intros to the specials; and when we were at the National Monuments mentioned above they had the information:  this is a six part series running all next week; it starts Sunday, Sept. 27and runs through Oct. 2^nd beginning at various times from 5 pm to 8 pm here in the Mountain/Central Time Zones; check your local listing; Ken Burns spent several years working on this film so it ought to be good.

09.17.09

So have I mentioned that I am missing Canadian money?  I did like those loonies and toonies; Paul gives me his change and I always had money to spend; also, the Canadian coins didn’t seem as heavy as these nickels, dimes, and quarters that Paul hands over these days;  they don’t amount to much either!

We’ve stayed at 7^th Ranch RV Camp for a few days to check out Little Bighorn Battlefield; did you know that until 2001 it was known as Custer’s Battlefield?  Now the Indian Memorial stands across from the Last Stand Hill 7^th Cavalry Memorial; red granite markers at known warrior casualty sites are now throughout the battlefield as well as those 249 headstone markers where Custer and his men fell.  A large part of southeast Montana is the Crow Indian Reservation.  This area is wide open spaces; as I look out Cruiser’s windows the ribbon of sparsely traveled I-90, railroad tracks, and what is known as coulee and ridge topography are visible.  The wind is pretty strong at times, too.  It’s really beautiful here; thinking we like Montana almost as much as the Yukon – and the roads aren’t as dusty.  We also visited the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen, a town built over the Indian camp of 1876;  it has a collection of battlefield relics and an excellent collection of D. F. Barry photographs of battle sites and people.  Garryowen is an Irish ballad that Custer adopted as his regimental song. So much history out here in the wild west frontier!  It brings back memories of our travels through North and South Dakotas last summer.

 

Sheridan, Wyoming, is a real cowboy town of 15,000+; from the Trail End Historic Site, home of the Kendrick family from 1913-1969; the Sheridan County Museum with exhibits of local interest and historical aspects; the Sheridan Inn where Buffalo Bill auditioned acts for his Wild West Show; to Don King's Museum in the downtown shop.  The town is very comfortable to visit and a great spot to visit the outlying area, too.  We are really lucky that summer is staying around or it would be too cold for us to be this far north in September; it has been warming to the 80's almost every day.

So have I mentioned that I am missing Canadian money?  I did like those loonies and toonies; Paul gives me his change and I always had money to spend; also, the Canadian coins didn’t seem as heavy as these nickels, dimes, and quarters that Paul hands over these days;  they don’t amount to much either!

We’ve stayed at 7^th Ranch RV Camp for a few days to check out Little Bighorn Battlefield; did you know that until 2001 it was known as Custer’s Battlefield?  Now the Indian Memorial stands across from the Last Stand Hill 7^th Cavalry Memorial; red granite markers at known warrior casualty sites are now throughout the battlefield as well as those 249 headstone markers where Custer and his men fell.  A large part of southeast Montana is the Crow Indian Reservation.  This area is wide open spaces; as I look out Cruiser’s windows the ribbon of sparsely traveled I-90, railroad tracks, and what is known as coulee and ridge topography are visible.  The wind is pretty strong at times, too.  It’s really beautiful here; thinking we like Montana almost as much as the Yukon – and the roads aren’t as dusty.  We also visited the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen, a town built over the Indian camp of 1876;  it has a collection of battlefield relics and an excellent collection of D. F. Barry photographs of battle sites and people.  Garryowen is an Irish ballad that was the unofficial song of Custer's 7th cavalry. So much history out here in the wild west frontier!  It brings back memories of our travels through the North and South Dakotas last summer.

During our stay in Billings, MT, we drove around town and spent some time looking for Black Otter Trail; we did find Old Boot Hill Cemetery; it holds the gravesite of Muggins Taylor, the scout who brought the world the news of Lt. Col. George Custer’s last stand.  We checked out the Old Railroad Depot, the Moss Mansion, and several sculptures of the Range Rider and the Montana Trailhead as we drove around town.  This is Montana's largest city.

09.04 through 07.09  Helena, MT

The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, established in 1951 features hundreds of whimsical sculptures created by resident artists; just drove through the neighborhood as there was not much action on the holiday.  The Historical Society Museum recounts the history of Montana through an extensive collection of C.M. Russell’s paintings and sculpture, a Montana Homeland exhibit with artifacts, photographs, and documents, a white bison, and a military exhibit.  This is a good museum.  The Last Chance Tour Train passes the past and present of Helena: Old Governor’s Mansion – and new Governor’s Mansion; Reeder’s Alley early days’ architecture with an 1864 pioneer cabin; the 1914 Cathedral of St. Helena modeled after a church in Vienna with Carrara marble and stained glass windows; the former mosque convention center; mule deer munching on neighborhood gardens; a drive down Last Chance Gulch; and more.  After the hour tour we had lunch at the capital and walked the three floors; especially of note is the Charles M. Russell painting in the House of Representatives – 12’ by 25’ Lewis and Clark Meeting Indians at Ross’ Hole; the statues of Maureen and Mike Mansfield; and a dome of copper and the guiding woman Montana.

 

Labor Day weekend - end of summer and a beautiful autumn ahead.  Well, this used to mean something when we were working but now - it's just another day to enjoy our lifestyle, but there is more activity at campgrounds.  We are truly enjoying Helena; population near 30,000, many government workers, small college town, mountains in the distance, good museums, and all the amenities of the lower 48 that we have been dearly missing for several months.  And gas is under $3/gallon! 

The drive through Great Falls to Helena is really beautiful; we followed the Missouri River, saw towering rock formations, limestone cliffs, limestone walls, and canyons.  We are looking forward to several pleasant, if warm, days here; great campground, too.

Wednesday 09.02.09

Be sure to stop at the Milk Visitor Center just 13 miles into Alberta; it has a great overview museum and a big dinosaur in the hoodoos out front.  After customs we saw a windmill farm near Shelby, MT, where we picked up our monthly mail package; we walked down Main Street, had lunch at The Grill, and went out to the full service campground that is in the middle of nowhere.  It reached 98 degrees today but humidity is only 20%; can’t get too cold tonight.  We head to Helena, our 47^th state capital, in the morning.

Tuesday 09.01.09

Along the 35 mile drive to Lethbridge we saw one of the five windmill farms in Alberta. Then we stopped to take in the Brewery Gardens and the High Level Bridge built between 1907 & 1909 to eliminate twists and turns for the railroad; it is the longest at 5,328 ft and highest at 314 ft of its kind in the world.  We walked from our campsite through Henderson Lake Park to the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden for exercise and tranquility.  No wifi or TV so we updated pictures; hope to have them posted soon.