After crossing the border from Canada into the U.S. we stopped along the way to see Great Falls and Custer's last stand in Montana. Both stops were very interesting. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center features a stopover of the Discovery Expedition at a huge waterfall. There were very interesting displays and movie about the expedition and what happened here.
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| Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center |
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| Little Bighorn Native American Memorial |
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| Grave markers for each soldier |
Custer's last stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn is also definitely worth the stop. We spent a few days exploring the area and found the National Monument gave a very balanced view of the cavalry and the Sioux and Cheyenne. Custer and 262 other soldiers lost their lives in this ill conceived battle. It's very sobering to see the graves where each of the soldiers died. A tombstone marks where each soldier died across a now peaceful battlefield. I won't go into all the history of this battle but encourage you to stop and experience it for yourself.
We then spent a few days in Colorado Springs tat the beautiful Air Force Academy military campground o do some much needed shopping and a few repairs. Our motorhome had been having a difficult time ascending hills and it was steadily getting worse. We had to pull over frequently to cool the engine down which can be a scary thing on major highways. It wasn't possible to have it diagnosed in Alaska but our campground gave us a great reference to a diesel shop. They found out there were huge amounts of dust, debris, and mud packed in the very tight spaces of the radiator and transmission cooler. They said it was a common problem and gave us a couple of options. The best one was to drop the radiator and clean it thoroughly. It took the mechanic most of the day and he said it was by far the best option. The good news is our motorhome run like a champ. Maybe we will even get a little bit better gas mileage. They did recommend spraying water with a high pressure monthly into this area to keep it clear. Maybe you should do this too!
The weather suddenly turned very cold and we got a welcome phone call from our friends in Albuquerque. How would we like to come visit them and be able to go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Dub and Rae live in a 55 plus community which has two RV spots available for guests. Well, we didn't have to think about this offer very long and headed quickly in their direction. We were planning on going to Albuquerque but not until the Fiesta was over.
It was great to see Dub and Rae and we had fun sharing stories of Alaska and Canada. They had gone there long ago when it was even more of an adventure. We shared lots of laughs and some great food. We also were able to arrange a dinner together with two couples we had traveled with this summer. It was great fun.
We went to two mass ascensions able to at the Balloon Fiesta and what a joy it was to see all the beautiful hot air balloons. This is our fourth time attending and we just couldn't resist taking way too many photos. Here are just a few.
After the Fiesta we returned for a second time to volunteer at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. This beautiful refuge is located about 80 miles south of Albuquerque. It 's home in the fall and winter to thousands of Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, song birds, and lots and lots of ducks. There are great wildlife opportunities as well. Occasionally you might spot an elk, bobcat, or if you are very lucky a mountain lion. When we arrived it really felt like we had come home. We saw some of our friends and seeing the refuge in all it's fall colors is just spectacular.
The Sandhill Cranes will eventually reach over 12, 000 and more and more are arriving each day. Our orientation started on October 22nd and even though we have participated with this in the past we learned so much. What is really exciting is there is an excellent corn crop this year. This refuge recreates what the Rio Grande River used to do and has grown over 1.1 million pounds of grain to feed their hungry visitors. They also flood fields in a very orchestrated and technical way for the wildlife to enjoy.
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| Wild Turkey |
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| Snow Geese |
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| Sandhill Cranes at dawn |
