Big Sky Country

We awoke in Missoula, Montana today to a clear cool day and a distant view of snow capped mountains in the west. After a big breakfast we set out to cross the mountains of western Montana and enter the plains in the east. Whenever I’m crossing the USA west to east I have somewhat of a feeling of sadness at leaving the mountains behind, but this is soon replaced by a feeling of anticipation as my thoughts turn to arriving back home.

The boys took note of the fact that I have been doing slightly more than mo share of the driving, and they decided to handle all the driving duties today. Although I am more comfortable behind the wheel, I ended up really enjoying being a passenger today. The boys were quite disappointed to learn that there is indeed a speed limit in Montana (75 mph)! The rumor of the absence of a speed limit here is so widely spread that prominent on the official Montana State roadmaps id the statement “Montana does have speed limits!”

We crossed several mountain passes between 5-6,000’ as we traveled east, and for much of the day we had 10-13,000’ snow capped mountain peaks in view. The driving was easy today, and for most of the day we wound between the mountains following the path carved out by various rivers. There are quite a few rivers running through Montana, and many of them were explored by Lewis and Clark 200 years ago. According to the Montana State map, morethan 2,000 of the 8,000 miles explored by Lewis and Clark are in Montana.

A side note: I learned many years ago that the official State Department of Transportation maps are vastly superior to any other state map, which makes sense since the states are using them to promote tourism. Best of all, they are free! As I was planning my bicycle journey in 1980 I wrote to each of the lower 48 states requesting a map, and these maps were what I took along on that trip. I still have many of these maps for sentimental reasons.

In eastern Montana the mountains disappeared into the distance behind us and we entered rolling plains of green hills punctuated by rocky outcroppings. In Southeast Montana we entered the Crow Indian Reservation and paid a visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. As a child I read many books about American Indians, including some who were prominent in this part of Montana - Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for buying so many books for me when I was young!) Our neighbors in Yorktown, NY had a print of a painting depicting Custer’s Last Stand hanging in their garage, and I often would look at this and try to imagine the west in the Indian days. I have always felt a sense of shame at the way the American Indians were herded onto reservations, and my time at this monument today was a time for reflection. We listened to a talk explaining the events leading up to this battle, toured the grounds, studied the displays in the museum, and visited the National Cemetery. It was good to visit a place that I have read about and thought about for so long, and I was pleased that the boys seemed glad to study and learn while there.

Leaving the Monument we drove south into Wyoming. With the sun setting behind us and the moon illuminating a strangely-sculpted landscape, both boys decided that “Wyoming doesn’t look like earth, but like some other planet!” We are presently headed east towards the Black Hills and the South Dakota border. The boys wanted to drive late tonight, so I am writing as we travel. They decided to spend the night in Sundance, Wyoming, just inside the Black Hills. I look forward to the landscape that will awaken us tomorrow! We have another National landmark to see in the morning – Mt. Rushmore. We missed the Canadian Rockies and the trans-Canada highway, but are seeing some beautiful country and significant landmarks instead. We’re having a blast!