Wyoming Montana Mix

7:00 a.m. seemed to be our starting point for each
day. A nice hour to begin the day. It was going to be mostly a travel
day...on our way to Yellowstone National Park...about 400 miles
away.
 
In my picture within a picture...the big silver
horse is made out of car bumpers. Unbelievable! Even more unbelievable was the
price. 25...as in 25 thousand dollars. Plus...it was already sold. The guy was
in the process of delivering it.
 
The horse and the sculpter were resting in Buffalo,
Wyoming. The picture of my dad at the old piano was also in Buffalo...at the
Occidental Hotel, in business since 1881. Their website states..."BUTCH CASSIDY
and the SUNDANCE KID stayed here! BUFFALO BILL CODY and CALAMITY JANE stayed
here! YOU CAN, TOO!" It was interesting.
 
Sheridan, Wyoming was our next stop. We toured an
old house owned by John Kendrick, a wealthy rancher turned U.S. senator. It was
called Trails End. When Mr. Kendrick got there...he wanted to go no further.
Then..we went downtown to the Don King Saddlery Museum. (pictured) Hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of saddles and accessories. Nothing like the smell of leather to
start the morning. The store is also known for its ropes. Rack after rack of
cowboy ropes. Expensive stuff. They even have a sawhorse with horns for the
prospective cowboys and cowgirls to try out the ropes. I gave them my best
"YIPPEE-KIE-YIE-AAHH", but it was ineffective without the cowboy hat and chaps
on.
 
We finished up our touring day at the Little Big
Horn Battlefield...the place where Gen. George Custer met his death at the hands
of the Sioux indians. It is also a national cemetery. The U.S. soldier
headstone, and the quail (I think) were on these grounds.
 
It is an odd place to visit. The metal sculpture in
the middle of my picture celebrates the plains indian. Nameless headstones
state...A Sioux warrior fell here, or a U.S. soldier fell here. At least
for me...you don't know quite how to feel. You can almost feel the battle...feel
the death. Like a lot of things in history...maybe a little bleak.
 
Tried to spend the night in Billings, Montana.
Tried 5-6 places. No luck. Went to the next city. NO VACANCY signs everywhere.
Come to find out...An oil spill into the Yellowstone River, and all of the
workers were in town. I called my wife Lisa at home to save us. She got online,
and booked us a room in Red Lodge, MT.