September 14, 2008
Again, we awoke to crystal clear blue skies and cool temperatures in Sturgis, SD. We made our way to the Harley Hall of Fame and Museum, which was one of the highlights of our trip. We had met a couple from Vermont over breakfast and they turned up at the museum. They were touring the Harley dealerships from Vermont to Sturgis and then back home again! Their son works in a Harley plant, just as so many sons of other couples’ that we met work. Cool. We hunkered down for the long drive to Billings, MT and it was beautiful and hilly, rock formations abound and we saw hundreds of prong horn antelope and mule deer and a few more prairie dogs, but not much more. As we entered the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation we were just saddened by the conditions these people live in. Very substandard housing and each house or trailer had at least one junk car in the yard and most had 3 or 4. We saw a group of young Cheyenne men hanging out in the front yard of one of the houses and they were having a few brewskis or more as evidenced by the empties on the ground.
Then we stopped at the Little Bighorn battleground and museum and were again so depressed. The white man not understanding their culture tried to force our culture on them and no wonder they went to war!! It is unfortunate that the white man could not just try to understand their culture and let them be. I know that is a naïve view, but there should have been another way.
Not much to write about today because it was a catch up day since we didn’t drive much yesterday. Hoping to get to Washington State by Tuesday.