A Night in Montana and a Day at Little Bighorn~

The drive from Lovell, Wyoming, to Billings, Montana, was a pretty one...

Big sky country, for sure <3...

We weren't in a big hurry, we got there eventually ;)...

After a stop at one of our favorite dinner spots, HuHot, we headed over to Cabela's to do some more winter gear shopping.  We love Cabela's, they have the best wildlife displays/exhibits.  The kids had fun watching the fish and I was able to knock out a few more items on our list.  Win, win :).

A good night's sleep and we were ready to go again.  We wanted to go have some fun, but first we had to take care of business...that shopping thing that needed to be done.  Ugh.  A couple more stops and we lucked up at Shopko (of all places!).  Gloves, hats, scarves, snow pants, and even a few of the needed jackets.  Yes!  Hallelujah, now we could be done! ;) hahaha...

We still had a 5 hour drive to get back to Williston, so we only had time for a quick(ish) stop.  Looking at the map we decided to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  It was in the same direction we were heading, with just a slight detour.

We started in the Visitor Center, checking out the displays, the video, etc...

Then it was time to head outside...

We walked the paths, quietly taking it all in.  Two days of fierce battle, so many lives lost... Custer and his men... Sioux and Cheyenne warriors...

A visit to a Battlefield isn't what I would call fun.  It's a very solemn thing...it makes you think, reflect, remember.  And that's good.  We need to remember...

There was a cold front blowing in the day we were there, the wind had an icy edge to it that kept us from staying outside very long.  We followed the path back into the VC so that the kids could finish up their Jr. Ranger books and turn them in.  The Ranger who helped them was so nice, we really liked talking with him :)...

Before leaving, we took a minute to check out the bookstore onsite.  The kids found something that has been so fun for them with our travels, Kids National Parks Passport Books!  If you don't have one of these and you go to a lot of NPS sites, I highly recommend getting one.  The kids really look forward to getting a new stamp for their books at each new place we visit :).

Buffalo Bill Dam and the Big Horn Canyon

Leaving Yellowstone via the East Entrance was a good call.  It was pretty much down-hill the entire way, I shifted into a lower gear and basically just coasted down.  Nice on the gas tank :).

We picked this exit not for the gas savings, which was a bonus, but for two other reasons.  One:  this was the only entrance/exit that we had yet to pass through.  Two:  we needed to go to Cody to do some shopping.

Just before we got to the town, we came to an overlook with beautiful water and hills.  If you haven't realized it by now, water is our thing.  We love it.  So of course we had to stop and check it out :)...

it doesn't show up that great, but there were some HUGE fish in there!

We were at the Buffalo Bill Dam... Huh!  Didn't even know all this was here...

After stretching our legs and our minds a little bit, we headed on through the tunnel and in to town.  We were all pretty tuckered out by the time we got into our hotel rooms for the night, so we just ordered in some pizza and crashed. 

The next morning we were up and ready (not!) to do some serious shopping.  Truthfully, I detest shopping...for necessities, that is.  I like the wander around poking through thrift/antique shops kind of shopping...this wasn't that.  Anyway, winter was hot on our heels and we needed gear.  Boots, hats, gloves, snow pants, wool socks, scarves...everything.  So, we headed to Sierra Trading Post with high hopes of a one stop shop.  Annnnd...it didn't happen.  The only Sierra Trading Post that we had been to was the one in Cheyenne several years ago and it was awesome.  The one in Cody was way smaller.  Bummer.  We did get 2 out of the 5 pairs of boots we needed and 1 pair of snow pants.  Wal-mart was good for a few basic items and then we needed a shopping break.  Time for some fun!

We took a little detour on our way to Billings (more shopping...) and ended up in Lovell, Wyoming, at the Bighorn Canyon NRA Visitor Center...

This was the perfect stop to even out our day...

The kids got to finish up their Jr. Ranger books that we had started oh...at least 2 years ago.  Hah! 

We watched a film about the Medicine Wheel, which we hiked up to see (you can read about it here) ...and another one about wild horses in the canyon, because one of my daughters LOVES horses.  It was a fun little stop.  Had we not needed to get to Billings I would have taken a different route home and paid another visit to the Medicine Wheel.  Some other day, perhaps...

the cutest 1950's theater in Lovell

Grand Teton NP -> Jackson, Wy -> Yellowstone NP -> Cody, Wy

Ready to get out and see more of Grand Teton NP, we didn't waste our day sleeping in.  After a quick breakfast we loaded everything back in the car and drove the short distance to the Colter Bay Visitor Center...

We enjoyed the movie, the displays, the views from the deck...just all of it.  The best part was the people, though.  Yep, the people...the folks running this vc were some of the best.  Super nice :).  One sweet lady in particular made us smile...she recognized my southern accent and asked where we are from.  When I told her, her whole face lit up...she's from the Florida Panhandle, too!  She's been out west many many years, but she vividly remembered not only the big places, but also the little ones...Alligator Point, Apalachicola, Carabelle.  We both enjoyed a little walk down memory lane :)...

When we left the vc, it was with a personalized map in hand outlining our day for us.  We stopped to check out the Jackson Lake Dam...

there was a ton of water moving through there!

...then continued on to the trailhead for the hike that we were recommended to take...

Leigh Lake...

...another breathtaking pool of water at the base of these majestic peaks...

We were loving it, it was the perfect day...not too hot, not too cold.  Just right.  Bright sunshine, gorgeous scenery...

...then, just as the trail headed off into the woods, we came to THIS:

EEK!  For real?  The trail goes right through this area, too.  Back at the vc, when the trail was recommended to us, the guy had to check to see if it was open.  He said that an elk carcass had been found in there and so the trail had been closed because guess what...bears eat elk.  Uh huh.  We weren't really keen on the idea of a stroll through Yogi's dining room, so we took a vote and decided to call it.  We turned around and headed back the way we had come, which was also back towards the water...so it was all good :)...

Hiking plans aborted, we took a slow drive through the park.  Stopping to get out and soak up the views when even a slow pass was too fast...

The road we were following eventually took us to the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center aka the Moose Visitor Center.  It was here that the kids finished up their Jr. Ranger books and were awarded their badges for GTNP.

After a little gift shop browsing, we headed into Jackson to check out the town and grab some lunch...

Ya'll, after eating every meal outside for a while it actually felt strange to sit down in a restaurant to eat.  Hahaha!  So weird...

We didn't stay in town long, it was just too crowded for our liking.  After lunch, we drove out towards Moran hoping to spot some moose.  Obligatory stop at the park sign...

...a herd of antelope (or "cantelope" if you are a certain little kid I know)...

...then we were at the willowy speck on the map called Moran.  It is here, among the willows that grow along the bottoms of the Snake River, that we have always seen at least one moose...

Always until this time, that is.  We looked and looked...

...no moose.  One time when we were going through, we saw a cow moose with her calf just nibbling trees near the Moran post office.  Seriously, the post office.  This day, nada.  No moose.  And yes, we even checked at the post office ;).  Oh well, it's hard to be disappointed when the scenery looks like this...

We took the little Junction road back up into the park.  Stopping alongside Jackson Lake, at the same spot as the day before...

Totally different!  Amazing how just a tiny bit of wind could change the scene so much...

Before long, we were back in Yellowstone...

We slowly made our way back up to the lake...

...then out the East Entrance towards Cody, Wyoming...