Sheridan - Wyoming 2013

6-11-13
In the morning I walked around the camping area. It is a big meadow, belonging to the gun club. The rifle range is across the road. There are about 30 sites with electrical hook up. Two members of our group use the electrical connection. They pay $ 10.00 per day. The rest of us dry camp and we donate one dollar per day for filling the fresh water tanks and using the garbage containers. We have a view of the snow covered mountains.







At 10:00 AM we left for “Trail End” the home of John B. Kendrick (1857-1933) former Wyoming governor and United States Senator. He was a poor orphan who went out on his own at age 15 and became rich by ranching and investing in real estate. The mansion was finished in 1913 at a cost of $ 164,000. That would be about two million dollars in today’s money. John Kendrick was elected governor in 1914 and the family moved to Cheyenne. In 1916 he became a US Senator and the home was used only in the summer. All the original furniture is still in the home. The most modern kitchen and heating equipment was installed.



















I left after the Trail End visit and went to the Post Office, the library and got a haircut. I never paid that much for having my few hairs clipped. I avoided fancy salons and went to a regular barber shop with the red, white and blue column in front of the store.
Most of the group went to two more museums and had lunch in town.
At 3:00 PM it started to rain. The rain changed to hail and it came from the side. The motorhome was shaking and the noise was deafening. I was worried about the windows breaking. Everything turned out fine.







Our 5:00 PM circle meeting was canceled but after the rain some of us got together and talked. Pat told us that she was sitting in the driver seat of her motorhome, with the seat belts on, while her motorhome was shaking. She thought at least she was tied down when the motorhome overturned. We thought this was funny.
It was not funny when I went to bed at 9:30 PM and the storm started again. The shaking was worse while laying on the mattress. I was trying to decide whether I should get dressed again and sleep on the couch. I was really tired and wanted to sleep. Finally I turned around and did not care what happened. I must have fallen asleep right away..

6-12-13
I got up at 6:00 AM. It was still cloudy but the sun was peeking through the clouds. Joann, my neighbor, moved to an electrical site. Her refrigerator stopped working on propane. Three WINs got new refrigerators in the last three weeks, and one a new cooling unit, and there were several refrigerator repairs. We never experienced something like that before.
Most of the group went today to the Brinton Museum. The museum was a 1920s gentleman’s working ranch. The ranch is located in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains. Mr. Brinton’s ranch house is filled with exquisite works by the finest Western artists of the era including Charles M. Russel, Frederic Remington and Edward Borein.
I did not go today but hope to do it in the next few days. I went to the Post Office to see whether my new credit card arrived, not yet.
In front of the Post Office is a bronze statue named: Coming Home Sacagawea at the Headwaters of the Missouri. Sacagawea and her baby made the strenuous journey with Lewis and Clark on their expedition to the Pacific Coast. She was the interpreter.



Then I went to the Farmers CO-OP and had the 20 pound propane bottle filled up.
My next stop was Walmart. I had to buy a new sewer hose. My old one is on the road somewhere between Rapid City and Sheridan. I had it in a tube which is mounted on the rear bumper of the motorhome. The end cap of the tube came off and the hose must have wiggled itself out. This will not happen again. I drilled a hole through the tube and the end cap and put a nail through both.
On the way home I visited the Sheridan County Museum. It is a small museum highlighting the history of the county. In front of museum is a statue of a local artist.



I also went to Wells Fargo and got some money.
After the afternoon circle meeting the President of the Gun Club gave us a brief history of the club and the property we are staying on.





Maynard had mentioned that his roof air conditioner got ruined by the hail storm. I borrowed my neighbor’s ladder and took a look at mine. The thin, delicate fins on the radiator like part of the air conditioner are flattened out. There is no way I can straighten them out. I need a new roof air conditioner for the motorhome. Those things are not cheap. In the Camping World catalog the prices are between $ 750.00 and $ 1,000.00. I will wait until we get out of this area. At 6:30 PM it started to rain real hard and there was some hail coming down too. I also need a new refrigerator vent cover. The hail destroyed half of the cover. The plastic could not withstand the force of the hail. I probably lost the other half this evening.

6-13-13
Twenty one of us went to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana. It was a long drive, 85 miles one way, most of it on Interstate 90.
Last night we decided to go no matter how the weather was in Sheridan. That far away the weather could be different. As we found out later we had the better weather condition at the National Monument. Our motorhomes got pounded again by hail.
At the Visitor Center they have displays of the major people involved in the battle.





At 10:00 AM we took the one hour tour in a 12 passenger bus. Carolyn had arranged for two buses. The guide on our bus was a lady from the Crow tribe. As we drove through the monument she explained what happened on those two hot June days in 1876 in the valley of the Little Bighorn River, where more than 260 soldiers and attached personnel of the U.S. Army met defeat and death at the hands of several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors.
There are white markers were soldiers had fallen and red markers where Indian warriors had lost their life.





We stopped at several places and the guide gave as a lecture about the area.







After the tour Linda, Donna, Gene and I drove the same route in my car. We stopped at every information sign. I show only a few of them.







When we were done with this we went back to the Visitor Center for the 20 minute movie. Next we went to Battle Talk at the patio. The ranger, a former history teacher, gave a fascinating talk about Custer and the story at Little Bighorn.
We ate our lunch and then walked to Last Stand Hill. At this knoll Custer and approximately 41 of his men shot their horses for breastworks and make a stand.
A large monument with the names of the fallen is located at this spot.









Since the view about Native Americans has changed, the Park Service erected an Indian monument. All the tribes who fought in the battle are represented, and the fallen warriors names inscribed.













Near the Visitor Center is the Custer National Cemetery. Soldiers from all the wars are laid to rest here.



The political leaders in this fight were President Grant and Sitting Bull. Grant faced a terrible economy and Sitting Bull did not want to change his way of life. White settlers had ignored the treaty the United States had signed with the Indian tribes. The government wanted to buy the Black Hills from the Indians. They refused because according to their believe nobody owns the land. The Indians had a victory at Little Bighorn but lost their land and ended up in reservations, something they hated.



6-14-13
The wind woke me up at 11:30 last night. I closed all the hatches and went back to sleep. This morning blue sky greeted me.
I walked up the hill and enjoyed the Bighorn Mountains and our little motorhome village.



Many of the group went for a hike. I drove to the library, then to the Post Office. I had mail, but my credit card has not arrived yet. I was not lucky at the RV parts store either. They were out of the refrigerator vent covers. When Phil was at the store they had six left. A lot of campers needed them after the hail storm. There is no other store in town. I have to wait until we get to Cody.
From the store I went to the Brinton Museum in Big Horn. The museum has works by the finest Western artists like Charles M. Russel, Frederic Remington and Edward Borein.
Since I was the only visitor I got a private tour of the ranch house. I could not take pictures inside, only outside.









The ranch is at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains.



In the evening we went to the Elks Lodge for Fish and Chips. This was a disaster. The food for most of us did come 45 minutes after the first two received their meal. Mine was cold when I got it. The band was good and I danced a few times. I left early and the women made me feel guilty. They were short one man after I left.

6-15-13
I spent ninety minutes in the library this morning. My former employer changed the investment company which handles my pension. I had to fight my way through the new system. I also did my regular computer work.
My next stop was the Post Office. In the mail was my new credit card. I went back to the library and activated it. Now I am free to leave tomorrow for our new camping location. The host is gone already and the group will leave Monday morning. I will leave early so I will have time Monday morning to buy a new vent cover for the refrigerator and install it.
At Walmart I bought a few things I needed. Some other people of the group had the same idea.
I also walked along Main Street and looked at the old buildings and the statues. The biggest one is called: Boss.



The Flower girl and the Cowboy are charming.





On one building is a large mural of people of the past.







This was a wonderful outing. Most of us liked Sheridan. The hail storms cost us some money but could not dampen our spirits. Today was another perfect weather day.