Escapade opening day

Judy & I rode our bikes to the exhibition hall and met several RV friends we have made in the past year, it's kind of like a reunion. We signed up to make pop corn and pass it out Tuesday afternoon. The opening ceremony was at 3pm followed by the keynote speaker. We had a break for supper then at 7 door prizes, ice cream and closing with a country band.

Gillitte, WY

We got an early start at 7:40 for the Escapade and arrived in Gillette at 11:20am. we pulled over at the exit and waited 20 minutes for Gary & Deb who were coming from the east. We wanted to stay next to them, we had met them at Life on Wheels and last falls Escapade. We got lucky and were parked at the end of the row so we have lots of room. After setting up we talked, went to the exposition center to register for the rally, checked out the merchants & then went out for supper.

Custer's Last Stand reenactment

This afternoon we attended the battle reenactment. It told the Indians version of what started with the Lewis & Clark Expedition through the Little Big Horn battle. The white man kept taking the Indians land and way of life from them plus broken promises and treaties. I was impressed with how well several of the young warriers rode their ponies so aggressivly and skillfully.

Little Big Horn Battlefield

We spent the day at the Custer Battlefield, or as it's now called, the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Yesterday was the 137th anniversary of Custers last Stand so there's a lot of activity around here. WE droce through the Crow Indian Reservation and the Indians are not a financially wealthy group but they have some fine looking hoses.

Hardin, MT

We made the 100 mile trip in two relaxing hours. There might not be any mountains here but there's some nice hills. We checked out the Chamber of Comerce for local things to do and checked out Hardin. We had a nice sunset and shortly after a nice thunderstorm, rocking the fifth wheel now.

Reed Point, MT

Easy day, 183 miles traveled in 3 1/2 hours. The snow covered Rockies are in our rear view mirror & rolling hills through the windshield. We went over the last Rockies Pass doing 35 to 40mph uphill and 30 downhill, the signs warning truckers to do 25mph due to truckers getting killed on the corners got our attention. We crossed the Continental Divide and are going downhill now so our mileage should really improve! This is a one night stand beside the Xway (& railroad tracks for Dave) and tomorrow will be an easier day, a little over 100 miles to Hardin for a 3 night stay. Haven't seen any sheep here yet.

Anaconda, MT

Jeff and Susan went with us to Anaconda, a town formed around copper smelting in the late 1800s. The smelter was closed in 1980 over a labor dispute. The union workers were seeking a raise the company wasn't going to pay so they closed the plant, removed all the equipment and demolished the buildings except "the stack". 8000 jobs were lost but the town is hanging in there. The "stack" is 585 feet tall, 86 feet wide at the bottom and 60 feet wide at the top. It is a dominating structure in the area and can be seen miles away. You can not go near it due to hazardous contamination that the government is now cleaning up. One church from 1896 even has "the stack" in one of it's stained glass windows.

We took another 2 hour bus tour in a 1936 bus made for Glacier National Park. We then drove into the boonies to check out the countryside.