Day 4: Billings, Montana, to Spearfish, South Dakota

We began the day having breakfast with Jeff's family at a Perkins Restaurant. Afterward, before everyone went in different directions and Steve & I hit the road, it was time for family photographs in the parking lot. The Chelgren family could just be Billings' First Family.

We said goodbye to Jeff and his family and started driving: I-90 eastbound.

Because we got a late start to Day 4 of our road trip, we didn't get to Mount Rushmore today. We'll visit that first thing tomorrow. However, we did stop and see Little Big Horn Battlefield Monument and Devil's Tower. (We hummed the theme song to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" only once

Sculpture at Little Big Horn


Memorial for fallen soldiers

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

We traveled on Highway 212 eastward from Little Big Horn. One of the towns we passed through is called Lame Deer, which is a wonderful name. As if that weren't cool enough, in the town is a college named Chief Dull Knife. Steve & I wondered what kind of degrees you could get there: Cooking? Medicine? Magic? Hunting? Stunt man?

Deb and I had our first disagreement today. After we turned out of Devil's Tower onto Route 112, we were happily making our way through the rolling hillsides when in the distance we saw a chain link-fenced off area on an upcoming hill. As we got closer, to Deb it appeared like some sort of oil pipline thingamajig. Since she was driving, she didn't get a great chance to look at length. While passing, it suddenly became clear to me that the 'thing' was a truck with a sattelite dish on it. It was confusing since the whole apparatus was painted a landscape-matching tan. Then, I noticed that there was a mounted missile right beside the vehicle, painted the same camouflage tan. 'There's a missile in there!' I exclaimed. 'Right,' was the response. '

'No, really!

'Right. A missile. Was there a spaceship there as well?'

'Turn around. I'll prove it.'

'No.'

'Fine. I'll Google it when we get to the hotel.' It was a matter of debate for the rest of the day, but I have to say I claimed victory when I actually found it referred to on the web. Deb's still fighting accepting THE TRUTH, but I know what I saw...

Another town on the route was Broadus. We stopped at a local grocery for some grub and to stretch our legs. As we started to leave Broadus, we noticed a rodeo ground with a lot of activity just a block off the main road. We decided to check it out. It was a Junior Rodeo! We parked the car and watched a group of young girls ride and try to rope a calf. There were people in the stands watching and an official announcer in a little booth at one end of the. grounds. As each rider got ready, their names were announced. At the end of their ride, the announcer would say the result. One in particular made me & Steve laugh. The announcer said something like, "Susie had a good ride and got close but the calf got away. Bummer."


-- Deb