I’d spent three days in Red Shale Campground, riding out the heat wave and highest temperatures in recorded history. We got through it okay, and to a point where the 90s felt cool and comfortable. (It’s a dry heat.)
But I was also getting bored. It was too hot to unload the bike and go exploring the forest service roads in the area, not only for me but also for leaving Lister in the van. I got ahead on work so I don’t have to worry about it later. I plotted out the rest of my route to the Rocky Mtn Roll. And then I thought, why not leave early? The campground was so quiet that I hadn’t seen another person since I got here days ago. While I’ve gotten over my dislike of being alone, I still don’t like feeling too isolated, and this place was just too quiet. Besides, the sooner I get to the secret lakeside camping area, the sooner I can get a spot, settle in, and be by the water during this hot weather, which should make it feel less hot. So I packed up and hit the road.
I got gas in the tiny town of Ashland, just down the road a few miles from the campground. It’s on the Crow reservation, and I like spending money in Native communities when I can. I also didn’t have much choice because I was down to a quarter tank of gas, but that’s okay. Then I headed west on US 212.
Where 212 meets back up with I-90, which was already along my route, I was surprised to discover Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the site of “Custer’s Last Stand,” as we were taught in school. With my annual park pass in hand, I pulled in to check it out, because I’m a history nerd.
After following the ranger’s instructions to the long vehicle parking area (not two miles away like at Devil’s Tower), I took a walk through Custer National Cemetery. This began as an official military cemetery immediately after the deadly battle here, to bury the soldiers where they fell. Later on it was added to the National Cemetery system, and now has veterans of other wars buried here, too. It’s a solemn place, but this engraving made me twitch a bit.
“Clearing the district of the Yellowstone of hostile Indians.” Never mind that they were here first. You’d be hostile, too, if an invading army tried to clear you out of your home.
I should also point out that the rest of the memorials and exhibits show a far more balanced view of the battle here. Originally named “Custer Battlefield National Monument,” President Bush renamed it in recognition of Native protests about the site glorifying the invasion of their lands. This proclamation also called for a memorial to the Natives who died in the battle, right across the street from the original one for American soldiers. (My picture of it didn’t come out.)
But this is the memorial most people know about, at the top of Last Stand Hill. These soldiers, including Custer himself, gave their lives in battle, but for what? Not defending the country from foreign invaders, but pushing out people who were here before us, and who white men considered “savage,” as inscribed on the other memorial. Such a waste.
I also couldn’t help thinking about what a beautiful, peaceful place this is now. It’s hard to imagine such a brutal battle taking place here. The Natives took no prisoners, and I can’t say I blame them.
Anyway, it was time to move on. I hopped on I-90 and set a course for Billings, a slice of civilization in the middle of the wilderness. I made several stops in town. The first was to give my van and trailer a much needed wash. It was advertised as an RV wash, but was really a basic car wash with a tall roof. I had to reposition my van and trailer a couple of times so the hose would reach the front and back, and there was no way to clean the nine-foot tall roof. But it looks much better than before. Clearing the dead bugs off the radiator probably had a significant effect on my cooling capacity, not that it’s been struggling at all to manage these high temperatures.
I got gas once again, since I was down to half a tank and didn’t know where the next gas station would be. I also stopped by Cabela’s, were I’d originally planned to spend the night. It was too early and too hot to park on pavement, though, and as before I had a better idea in mind. The reason I stopped was to buy a life vest, of all things, in a place that I knew had good ones. I don’t skimp on safety equipment, whether on the water, on a motorcycle, or in a race car. I’m planning to buy an inflatable kayak when I get to Oregon, and found a package deal that includes everything but the life vest. I sink in water, so this will help prevent that if I fall out.
Construction traffic on I-90 slowed my escape from Billings, but I had a nice chat with Mike, N7RKK, on the ham radio to pass the time. Eventually I was back up to 65 in an 80 mph zone, a typical speed for Montana. I noticed that very few people actually go 80. I’m certainly on the slow end of the spectrum, but 70-75 seems to be how fast most people go. Aside from the construction area, traffic is generally light enough that people have no problem going around me as I toodle along at my trailer’s maximum comfortable speed.
Before long I took the exit for Columbus, and followed the blue line on my screen to Itch Kep Pe City Park, my home for the night. Not only does it allow overnight parking, it has about 50 designated campsites for that exact purpose. Best of all, it’s free. A cop just drove by while I was writing this, obviously camping out in the town park, with no problem at all. Try that back east.
Surprisingly for the middle of the week, most of the good spots were already taken. But I did find one that I could easily fit into. There wasn’t much shade, but my van and trailer cast a nice shadow over my camp area as the sun went down.
In an unusual move, even though I was only staying one night, I unloaded the bike to run back into town for more errands. There was what turned out to be a well-stocked grocery store in town, and while I didn’t need much, I wanted to pick up a few things I was low on, as well as salads which I like to eat more when it’s hot out. This was the perfect test of my bike’s grocery getter capabilities with the new saddlebags. It worked perfectly. I also found a car wash in town and washed the dust from Get On! ADV Fest off of it. Though I was tempted, I skipped Paladium Brewing, which looked delicious, but not while I’m on a motorcycle.
I also took a quick spin down the dirt road beyond the main camping area where I was parked. I found a second camping area, much quieter and with open sites much closer to the water. If I was staying more than one night, I would’ve moved to one of these, but it wasn’t worth packing up and moving for a single night. Keep that in mind if you ever visit here, though. The road also loops at the end, so turning around with a trailer is not a problem.
Back at camp I had dinner, then took a short walk over to the Yellowstone River. It’s a bit low right now, but it’s flowing strongly and quickly enough that I wouldn’t want to put a kayak in the main part of it without knowing I could paddle back.
It had cooled down to a reasonable temperature outside by now, so I enjoyed sitting outside in the shade with a local beer, while Lister found a rock.
I had a quiet night and slept well, with temperatures dipping to the low 60s and even high 50s, making it easy and comfortable to sleep. Just one more travel day until I sit and relax for a while.
Smokey Da Van 