August 12th  Sunday

A very hot day in Cottonwood Canyon, Montana(+100). Actually the town is Fort Smith and the river is the Bighorn.This is where Custer had his last stand! Battle of the Little Bighorn and all that history. There are many sacred native American sites around and the Crow nation believed that this area was the center of the world, gaining something from the north, south east and west.

 We arrived on Thursday evening and got our site set up just in time for our "neighbors" to stop by and welcome us. 2 couples traveling together from Colorado filled us in on the hot spots for fly fishing and invited us to join them the next day on the river. Our neighbors on the other side, from Wyoming decided to join the gathering at our picnic table, and the next thing you know, wine, beer, and assorted snacks are showing up. We were the new camp hosts and it was a fun evening.

Friday morning found us getting all the fishing gear in order and the boat ready for our float. We put in on river about 3pm and didn't get out until almost 9. A bald eagle kept watch over us when we stopped at small island and did fishing from the bank. There is clearly a reason why they call it "fishing" and not "catching" a large part because the Corp of Engineers dropped the water levels in the river substantially and it really affected the fishing. A beautiful time on the river, but the fish were not interested in the tasty delights Don was offering. Saturday we decided to try our luck on the lake where better fishing and a couple of catches made it all worth while. The Big Horn River is also a place where Don relived a memory. 35 years ago there was a yearly "Boys" trip to the Big Horn and the fishing was fabulous. Shelley netted her first fish and our little boat that we put together in our garage months ago performed pretty darn good.

The evening sky here has been the starriest so far. Hot days and clear nights has provided quite the night sky for our viewing pleasure. Tonight is the Perseid meteor showers.and without a big moon the dark sky should allow for  a sky full of meteors. 
Tomorrow we depart for South Dakota, MT Rushmore, the Black Hills, and the Badlands.
As the adventure continues we are in awe of the places we have visited, the amazing changes in topography, the wide open spaces, the different smells, the sense of being so far from everything familiar yet so comfortable in our non routine routine. We find wonderful people wherever we go.  The couple next to us were fishing guides in Colorado and they tied up some flies for me which was very nice of them.  What we have learned is that people out here love to visit and lend assistance when the need arises. We have discovered a society of people in RV's that are pursuing their dreams just like we are. People from all over the world come to our great country to discover it's beauty. We are really starting to understand there is so much our country has to offer if only you are willing to leave the comfort of your home and travel the open road to the many beautiful places we have only read about. One story that was we must share is a woman we met in Kaycee Wyoming which is literally in the middle of no where.  Her name is Deb and she was waiting on us at a local restaurant(her only social life she told us). She was so inspiring. A single mom working a 30,000 acre ranch with 1100 head of cattle with just her 3 kids. The ranch is her life and she is amazing to be able to maintain such a large operation.  We have learned that everyone has a life story if  only you will take the time to ask. 
Life on the road provides some challenges but we are embracing each day and looking forward to whatever comes next which is Mount Rushmore and a visit to the Custer Museum

fly fishing the bighorn with new friends

 a happy day on the river