Destination Notre Dame {Day 2: Bozeman to Rapid City}

Peter attempts to remove road kill.

Not surprisingly, a few of us slept late in the quiet darkness of the Bozeman hotel room, including Joseph in his floor-nest arrangement. Peter and I enjoyed a lingering coffee/breakfast hour in the hotel lobby, whereas the late-sleepers appeared, ate, and split for packing and pre-departure chores.



Without further ado, we poured back into our low-riding mini-van with Zachary at the wheel and made tracks out of Bozeman. Chauffeuring us through the Crazy Mountains on weather-weary roads, Zachary’s driving wasn’t to blame for Tim’s near sea-sickness in the way back cozy-seat where Zachary had enjoyed many hours of napping on day one. Probably wishing he’d called shotgun, Tim endured the roller coaster highway with windy gusts as his adult son captained the ship for a spell.

National Cemetery at Little Bighorn

A planned visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (formerly known as Custer’s Last Stand) coincided with lunch time and simple PB&J was on the picnic menu. Grandma Billie’s apricot jam sweetened the deal and a few pieces of left over pizza contributed a little spice. The overcast skies tampered the scorching heat sufficiently to allow us a brisk walk through the expansive monument; our youngest member dodging slow-moving tourists in a bold display of dexterity.

Hours along timeless stretches of I90 brought us safely to Rapid City where a room with a pull-a-way waited ready to host us for a few hours of rest. In the same parking lot a family friendly restaurant beckoned with rumors of amazing barbecue fare, which took a back seat to the serving of snickers ice cream pie we took back to the room to share five ways. An evening dip in a very cool pool helped sterilize a few bodies after a few days without showers and offered an hour of entertainment for those in and out of the water.

Slightly synchronized sinking

Settling down in another hotel room after another full day’s drive doesn’t happen automatically, but my super effective ear plugs allow me to doze through any amount of unrest and “move over brother” moments.



Noteworthy:

• Matthew Kelly’s “The Best Way to Live” CD captivates even lukewarm listeners and offers powerful tips for living well including:
• Spend time in the classroom of silence EVERY day, even if only for one minute.
• Never say, “I’m too young,” or, “I’m too old.” These are thinking traps.
• Finding deep peace through prayer will give us courage to do what is right.
• Having friends like AM who give you Matthew Kelly CD’s rock. Thanks, AM!
• St. MM Kolbe’s witness to self sacrifice in the face of torture and injustice inspires and motivates. What a great saint!