Day 162, July 6, Billings Montana

 Three amazing things:

#1- When planning this USA adventure, I had quite overlooked the battlefield that is Little Bighorn, so when I passed it on todays drive from South Dakota to Billings, MT, I just had to stop. So glad I did; Little Bighorn National Historic Park is tragically sobering.  We spent 90 minutes driving the interpretive road which explains George Armstrong Custer’s “Last Stand.” We learned how the Sioux, Crow, Lakota, and other tribes were literally starving on the woefully inadequate rations provided to them by the US government while on the reservation. How Chief Sitting Bull rallied them to return to their homeland where they could live their ways and feed their children. How Pres. Ulysses Grant gave them a deadline for returning to the reservation. How Custer then went to bring them back to the reservation…by force. And how thousands of Native Americans took out their angst on the few infantry men ill prepared to meet them on the battlefield that hot summer day. Such a tragic tale. The miles-long battlefield lies littered with the white headstones of unknown unnamed Calvary soldiers.




#2- The National Park ranger, herself a Crow Indian, spent some time explaining the sad events of June 25, 1876 from a historically accurate perspective combined with details of the culture that influenced and motivated her people. She was animated, engaging, and gave the best ranger presentation  I’ve ever witnessed. 






#3- The Billings, MT, temple is simply stunning. To say nothing of how spiritually refilling it is. The temple nourishes my soul, each and every time.







Good deeds: While I was filling my gas tank, er…emptying my wallet at the Costco gas station, Aaron noticed the young woman in front of us was having difficulty with her card, something wrong with the chip, she said. She was texting her husband to come help when Aaron simply walked up, ran his credit card through her pump, and told her to have a good day. She was quite appreciative as you can well imagine. Well done, my Kasper!


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