Day 67-July 31, 2016-Eastern MT to Garryowen, MT
Drove 188 miles in 4-1/4 hours.
Hot again, up to 104.
We drove on I-90 east through an area where the Crazy Mountains were on our right with big pine trees on mountains and valley on our left, with green farms, cattle ranches and cottonwood trees on the river’s edge on our left. Very different scenery on either side. Stopped in Greycliff to see the Prairie Dog Town State Park. They chirp and bark when you get close and scamper back into their burrows. We stopped on the side of the road in Billings for lunch then continued on I-90. We lost sight of the Yellowstone River here, it continues north. Eastern Montana is very different from western Montana, it’s flat, more hills than mountains and lots of wheat and hay and cattle farms. So flat we got buffeted by a few wind gusts. Got into the campground in Garryowen, MT about 2:30. The town of Garryowen is in Crow Indian Territory and was named after a marching song that Myles Keough, one of Custer’s men brought from Ireland. The campground is called “7th Ranch RV” after Custer’s 7th cavalry that was defeated here in the battle of Little Big Horn on June 26, 1876. It’s a working 600 acre cattle ranch that sits high on a hill overlooking Little Big Horn River and is supposedly near the site where Sitting Bull has his camp. Nice Russian Olive trees and cottonwoods, great people. After we set up and wound down a bit we went into “town” to Custer Battlefield Museum. It’s where the battle started, where Custer died and where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is. A soldier was found, believed to be one of Reno’s men and in 1926 the tomb was dedicated at the “Burrying of the Hatchet” ceremony on the 50th anniversary of the battle. It is one of only two federally recognized single tombs of unknown soldiers, the other one in Washington DC, and the only one privately owned. The gift store was like a museum itself, with pictures, books, artifacts, etc. etc., etc. Very interesting. Stopped at the casino, this one has slot machines because it’s owned by the tribe, but no luck. Back to campsite for a dinner, then took a walk around the campground and up a hill to get a view of a wonderful pink sunset and a lightning show in the distance. The manager said to watch out for the winds at sunset, they were supposed to get up to 55 mph and he sure was right, the RV was rocking back and forth.