Site of the Battle of Little Big Horn, MT - West Yellowstone, MT

We set off on another perfect day (incredible luck on the weather - every place we were at had bad weather a couple of days before, but perfect weather while we were there).  The goal of the day's travel was to be at Yellowstone by the end ...
We made an unplanned stop at the site of the Battle of Little Big Horn.  The land around the site is very hilly, and covered with grass.

A cemetery is on the hillside, covered with markers commemorating fallen soldiers, both from the original battle and from later generations ...

... and the dead stretched out over the hillside ...

... some of whom remain anonymous

It was a windy day, and ripples flowed through the grass like waves on the surface of the ocean ...

There were markers honoring General Custer and fallen U.S. soldiers ...

... and nearby a second set of monuments honoring the warriers defending their land and families

 ...

Standing there among the markers and the wind and the grass, I thought about the soldiers who died that day, mostly Irish and German immigrants defending their new country that represented their hopes and dreams, white men (like me) following orders and fighting for what they thought was right ... and the native people of the land, brown men (like me) fighting for their families and their homes and their way of life ...

... was it really that long ago?

Are we really that different now?

The Native Americans "won" the battle, but as I went through the nearby artifact store and it's adjoining KFC, there was no doubt who won in the end ...

Pierre was less concerned about history and more concerned about the local wildlife ... "Just keep that snake monster away from me!"

So, I rescued Pierre and we were back on the road towards Yellowstone Park ...

... and the terrain changed as our elevation climbed ...

Pierre started to get nervous.  "What kinds of wild animals live out here?  You must protect me from them all my friend!"

We ended up staying in the town of West Yellowstone, Montana.  Next day, we went into the park ... more pictures to come!  Hope everyone out there is doing well!