Billings

We really hadn't spent much time in Montana so we decided to remedy that this year. 

We pulled into Billings and it was hot. Just like the rest of the country, Montana is experiencing hotter than normal temps.  UGH.  We made the best of it and went exploring.  We found an old mansion called Moss Mansion that was actually very modern.  It could actually be lived in today despite being built pre-depression era.  Well worth a tour should you find yourself in Billings.  We also went out to a national monument called Pompey's Pillar.  It is a rock formation that was along the route westward that Louis and Clark explored.  William Clark was so taken with it that he explored it and then carved his name into it like the many Indian tribes before him.  He also named it after Sacagawea's son.  His nickname was Pomp or Pompey.  They had a neat, little museum that explained the route and their experiences. You can also see Clark's signature on the rock. 

The next day we drove an hour out to see Little Big Horn.  This was the site of Custer's Last Stand. Again, there is a little museum explaining the events leading up to and then the battle itself.  (My own cliffnotes: Custer was a dumbass). You can drive along a road and they point out the sites of each event and battle.  Kind of a cool thing to see.  

Lastly we drove to a little town called Red Lodge.  I would describe it as a cowboy mountain town, complete with its own little ski hill.  Of course we drove up to the ski hill first to explore and then drove back down into town.  There is a little part of town that got washed away when the river swelled last month and took out part of Yellowstone.  So sad to see and also amazing to see how devastating nature can be.  

On down the road!