Big Hole National Battlefield Monument

 In the summer of 1877 five bands of Nez Perce Indians consisting of 800 people, including 250 warriors, began a 1,170 mile journey from northeastern Oregon and central Idaho over the Bitterroot Mountains and through the Montana Territory. Though they were herding more than 2,000 horses and carrying whatever possessions they could manage, the Nez Perce made this long and difficult trek in less than four months. United States Army troops under General Oliver O. Howard had orders to place these five bands of Nez Perce on a small reservation in central Idaho. The Nez Perce had hoped to elude the soldiers, but they were forced to stop and face their pursuers several times. The battle with the highest number of casualties during this epic odyssey took place in the Big Hole Valley of southwestern Montana. The Battle of the Big Hole was a tragic turning point of what came to be called the Nez Perce War of 1877. The view above is from the visitor center, looking down on the battlefield. Teepee poles can be seen in the same spot where the original encampment was placed.

 We took the trails leading to several points in the battle. From this viewpoint we could look down on the entire valley.

 The soldiers attacked from the forested hillside, here showing the bushes and trees growing along a winding creek.

 A monument has been erected telling the names and numbers of soldiers lost in the battle. The army, under the control of General Howard, conducted a sneak attack on the sleeping Indians early in the morning. 60 to 90 members of the tribe were killed, mostly women, children and the elderly. The warriors quickly launched a counter attack where 29 soldiers were killed and 40 wounded. In a military sense, the Nez Perce won the battle, but had to continue to flee.

 We were tired from our hike on the hillside, but we absolutely had to take the trail leading out to the Indian encampment on the valley floor. Imagine our shock and surprise when this majestic moose crossed our path right in front of us. I barely got the camera turned on in time! We sneaked around the bush to see where he'd gone and found him looking at us. I snapped another photo before he gracefully leaped away into the bushes. I remembered the sign at the beginning of the trail warning us to stay away from any wild animals we might encounter! We had gotten a little closer than we should have, but it was the moose's doing, not ours!

 These teepee poles were erected in recent years by Native Americans honoring their dead. The entire valley is preserved as a burial ground, undisturbed and treated with the respect due to these tragically wronged peoples. (Click to enlarge.)

We could almost hear the wails and the cries of the women, children and elders who were attacked without warning. Thunder and lightning surrounded us, adding to the spirit memories
of the long ago Nez Perce travelers. Some of the most heart-rending words I've ever read were spoken by Chief Joseph as part of his tribe escaped into Canada while he stayed behind caring for the weak and sick ones.

"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed...It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death...My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."

Philipsburg, Montana

 Today, Philipsburg, an old Montana mining town, was on our agenda. The map said we'd go about 50 miles on I-90, then 20 plus on the scenic Pintler Loop to Philipsburg. Well, always one to want to avoid the freeway, Mr. Keith asked if there were another way. There was the Rock Creek Road, a gravel and dirt road that did indeed come out at the town, but whose condition was unknown to us. We loved the scenery along the creek, but the road got more narrow and more bumpy as we went along. After 20 miles we came across a worker who advised us that the road only got worse and worse and she would never take her car on it, so we reluctantly turned around and retraced our miles back to the freeway. An hour later we'd reached our destination.

 Philipsburg was founded in 1867 and grew rapidly at a “rate of one house a day,” and by year’s end had reached a population of about 1,500 residents. At the height of its prosperity, Philipsburg enjoyed the mining boom of the late 1800s, and today honors that past. The town is fully occupied and caters to tourists. On this hot day, the streets were lined with cars and the sidewalks with people going in and out of the many gift shops, museums, and of course the famous Candy Palace, the largest candy store we'd ever been in. We succumbed and bought a bag of delicious taffy made on site.

 At last, we were able to have the buffalo burger I've been wanting since we came to Montana at the beginning of the season! The Doe Brothers' Restaurant was in an old original store, one with the high ceilings and creaky wooden floorboards. We split the burger, since we can't eat that much any longer! Today we stayed mainly in the town. Philipsburg also has garnet mining for the tourists, and a mostly ruined ghost town called Granite up in the hills above the town. We'd toured those before but because of our late arrival after our Rock Creek exploration we chose to stay closer in.

 I had to snap a photo of this unusual blue-eyed, brown-eyed and friendly doggie named "Annie"!

 This majestic building has "High School" carved into the tower, but actually houses kindergarten through 12th grade. It was built back when the town was founded and is still in use around 150 years later.

 The Pintler Highway goes through this beautiful valley, so typical of the western Montana scenery. There were cows everywhere, peacefully grazing the day away.

We were intrigued by this odd tree stump decoration. It looks like a variety of cow, mountain goat, deer, and maybe some other assorted horns and antlers. All in all, our trip today was rewarding and we learned more about Montana history. The best part may have been the taffy and the buffalo burger!

Parsons Ponies

One of our most fun jobs at the Missoula KOA has been to help out every Friday evening with the pony rides provided by Parsons Ponies and the KOA. We've had a crowd of kids and their proud parents lined up each time, eagerly awaiting their turn to ride. Suzi brings 3 ponies and the kids are allowed to choose which one to ride. This is Dave, leading a thrilled little boy on Frosty. Mr. Keith is the photographer.  http://www.parsonsponies.com/

Suzi is very careful to make sure each child is properly seated on the pony. She instructs them about the saddle, how to hold on, where to put feet, and then walks beside them calmly explaining about the pony and about riding horseback.

A hot day for riding, but no less exciting for the young ones! The pony rides take place in one of the KOA's fenced dog enclosures and are provided free of charge for the registered campers.

Our granddaughter Natalie, age 13, is spending 2 weeks with us. I believe the most happy times for her have been helping out with the pony rides. She's had some experience with riding at her other grandma's ranch, and she possesses a calm and careful way with children. Suzi has encouraged her and taught her the process of giving children these memorable times during their camping experience at the KOA.

We were thrilled to be invited out to Suzi and Dave's ranch south of Missoula to see all the ponies and some of the bigger horses. Suzi brought out the biggest horse, Henry, for Natalie to ride. Once again, she carefully instructed her rider in every aspect of saddling up and preparing Henry to be ridden. She even showed Nat how to clean out Henry's hooves prior to fitting him with special shoes for the ride.

A happy cowgirl out in the beautiful Montana pine forest at the ranch!

This photo is a priceless one of Natalie, back at the KOA getting ready to lead out one of the ponies for the waiting young campers. We have made plans to go back to Parsons Ponies, the ranch, for one last ride on Natalie's final day with us before returning home. I know she will long remember the awesome experience given to her by this wonderful couple and their equine friends in gorgeous Montana!

Discoveries on a Country Drive

There was lots of smoke in the air from wild fires in Montana, but we decided we needed to get out for a drive on our day off. We'd been up the Bridger Canyon Road in the spring and were amazed by the beauty. At this time of year the green hills have gone to tans and browns, but it is still beyond gorgeous. We found the Bridger Bowl Ski Lodge, looking lonely on a hot summer day.

Coming down from the Bridger Canyon Road we spied a long, straight road, the Springhill Road, going north from Bozeman. Several miles up a turn-off said "Springhill Community Road". We wondered what could be up that gravel lane, since we knew there was no town there. We found an old, well kept historical Presbyterian church, built in 1886 and very obviously still being used, though there were no houses around.

 A picturesque barn along the road.

 And, here is a school, built in the same era as the church. We couldn't tell if it was still being used. The entire road was several miles long with each of these buildings spread widely apart. There were 2 or 3 houses along the way, also far apart, and at the end of the road, right up against the hills, was a bed and breakfast, quite out at the end of nowhere!

This is the view from the Springhill Community, the Bridger Range. Big round bales of hay dot the landscape. I think it's interesting how the prairie farmland is flat right up to where the mountains rise. There is no gradual ascent anywhere in the valley.

 Horses are abundant in Montana. I love these two mama horses with their youngsters!

Back out on Springhill Road heading south to Bozeman we drove past this beautiful sunflower field. All the flower faces are looking towards the mountains except for a curious one or two who seemed to be checking us out when we stopped to take a picture.

Travels from Wenatchee to Bozeman

This might seem a funny display of photos, but on our travels we can't really sight-see except as we're driving. We can't pull that big 5th wheel and truck into just any place! After we left Wenatchee, got diesel and gas at Rock Island and visited with my sister and hubby at a rest stop near Quincy, we were ready for the trip to Bozeman to really begin. This photo is near Ritzville, out in eastern Washington. I can't go through this area without thinking of my blogging and facebook friend, Char, who is also traveling around in a motorhome with her husband. Ritzville is their homebase.

One of the most beautiful places we've workamped is in North Idaho. We could live there! I love the old mining town of Wallace, the site of the last stoplight on I-90. To solve that problem the new part of the freeway was built right over the top of the town. Though we've toured there many times in our little car, there is no way we could take the "house" down into the town. So here is my photo of Wallace for this trip.

I love the sky here — Big Sky Country! This is just across the border of Idaho and Montana, before Missoula. We had come over Lookout Pass and down into this valley. Coming into Montana almost feels like coming home, since we worked two summers at the KOA in Missoula and traveled all around this gorgeous countryside.

Our spot at the Missoula KOA. We love coming here because most of the same folks we worked with are still here. It was a great place to work and is always a fun place to visit! We had company from the time we set up till we went to bed, and then again in the morning as we were getting ready to pull out.

Well, here is a scene without the 5th wheel! We had stopped at a rest stop along the way for lunch and a nap. I am always intrigued by this tall smokestack near Anaconda. I'm not sure if it is still in use, but it is awesome to look at, standing out against the hills.

On we go, heading into Butte. More Big Sky! You can't see it in this photo, but there is a huge, white statue at the top of the mountains. What looks like a tiny white slash just to the left of center is where it stands. Someone said it was a Madonna. Not sure if that's true or not. Butte is a fascinating city to tour. We've done that a couple of times when we camped in an RV park there. The old part of town consists of many red brick buildings, old mansions, strangely painted homes and businesses, and, of course, the huge, deep Berkeley Pit, now filling with water. The hills all around the city bear the marks of years of mining.

"Home" at last, our home for the next 4 months at the Bozeman KOA. I was surprised to see, although the day was hot, that the trees and flowers in Bozeman are behind what we've seen in Washington and western Montana. We get to experience spring all over again!  On our days off we plan to go to Yellowstone, Virginia City, and any other place that interests us. We will love it here!