LITTLE BIG HORN BATTLEFIELD, MT.  Drove the Jeep 115 miles to Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument.  Spent the day there until 3:30 pm, then drove back to the RV park in  Buffalo, WY.  Tomorrow we leave for Cody, WY.

While there we heard an outstanding historical explanation of the battle by Ranger Steven Adelson.  He spoke with the timing, passion, and drama of a professional stage actor.  He clarified the conflict, dispelling the Hollywood stereotypes, and put a human face on all involved.  Custer was portrayed as the same sort of man that would be an NFL star player, self-confident and self-admiring, but a key performer.  Someone who got the job done, just as George Patton got the job done, but was not humble about it.  It was not only Custer's last stand; it also was the native American's last stand.  After this there was no place to roam the plains in search of the buffalo as in the past.  Only the reservation remained for them.

Markers For Fallen Soldiers Looking Toward Little Bighorn River

Walkways Wind Through Areas of the Fallen

Markers for Soldiers

Marker for Lakota Native

Marker for Lakota Native

Cemetery for Fallen Horses

Site of Custer's Last Stand

Memorial to Custer's Last Stand

 

Artist Depiction of Battle

Monument to Native Americans

Outstanding Speaker/Ranger Chats with Betty

National Cemetery Also Located Here

BUFFALO, WY.  This morning began with an 8:00 am free breakfast at the KOA buffet.  Really good.  Then we were surprised to find that our hydraulic slideouts would not come in for driving away on today's caravan ride.  We experienced once again the advantage of being on a tour with so many knowledgeable RVers.  A couple men came into our motorhome and showed me how to reset the electrical system so that the electric motor that pressurizes the hydraulics for the slides again did its job so that the hydraulic slides came in perfectly.  What a relief!

Apparently we got off Scot free last year, since nothing mechanical went wrong.

Before leaving the Devils Tower KOA, I went to the edge of the RV park to capture their nice view of the tower with the forest in the foreground.

Devils Tower View from RV Park

 Once we got going, we stopped in Gillette, WY to fuel up at a truck stop and stop at the Walmart for everyone to do some shopping.  Parking so many motorhomes pulling cars behind them in a Walmart parking lot was truly interesting.  After that we returned to the truck stop to park, since it was across the street from the Walgreens where I picked up a refill.  Most of the others had continued on their way to the RV park in Buffalo.  After Walgreens we headed to the Cummuns dealer to get certain replacement parts to carry in the event of another emergency.  That took quite a while, since the place we should have gone to was a Freightliner dealer instead.  Long story.  We eventually got what we needed at the Cummins place and continued on our way to Buffalo to join the others.

Our Site at Deer Park RV Park

Tomorrow we shall car pool our way to the battlefield of The Little Big Horn.  This tour does not use buses to route us to these places, as last year's tour did, but rather has us car pool and ride more comfortably than any bus ride would be.

DEVILS TOWER, WY Day 2.  After a 15-20 minute devotional, we prepared to leave for the Vore Buffalo Jump along I-90.  This is a sink hole that native American tribes drove buffalo herds into before they had horses or firearms for hunting.  Several layers of buffalo bones (and a few other animal bones) have been uncovered.  The area is now sheltered and the bones are displayed.

Different Layers of Buffalo (and a Few Other) Bones

On the way there we stopped off at the Wyoming welcoming center, which has many very nice historical exhibits.  They also had a photo opp station with a mountable horse prop.  Everyone saddled up for a photo, including us (see below).

Back in the Saddle Again

After that we had lunch in Hulett, WY at a cowboy eatery, Ponderosa Restaurant & Bar.  Bikers EVERYWHERE, not just Sturgis.  The place was packed with them.

Lots of Motorcycles Everywhere

After returning to the RV park, we had time for a much-needed afternoon nap.  Then the tour team cooked hotdogs and baked beans for supper.  Bring your own veggies.

Tomorrow a free breakfast is provided at 8:00 am, then we hitch up and head out for Buffalo, WY.

DEVILS TOWER, WY.  Wagonmaster had us leave early (7:45 am), which was a challenge for us night owls.  We traveled as a group in tandam (about 100 yards apart).  He narrated the journey on his radio, since we all have been provided maritime radios to follow the narration.  After 50 miles he had us stop at a rest stop for 30 minutes.  Very low stress tour.  We arrived here at Devils Tower KOA around 11:30 pm.  Short trip.

We are back in an "out west" environment again, dry and dust-covered.  Lots of flying insects, particularly house flies.

This afternoon is the only time slated to see Devils Tower, since we are scheduled tomorrow to visit a buffalo jump at 9:00 am.  The asst wagonmaster asked me to lead a devotional tomorrow at 8:00 am before we leave.  He mentioned that many on the tour complained about the lack of available church services on Sunday mornings.  This tour has a lot of church-going people, unlike last year's tour.

The line of cars -- and many motorcycles from the Sturgis rally -- waiting to enter the Devils Tower National Monument moves slowly because the one ranger at the tiny station needs time to process credit cards, pass out maps, and answer questions from people who come from around the world.  I wish they had a separate line for Americans with senior passes.

Betty and I walked the path around the tower.  It is a challenge in the heat, since the path climbs and drops many feet in elevation.  This goes on for a winding 1.3 miles.  The tower is surrounded with large boulders seemingly randomly scattered.   More than 20 indigenous tribes consider these grounds sacred, leaving prayer cloths hanging, much as the Hindus of Nepal do.  The Asian origin of these tribes is evident.

As You Enter, Boulders Surround the Tower

And You Walk Between the Boulders

Eventually Trees Appear

Until You Are in a Forest

And the Trail Goes Up and Up . . .

... Then It Goes Down and Down ... Then Repeats ...

After 1.3 miles of this, you are done and return to the RV park.

Hazy View of Devils Tower in Background

HILL CITY, SD Day 5.  Enjoyed a free day, driving the Needles Highway, climbing the Cathedral Spires trail, and visiting Mt Rushmore.  We made a video of the drive along the Needles Highway and condensed it into the most interesting parts.  Have a look:  Scenic Drive Needles Highway

Betty captured one shot of a bison with her phone camera (see below).

Bison Grazing Along Road in Camping Area

Trail up to Cathedral Spires

Betty Works Her Way Up Trail

At Top of Cathedral Spires Trail

Mount Rushmore

HILL CITY, SD Day 4.  Enjoyed a tour-paid pancake breakfast this morning.  This is slated as a free day, but the wagonmaster led anyone interested in a train of cars through the Needles Highway.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I continued our quest to contact the service department in Gillette, WY to see if they could check out our motorhome on Monday when the tour passes through there.  Finally someone told me about one of their roving mechanics with a small truck carrying the right equipment to check out our Cummins engine.  The good news is that he can be here this afternoon; the bad news is that it will be during the big tour event of today, a chuck wagon cowboy dinner, when we ride in covered wagons to a site for a cowboy cookout.  After that is a ride to Mt. Rushmore for a film tribute to the four presidents.  Betty will have to go without me.

Betty Captured This Part of the Evening Events

"Free days" on this tour are not really completely open; there is always something planned for later in the day.  Makes it hard to plan around.

We are using this time to take showers, do laundry, and catch up on photo processing and updating the blog. 

By 8 pm the mobile Cummins technician had reset the engine codes, analyzed the engine performance electronically and visually by crawling under the rig, and produced a report of what the error codes meant.  The error was a fluke caused by the emission control system that uses DEF to reduce pollutants in the exhaust.  If any particulates are detected at the wrong point in the combustion process the error code is produced.  The error code would have removed itself within three successful performance cycles of engine rising to a certain temperature and cooling back down.  There was no way for me to know that, so a full analysis was required.  He actually did much more, spent more time, and charged less than the guy yesterday.

HILL CITY, SD Day 3.  Today an independent mechanic stopped by the motorhome in the morning to work on it.  He was unable to read engine codes, so his work was limited to replacing the fuel filter and adding an additive to the fuel tank.  The night before a fellow member of the tour helped me add coolant.  These are the two things the owners manual said to do.  May have to test drive it tomorrow to see if it can make it to Gillette on Monday when the tour passes by there.  There is a large Cummins engine service center there.

The mechanic was gone by 12:10 pm, leaving ample time for us to attend the 12:30 meeting of the tour group.  This was the first official meeting of the tour, then at 4:30 pm we left for the Crazy Horse Monument which is not far from here.  This monument is the native American reply to Mt Rushmore, seeking to restore any lost dignity to them arising from decades of conflict between them and white settlers.  The figure of Crazy Horse will not be complete for 50-75 years, but just his head is three times the size of either of the four presidents on Mt Rushmore.  The book store has more books about and by native Americans than any place I have seen before.  If you are interested in studying them, this would be a great place to come.

Head of Crazy Horse

Side View Showing Huge Overall Size

This What the Actual Monument Will Look Like in 50-75 Years