Day 28, Tuesday July 5, 2022 ,traveling to Buffalo Wyoming

 Day 28, Tuesday July 5, 2022,  traveling to Buffalo Wyoming

We got a good start and remembered to put on the sewer cap before we left the campground in Billings. Don't like to lose them.  We were on the road at 9:20 and headed east and south to Buffalo, Wyoming.  A fill of gasoline ($4.89/gal). The route was on I-90 most of the way, and a turn onto US 25 a few miles before the campground.

A view of Southern Montana

Those rolling hills in Wyoming.

Some info of Native life, years past.

 

The ride was through southern Montana's rolling grass and as we entered Wyoming the land rises, (Buffalo is at 4,700 ') and has longer, downhills and uphills, some are three -four miles long. There are those necessary signs for the truckers in winter like..."apply chains at next pullout". We did see these three times on that stretch. The road rather parallels the Big Horn Mountains which were on our right side some 30 miles away.

One stop was for a stretch and gasoline in the heart of Crow country.The station run by two women needed some maintenance, but one of the two pumps worked. Gas there was $5.15/gallon ( regular) .It was in the town of Lodge Grass.

Beautiful every mile.

The Big Horn Mountains on our Right.

Looking toward the Big Horns

 

A stop at a view of the valley in the foothills of the Big Horns was very photograpeable. We did not see any deer, or Pronghorn today. We wondered about that and surmised that the 4 lane highway kept many of them further away.

One Historical site was just out of Billings  and that was the Battle site of the Little Big Horn where the warriors of the Native tribes massacred the US Cavalry and "U No Hoo" was killed there along with hundreds of his troops. We did not stop as we had both been there before when it was not a huge site that it is today. There were other Battle sites along that route, such as  Fetterman, Tongue River and Wagon Box. It is a veritable history of the loss if the Native tribes in this part of the country.

Our arrival at Indian campground was made about 2:30 and Nathan the proprietor met us, and efficiently had us in and out in a few minutes.The park has over 300 cottonwood and ash tree so thre is excellent shelter and shade.

Information about a near by town.

Our campsite at Indian Campground

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were in site B-2 the edge of the park. I completed a walk around before supper  and  found  a creek that runs along the north side of the park, and saw a Mountain Black Capped Chickadee getting food for young off a Willow Tree. Very few birds today.

Ruth cleaned the trailer as she said it was "messy", and it does look  better now, I am sure and she feels better about that, although we seldom have visitors  it always looks great.

Tomorrow we will explore the area around Lake DeSmet which we saw on the way coming in. Father De Smet (SSJ) was one of many Jesuits that were sent to the USA in the 1500's to the  1800's to explore and convert. One paragraph indicates he traveled over 180,000 miles on his missionary work.  

"De Smet saw his meeting with the Salish as the will of God. He joined the delegation on its journey to St. Louis and asked Bishop Rosati to send missionaries. Rosati assigned him to journey to Salish territory, to determine their nation, and to establish a mission among them. For safety and convenience De Smet traveled with an American Fur Company brigade. On 5 July 1840, Father De Smet offered the first Mass in Wyoming, a mile east of Daniel (near the Idaho border), a town in the west-central part of the present state. A monument to the event was later erected on this site. When De Smet arrived at Pierre' Hole, 1,600 Salish and Pend Orielles greeted him. He baptized 350 people and then returned to the eastern United States to raise funds for the mission."

 Catch you tomorrow.