August 23, 2008

Hi Everyone,
We spent four days in Montana after coming back from Calgary. In Billings, Montana, we spent a couple of days at the first and oldest KOA campground in the United States. It was nice. See photo on side.
We left there and stopped to see the Little Bighorn Battlefield where Custer and his soldiers met their demise. It was a clash of cultures in 1876, when the Lakota, Cheyenne, Sioux, and Arapaho Indian tribes decided they weren't going to take it any more. Custer and his 41 men took to the hill and, get this, they shot their horses to use as cover. When you think about it, 1876 really wasn't that long ago. As with all war time memorials, you walk away feeling sadness and wondering how it could have been different. See Statement of Sitting Bull below and a picture of the actual hill.
We are now in Rapid City, South Dakota, where we will hang around for a month. We promised ourselves that this year's trip would not be as hectic as last year's trip. And, so far, it hasn't. But, Jerry really needs some time to stop driving. We have put on 10,000 miles so far this year. This is the part of the trip where we had planned to just sit back and relax for close to a month. So just when the gas prices go down, we have decided to stop driving!
There is lots to see in and around the Black Hills here in Rapid City and we are going to take our time absorbing it all. It seems that every time either of us has been here, we were constrained by the vacation time we were taking to see the place. This time, we have no constraints and it feels wonderful. The last time Jerry and I were here was in 1979 when we toured half the United States on a motorcycle.
At some point, though, Jerry will fly out of here to go speak in Atlanta. As we mentioned once before, we have decided not to drive there due to the cost of fuel. So Chanti and I will be alone for a few days.
As we see the various sites, we will tell you about them. Have a great Labor Day Weekend.
We are dug in for the holiday weekend, Jerry and Mary