May - Exploring Our New Area

On our days off in May, we tried to get out and explore the area.

The first week, we drove south on the old highway to Dayton, WY and then west on Hwy 14 into the Big Horn mountains. The highway climbs up and up to the top of the mountain ridge.  There were still mountain meadows covered with snow, we could see snowmobile tracks yet on some of them. Our plan that day was to drive further on Hwy 14A to Lovell, but when we came to Burgess Junction we found the 14A was still closed because of snow.  To get back home now, we either had to turn around or make a loop south and east. We continued on Hwy 14 south to see more new sights and our next stop was Shell Falls.  A beautiful area in the Bighorn National Forest, the water was running strong from all the snow melting from the mountains.  We drove on, turning south again at Greybull and then took a little short cut on Hwy 31 at Manderson.  This took us down to Ten Sleep, then turned east on Hwy 16 to go up across the Powder River Pass, 9655 feet elevation.  It became very cloudy and we even had periods of rain - we hoped it would not turn to snow.  Back to Buffalo, then north on I-90 to Sheridan.  We had an early supper at a very popular restaurant there, Sanfords. Historical pictures, license plates, and decor gave us plenty to look at and they had a large selection on their menu.  We stopped afterward at the Wyoming Cattle Company, a restaurant which also houses the Luminous Brewery.  Gary liked their Steamboat Oat Stout and I liked their Kolsch.

Shell Falls

Wyoming scenery

Sanford's decor - Sheridan

Montana sunset

Our next visit that week was to the Big Horn County Museum in Hardin.  This was very interesting, we spent over three hours there looking at all the exhibits.  They have about twenty restored buildings on the grounds from the area in the early 1900's.  A train depot, Will James's studio and cabins and a large barn building filled with farm and commercial vintage vehicles.  We found the Campbell Farming Corporation - Camp 4 buildings and information very interesting.  Thomas Campbell became the owner of the largest privately owned wheat farm, 95,000 acres, near Hardin to produce food for the war effort. He was a Brigadier General during WWII and invented the "fire bomb" used in that war.  The exhibit had the bathhouse, commissary, bunkhouse and cookhouse where the farming crews lived and were fed at one of four camps. www.nps/gov/bica/learn/historyculture/tom-campbell.htm  Everything at the museum was preserved very well and the information presented clearly, we enjoyed our visit there.

Lodge Grass Depot

Restored machinery

On my birthday, Gary did not find time to make a dessert, so we went to the Trading Post near the battlefield for supper.  As we were leaving the motorhome and getting in to the car, we heard bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace"!  Looking around, we saw the bagpiper standing at the top of the flagpole hill.  What a treat for my birthday!

One afternoon/evening we went up to Billings.  We stopped to see our friends Bill and Darla McLain, who worked for Bretz RV Center for the summer.  They were working that day, but we stopped and said hi (saw Bill wearing a tie :) - he is our foreman at the sugar beet harvest) and made plans to get together another time.  That evening for supper we picked up friends from Arizona, Marshall and Dianne Dennis, who were in town overnight as part of their western United States summer tour.  It was great to catch up with them, we will see them in Arizona over the winter.

May 16 - we went to the Wild Horse Bucking Sale and Rodeo in Miles City, MT.  Our co-workers Deb and Miles Tucker, went along for the day.  This sale is held the third weekend in May every year and is a major auction of rodeo stock.  We missed the parade, but walked around the park and looked at the exhibits and then had a great sandwich meal downtown put on by the Volunteer Fire Department.  In the afternoon, we went to the sale and rodeo.  The horses sold are not wild, but bred as bucking stock or riding horses that have been adept at bucking off their riders.  The wild horse race event is popular, teams of three cowboys had to subdue a wild horse, saddle it and then put a rider on for a lap around the racetrack.  No bridle or halter, they held on tight!  There was also bull riding and pari-mutuel horse racing.  On the way home, we just missed driving through a big storm - there was hail lying beside the road as we got closer to Hardin.

Wild horse race

Working cowboy :)

Late May, Memorial Day weekend, we had five days off, so we drove the car home. The first night we spent with my folks in Rapid City, then drove to Sioux Falls and stayed with Katie and her family. We had time to stop with flowers at the cemetery and run other errands.  I went with Katie and the boys to get their haircuts and we helped Katie prepare the garage for her rummage sale.  Saturday night we went to Gary's nephew's wedding.  It was a great time to see family at this joyous event. We enjoyed quick visits with friends and playing games with Riley and Sam.  We drove all the way back to Montana on Monday.

Grandpa and pajama boys

        

           Memorial Day at St Ann's Cemetery