06/05/05. That night we stayed at the relatively new RV park '7th Cavalry RV Park' in Garyowen, MT. Great little park with excellent views. The park is just 5 miles down from the Little Bighorn Battlefield. We did not have enough time to check this site out as we had delayed to long at Devils Tower. The only down side to the park is the county maintained dirt road going into the park. Really picked up some dust on that one, but the park is first rate.

My best shot of Devils Tower. Man, this is a place to see, it just pops straight up almost. More impressive is the fact that people regularly climb this mount. June the climbers are asked (strongly encouraged) to abstain from climbing as Native American tribes hold spiritual ceremonies during this time.

06/05/05. On the road to Bozeman, MT, to see my brother and his family, we had to take the detour and check-out Devils Tower in Wyoming. Worth the extra time. I might add, that the Family Restaurant just down the road less than a mile (south west of tower) was a real treat and served up some really good burgers and sandwiches. I recommend them for a hunger stop.

06/04/05. Getting off the tour bus, we got a welcome from local constables interested in our "doin's." Added a real flare to the town experience.

While in Deadwood we had to check out Wild Bill Hickcock's final resting place (yes, he is perported to actually being resting here). Interesting note; as a child, he had a protruding upper lip which is the reason he wore a mustache his whole life, and is partly responsible for his nickname of Wild Bill. Apparently, children being what they are had named him Duck Bill because of this protruding lip, but as he grew older, it became readily apparent that he would be a rather large man by then standards. Over 6 feet tall. After several "discussions" about his old nickname, the monicker changed to Wild Bill. Ain't history fun. At least history as dished out by the local tour guide.

06/03/05. Made it to Deadwood, SD. Interesting little Ex-goldtown now a gold town of a different sort - gambling.

06/14/05. The Alaska Adventure begins.

Today we left Bozeman and arrived at Dick's RV Resort in Great Falls, MT. Tomorrow, we will meet with our fellow Special Military Active and Retired Travel (S.M.A.R.T.) Club. We're real excited to get this portion of the trip under way. Met with the Wagon Masters Jerry Pape and his wife Donna, and his assistant Wagon Masters Ed Pape and his wife Kathy. Nice folks.

06/03/05. The helo ride provided a different look than we could get through the visitor center, though the cost is a little bit more (haha). Tomorrow, we head out for Sturgis, Deadwood, and Spearfish Canyon. We really loved the Rapid City area for all that there was to see and do, whether you have a family or not, this is a place to visit.

Another treat for us was the helicopter ride we took. This little outfit, "Black Hills Arial Adventures," proveded an up close view of the Crazy Horse Monument being constructed. Great ride and a good pilot.

06/03/05. We saved the best for last. Christa really wanted to see the Rushmore monument. Here a fellow tourist assisted with the traditional group shot to show we were here. Fantastic site, truly worth the trip. The Monument was, of course, the reason for coming here.

06/02/05. Christa eturned from Florida today after a day's delay due to weather trying to get out of Tallahassee. I had to take her out to the edge of the Lazy J RV park we had moved to to show her why I opted for a different park then where we were originally at.

06/01/05. One of the main sights to see is the large herds of north american bison. Here a group were gathered around the road side. You could almost reach out and touch them. A couple of bikers in front of us found this situation to be a bit intimidating.

06/01/03. Another must see in the area is Custer State Park. Beautiful. You just have to dive through to check this out.

06/01/05. The most enjoyable part of the entire park was the baby bear exhibit. These guys played, tussled, and frolicked the whole time we were there. Sat there for an hour just watching these cute little fellas.

06/01/05. Another really great attraction to the area is Bear Country USA. This drive through park lets you get up close and personal with wolves, big horn and dall sheep, mountain goats, bison, and about 250+ bears. A real treat.

Some kept him on his toes. Here he had one piece left and these fellows wanted their share.

Although there were several other shows offered, this was the winner. The trainer pictured had a hungry bunch of gators and crocs on hand and handled these guys pretty well. The photo only shows a representative of the number of inhabitants in the enclosure (around 40 if I had to guess).

06/01/05. Inside the solarium, one can find many beautiful birds, orchids and other plants, lizards and snakes (Boas actually) all loose in this controlled environ.

06/01/05. The next stop was the Reptile World attraction. Family owned, this interesting amusement featured rare and exotic birds, insects, plants, and of course, reptiles.

5/1/05. The entrance to the right is the smaller 75 foot cave used by Sitting Bull and other native americans as a food locker. the temperature in the caves stays a cool 45 degrees year round. As stated, this is a vigorous tour with the initial descent being about a hundred feet to the vertical. A ladder broken into four sections with rest stops provides access. Most areas of the cave are only accessible by experienced cavers going in on their bellies.