Little Bighorn Battlefield, A Long Car Ride, and Saddle & Paddle
Howdy, it’s Will here. On Thursday, we left the Wild Rose Center and drove toward Yellowstone. On the way, we stopped at Little Bighorn Battlefield. The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, took place on this historic site. The battle took place in 1876 and involved several Native American tribes, including the Northern Cheyenne, against the U.S. army. This battle was significant because it was the last battle that the Native Americans won before being placed on reservations by the U.S. government. After visiting the battlefield and learning about the battle, we continued our drive.
On the long car ride, we stopped in Billings to pick up food for lunches and breakfasts for the rest of the trip. We then made our way to Gardiner, a town just north of Yellowstone, where we would be staying for the night. That night, we ate dinner in town. We had unique meals such as bison burgers and elk burgers. The next day, we woke up and headed to the ranch to ride horses. The horses all followed the trail as we rode through the hills. My horse, Tomahawk, was good friends with Mason’s horse, José. On the ride, we saw lots of cows and deer. My favorite part of the ride was when one horse would start sprinting, and all the horses would follow.
After the horseback riding, we headed to the whitewater rafting location. After eating lunch, we put on our helmets and wetsuits and hopped in a bus. The bus drove us to the place where we started rafting. When we started rafting, we immediately encountered many rapids, which made the ride exciting. Soon after, in calmer water, we had the opportunity to jump in the water and go for a quick swim. After the swim, we took turns doing what’s called, “riding the bull.” This is when one sits on the front of the raft and tries not to fall in. When I tried, I fell in anyway. Overall, although we were sad to leave the Wild Rose Center, we had many fun and new adventures in the days that followed.
