In my previous post, I wrote about the fun we had in the Black Hills, the first stop on our very American family road trip. We continued on to Montana, where we visited the Little Bighorn National Monument, stayed in Billings for the night, and then pushed on to Yellowstone for the day.
Little BigHorn National Monument was actually incredible. Teacher Man, of course, loves his American history, but both Joe and I have an interest in this too and the site did not disappoint. 
Here is the spot where General Custer died in battle.
The boys.
This was part of the Native American memorial at Little Bighorn National Monument, which Joe really liked because of the metal artwork behind him.
Another “favorite” – seeing this warning for rattlesnakes!
Next stop after Little Bighorn was Pompey’s Pillar, just east of Billings, Montana. This is where William Clark – of Lewis and Clark fame – carved his name into a giant stone, which is still visible today. (It’s behind the bullet-proof glass behind Teacher Man’s head below.)
Here’s a closer look at the carving. Pompey’s Pillar was actually named for Sacajawea’s son, who was nicknamed “Pomp” by Clark.
Billings, Montana was interesting – our hotel was situated near the downtown area and was really nice, but the neighborhood around it seemed a little shady. We walked to the Montana Brewing Company for dinner, though, and that was a fabulous experience – excellent beer and food. We highly recommend the giant pretzel appetizer and any of the macaroni and cheese specialties!
The next day we got up early and headed for Yellowstone National Park, via the Beartooth Scenic Highway. The drive took us all the way up past 10,000 feet in elevation and the temperature dropped to the upper 50s. We marveled at all the snow still left on the mountaintops! The drive was a bit hairy for Joe, who has a strong dislike for heights but we made it safe and sound. 🙂
Amazing views!
And then …. Yellowstone!
Mammoth Hot Springs.
Old Faithful – we missed its eruptions by about 10 minutes but it was still cool to see it.
After Yellowstone, we pushed on to Grand Teton National Park and the mountains here took our breath away!
We stayed in Teton Village near the historic town of Jackson, which was an amazing experience … our resort was the base of the mountain with all the ski runs and it was a beautiful area!
From Jackson Hole, we pushed on to get back home … although we wished we would have had an extra day or two to explore this area. I’d love to go back!
I took a bunch of photos from the road in Wyoming and Montana … the views were stunning everywhere we turned!
And finally … one state away from home – North Dakota!
We put on about 2800 miles on the car, and took in so much of the beauty of this part of America – it was a whirlwind for sure and totally worth it. We saw mountains, rivers, streams, buffalo, elk, moose, prairie dogs, pronghorns, and more. (No bears, though!) So cool!
My only wish for next time would be to have a couple of extra days for the itinerary so we wouldn’t feel so rushed going through Yellowstone and also have time to spend exploring the Jackson Hole area.
For now, though, we’re happily tired and glad we’re home. 🙂
Lara