Day 3: Helena, MT to Sheridan WY - 388 miles
Headed south down Hwy 287 and detoured through the small farming community of Three Forks.
Today it's back on the freeway. The speed limit in Montana is 80 MPH, so giddyup! I generally stay off freeways, but sometimes
there are too many miles that day and sometimes it's fun just to go fast. Freeways out here are in great shape and built for high speeds.
Left Three Forks and got on to I-90 to Bozeman, home to Montana State University. Great college town, well taken care of. It's also home to the Museum of the Rockies - with a vast collection of dinosaur bones, a car or two and even some Viking stuff.
You can head straight south from here and end up in Yellowstone - just 90 miles away. But we went east and ducked into the great little town of Livingston. These towns are wonderful stops. Main Street is usually like it was 60, 70 or 80 years ago. There are generally no new buildings - just old buildings modernized and fixed up for today's lifestyle. Lots of original neon signage never hurt anyone, either.
A few miles further down the road is Big Timber. Another small town with a great Main Street.
About 20 years ago a client of mine worked for a chip manufacturer in Portland. His hobby was making vintage guns and knives. While vacationing through Montana one year, he toured the Shiloh Rifle Manufacturing Co. in Big Timber. He had a thought - "Hey, I'd like to work here." He talked to the owners, but they said they were a small family operation and really didn't have an opening. When he got home 2 weeks later, there was a message on his answering machine - "We saw your passion for gun making. We created a position. But, we can only pay you 40% of what you make in Portland." His portfolio allowed for it, so he packed up his wife and two young girls and left. Had a blast making guns for 8 years. He eventually retired to Utah and we stopped in to see them on our way back from Zion in 2019. He has a tool and die shop in his big garage and still gets after it. You have to follow your passion in life. It's like Curly said in City Slickers, "One thing.
Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean shit." So true.
Hopped back on to I-90 and headed to Billings. A quick tour of downtown netted one picture. Nice place.
But we had to scoot to get to Little Big Horn before they closed. Just made it. Custer's Last Stand. June 25, 1876.
The Battlefield is spread over many hundreds of acres of rolling grasslands. Custer basically brought tired men and horses to the battle, split his forces, expected the enemy to run away, but was surrounded and greatly outnumbered. Most of the soldiers were buried where they fell, but were eventually moved to a proper cemetery. The large cemetery grew to also include thousands of other veterans of our nation's wars.
Very moving site.
Back on to I-90 for a spectacular drive to Sheridan in the fading light. Really wanted some pics. It was not to be. Rolled into Sheridan after dark.