Homeward bound!
After saying our final goodbyes to Marcia and Phil, we were on our way back to Colorado while they continued their Montana adventures.
We left Glacier and headed north to catch Hwy 464 east back to Browning, Montana and then on to Great Falls. Tobey commented that it was amazing that we covered the same distance back to Great Falls in about three hours – the same distance that took them three days!
When we got back to Fairfield, we both commented on how many silos and elevators are in the town. It does boast that it is the malting barley capitol of the world. The population is only about 700 people, but they have over 130,000 acres of cropland in production for raising malt barley in the area.
We also went by several fields where the farmers were cutting wheat/hay. 
Coming into Lavina on Highway 12, we both commented on this building. Tobey said boarding house, I thought hotel. After getting home, I checked it out and it was a hotel. It is actually listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1908 to provide accommodation for railroad travelers in the area. Apparently, it is believed to also have two ghostly residents!
Coming into Billings we spotted this old car that was tricked out. The owner seemed to be having fun!
From Billings we headed into Wyoming and made a stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. We watched the 20 minute film at the visitor’s center which did a great job reenacting the battle which took place on June 28, 1876, and the results. The visitor’s center has a nice museum inside with artifacts recovered from the area, both Native American and from the Custer and the 7th Calvary unit. I wish I had visited here when I was still teaching history!
We walked up the hill to the Last Stand Hill to see the 7th Calvary Memorial. After the battle, Lakota and Cheyenne families removed their dead – approximately 60-100 warriors. After the Native Americans left, the US Army hastily buried their dead in the field where they fell. The markers in the field show where those soldiers were originally buried.
Later, the remains of 11 officers and two civilians were transferred to eastern cemeteries. In 1881, the remains of approximately 220 soldiers were reinterred in a mass grave around the base of the memorial.
In 2013, the Indian Memorial was competed. It is circular in design and has a “spirit gate” window where you can look back and see the Calvary Memorial. The spirit gate welcomes the departed Calvary soldiers into the memorial circle. 
We were impressed with how well done the entire memorial is done, honoring both the Native Americans and the US 7th Calvary.
We continued on our homeward journey. The smoke in the sky continues to make impressive sunsets.
We stayed overnight in Kaycee, Wyoming at the city park. They offer free overnight camping for up to five days. It was a nice little park, but dark when we arrived at 9:30. We got a shot of our RV in the morning before taking off.
We hoped we had left the haze and smoke behind by the time we got to Colorado, but it wasn’t to be! Traveling south on I-25, we could still see the haze in the air from all of the fires in the western part of the US. Apparently, it has been hazy here for the last three days, too!
If you would like to check out Tobey’s ride, this is a link showing the ride and camping stops. The official ride was 385.4 miles, not including our “rest” day in Great Falls and sightseeing on the bikes for fun.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/23079418
We got home about 2:00 pm after a great trip. We’re getting things put away and laundry done, then will need to do a few minor repairs on the RV. In the meantime, Tobey is trying to find a bicycling partner to do a cross-country trip next!
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