Americana

July 15, 2015


The World is a Book, and those who do not Travel only read one page.

We have a nice breakfast cooked outdoors at the Alpine Inn and leave Red Lodge heading east towards the town of Bear Creek. We pass the site of the Smith Mining Disaster of 1943. 74 men died in a coal mine explosion, the worst in Montana history. From there we head into the Big Horn National Forest and the Big Horn Scenic Highway. The road is spectacular rising quickly via tight turns and hairpins to nearly 10,000 feet. Near the summit is the Medicine Wheel. For centuries, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel has been used by Crow youth for fasting and vision quests. Native Americans also go to Bighorn to offer thanks for the creation that sustains them, placing a buffalo skull on the center cairn as a prayer offering. The road then meanders through high prairie meadows ending after 80 miles near Ranchester, where we fuel up. We decide to head to the town of Broadus and hopefully spend the night. The terrain looks to be pretty flat so we opt for the faster route and jump on the highway. The highway is pretty pleasant as we cruise through the plains at 80. We exit at the site of the Battle of Little Big Horn. I can't help but wonder what it must have been like there 140 years ago. The names that seemed just fictional, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Custer now seem so real. 

Lame Deer
About an hour past Little Big Horn we enter the Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Temps are in the 90's so we take a break and stop in the town of Lame Deer. We pull into town and stop at the convenience store. The lot is full and the store is bustling, After a moment we notice everyone is native American, and the signs of poverty become obvious. The cars are barely running and held together with duct tape, there are people sitting anywhere there is shade and we are approached by several, asking for money. We grab a couple of ice cream bars and hangout in the shade. We almost feel like foreigners here. A man with a long gray ponytail heads towards us from underneath some trees. His walk is confident as he approaches with a big smile. His name is Eddie Whitedirt, not Browndirt, he says with a big grin. He asks about our journey, and if we are here for the Sundance Celebration. He explains that it is a Cheyenne Celebration of Nature, where the local tribes get together to thank the sun and the earth, the trees and plants for providing for them. It lasts for 3 days with ceremonial dancing and food. We wish we could stay, but it doesn't start for 3 more days. He also tells us we should come back in September when the Pony Relay happens. Local groups race ponies, and Eddies eyes light up as he tells us how the Cheyenne Ponies are the best, black with white paint, and how they always beat the Crow! A few more folks pass by and ask for money. Eddie checks out my "horse" and we suit up and say goodbye,  after he hits me up for a few bucks. I liked Eddie, he was a proud man, accepting what he had, living on the small piece of dirt granted them by the government who took it from them to begin with. 

Broadus
 We arrive in Broadus, there are 2 motels, a gas station, an IGA, a few cafes and at least 5 Casino/Bars, apparently if you have a few slot machines you can be a Casino. Neither motel looks very appealing. We stop for gas and the attendant tells us of a small new hotel the Sagebrush Inn. We find the Inn, but there is no one in the office. There is a phone number on the wall, no cell service. I walk to the USDA office next door and ask to use the phone, the girl is helpful and tries the number, nothing. it seem the cell tower is down. She tries the number on the land line, no luck. She says the next closest hotel is 100 miles away... ugh.

Now we try and decide, on the bike for 2 more hours or seedy motel. In the nick of time Dan, the owner, shows up and we get a room. It's new and clean, we have a beer, a shower and walk into town. Not many choices, 2 to be exact. We opt for the Bowling Alley.  It's right out of the fifties. Metal chairs and tables, an "Out of Order' Juke box, and 5 bowling lanes. We grab a table over looking the lanes. There is a family with small kids trying to bowl. It seems the ball return doesn't work so every time a kid throws a gutter ball, the older gentleman who owns the place runs down and retrieves it. Dinner is ok and the chilled red wine is surprising  pretty good, and it's cheap. Some big thunderstorms roll by giving us a great lightning show. The Inn provides coffee and a little breakfast. There are still a few showers in the morning, so we get a slow start heading to Deadwood South Dakota.