Picto Diary - 29, 30 July 2018 - Battle of the Little Bighorn

Above: Bishop. Little Bighorn Battlefield Park. Wyoming. 29 July 2018.

Bishop makes his fourth visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield Park. You can't come here enough times not to learn something new, each time, about this important phase - The Indian Wars - of American History.

There are tons of books on Custer's Last Stand. I've read at least a half dozen of them. The last I read was "The Last Days of George Armstrong Custer" by Thom Hatch, in 2015.

In the distant valley (right of image at horizon edge), on 25 June 1876, was a Sioux encampment of 7000, including 2000 warriors. From the bluffs above, five miles to the south in this image, Reno crosses the Little Bighorn with 200 cavalry, and mounts a cavalry charge from the south into the Sioux camp. He is rebuffed (or chickens out, according to your interpretation of events) and forms a skirmish line. He soon chaotically retreats to the bluffs back across the Little Bighorn River, and forms a perimeter.

Meanwhile, Custer, looking to benefit from the distraction caused by a Reno charge at the southern end of the Sioux encampment, comes north on the bluffs to near where I'm taking this image.

Custer hopes to descend the northern bluffs and enter the northern end of the Sioux camp to capture the women and children. Crazy Horse, after dispatching Reno from the Little Bighorn flats, rushes north to take on Custer. Crazy Horse takes out Custer and his troopers out on the northern bluffs, Last Stand Hill, within two hours, before he (Custer) ever had a chance to descend on the Sioux encampment.

Earlier, on his way to the north along the bluffs, departing from Reno's group, Custer, sensing Indian resistance more serious than he had anticipated, sent a runner to tell Benteen, supply train head, then four miles in back of Reno, to "bring pack [ammo etc.] fast." Some say [I say] Benteen lollygagged due to his contempt for Custer.

After Benteen arrived at Reno's perimeter, a group led by Lt. Weir, was sent with extra ammo to find Custer. Weir was beaten back to Reno's perimeter by Indians who had already taken care of Custer and his 220 men at Last Stand Hill.

Reno and company held out for 30 hours, losing 60 of 400 men (Reno and Benteen) since Reno's initial aborted charge at the Little Bighorn on the south end of the field.

After taking out Custer and pressuring Reno for thirty hours, the Cheyenne and the Sioux turned tail on hearing that Crook's Division was within reach of the Little Bighorn to the northeast, coming south from the Yellowstone River to rendezvous with Custer.

Hindsight. Custer should have waited for Benteen and his pack train to close and for Crook to arrive from the northwest before mounting his attack. Custer, reflecting on waiting to attack, felt he had to attack peremptorily because the Sioux knew he was there. Sitting Bull, Indian Chief, would skiddaddle, he felt, if he postponed his attack until Crook's arrival. — at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

Above: Bishop and Markco at Last Stand Monument, Last Stand Hill. Little Bighorn Battlefield Park. Wyoming, 29 July 2018.

Spot of monument is within fifty feet of where Custer's body was found, stripped of clothing, bullet wounds in head and torso, and a post death incision to cut the thigh muscle in his left leg.... but, otherwise unmolested.

The muscle was cut by Indian warriors to insure that Custer would not be able to ride a horse in the after life.

Many mistakes were made by the US Army at The Battle of the Little Bighorn. Not the least is Custer undertaking a gigantic challenge backed up by inept, incompetent, loser commanders, Benteen and Reno.

Lesson: If you need a team to accomplish something difficult, get good people.

Above: Bishop and Markco. Wyoming Rib and Chop House. Sheridan, WY. 29 July 2018.

NY Steak. Broccoli. Cab. Far, far above expectation for this otherwise obscure town (there are few towns in the state of Wyoming that are not obscure, however).

Restaurant is packed with deplorables. Saucy waitress. Guys work in the mines and the oil and gas fields. Drive F350s.

Life is good in today's America (something I never thought I'd see again)!

— eating dinner with great friends at Wyoming's Rib & Chop House-Sheridan.

Above: Accident site. US 16. Eastern slope, Bighorn Mountains. 30 July 2018.

I could not pass this spot without stopping to reflect.

In 2006, I was riding this section of US 16 in the Bighorn Mountains behind a BMW K1200 LT motorcycle carrying Joe and Jan. Joe, an excellent rider, was riding within the speed limit when he rounded a right hand curve, blocked to my vision by the mountain along side of the road.
As I rounded the corner, there was no sight, as expected, of Joe's K1200 LT on the road ahead. I thought to myself, maybe Joe punched it and quickly escaped my sight. Accordingly, I punched my own BMW K1200 LT, hoping to catch up. I rode about two miles up a mountain incline. Joe and Jan were nowhere in sight. I was confused. I should have seen them, considering the advanced pace at which I had ridden to "catch up."

I turned around, worried that I might have missed my friends, who stopped, unseen by me, along side of the road. When I neared the point where I had lost sight of them, a man was standing in the road waving me down. I stopped, and the man, driving a pick-up truck parked nearby, told me there had been a motorcycle accident.

I rushed to the site of the accident, below where my bike is pictured in the above image, not visible from the road. The man stopping me must have witnessed the accident... otherwise how had he known there was a crash? I don't remember, today, how the man came upon the accident, or if he was somehow involved. I remember that he made no declaration of involvement in the accident. Joe and and Jan had, for whatever reason, not completed the right hand curve, had veered across the opposite lane onto a siding, across the siding and off a virtual cliff just beyond where my bike sits in the image.

With the "witness" to the accident, I rushed to the lip of the "cliff." There, some twenty feet down the steep hill, amidst, small boulders, were Joe and Jan, lying twenty feet from one another, both conscious, but moaning in pain. The bike was lying on its side a further twenty feet down the hill.

The man had a cell phone and had called 911 before I arrived. Awaiting help, I sat by Jan and the man sat by Joe, doing what we could to keep them focused and hopeful that help was on the way. When I saw them, their helmets were removed... whether they accomplished this on their own, or, whether they were helped by the "witness," I don't remember.

The ambulance arrived within twenty minutes. I stayed at the site and watch the wrecker winch the bike up from below. I gave the tow guy my phone number.

A Wyoming state trooper arrived at the accident scene two or three minutes after the wrecker. I told the the trooper what I knew about the accident. I followed him to the point where, as noted by him, the bike left the road and entered the dirt siding. The trooper pointed out the dotted line track of the bike to the edge of the precipice. Joe had ABS braking, a good thing when braking on tarmac... but, once Joe left the tarmac, in the dirt the ABS brakes were totally ineffective, working only intermittently, as they wouldn't lock in the unstable dirt... thereby creating the dotted line in the dirt as pointed out by the trooper.

I then rode to the regional hospital in Sheridan, WY where Joe and Jan had been taken. I stayed several hours at the hospital to insure that my friends were secure and in good hands. I was able to reach Joe and Jan's family members by telephone. Then, late afternoon, I rode the hundred or so miles west across the Bighorns, to Cody, WY to join two other rider friends, His Highness, and Elk, who were riding ahead of Joe and Jan at the time of the accident.

As I stopped by the accident scene today, I realized that I remembered nothing about the subsequent ride to Cody twelve years ago... I only remembered the trauma of the event itself. I was happy that Joe and Jan had survived the accident, but, shaken that such peril is only a fraction of a moment away from any of us motorcycle riders.

In the above image, one can see, from the accident spot, the road in the trees above, where I was riding to see if Joe had punched his bike to speed ahead of me.

Joe and Jan were hurt badly, but not life threatened. Two days later they were air lifted to a major hospital in Billings, MT where they spent two weeks before being air lifted again to a rehab facility in Salt Lake City. Each had broken bones. Joe had a head injury. Full recuperation time for each was five months.

Two or three years later, Joe and Jan sold their very successful B and B business in Park City and moved to southern California, both being nearer their roots. I remain in contact with Joe and Jan today.... really good people who suffered some really bad luck.

Above: Markco observes Bighorn mountains rock formation. US 16. Bighorn Range. Wyoming. 30 July 2018.

The top layer of rock throughout the Bighorn range is limestone. These cliffs, made visible by tectonic and erosion activity, expose the limestone layer. Similar vistas of limestone cliffs appear throughout our ride, west, towards the Bighorn Basin, and Cody, WY.

Above: Bishop. Lookout. US 16. Bighorn Range. Wyoming. 30 July 2018.

Its 51 degrees and sunshine!
I've ridden the whole way with my high fashion Costco Wrangler sunglasses missing a branch.

Above: Brandin' Iron Restaurant. Lowell, WY. 30 July 2018.

Grilled cheese sandwich. Bean soup. Diet Coke.

Riding in the Pryor Range, near Lowell in 1998 on my first Big Dog ride with Dr. G, I had one of my all time best wildlife sightings.
In the Pryor Range is a wild horse reserve. Ten of us, on dual sport motorcycles, came to the crest of a hill and spooked a herd of at least fifty wild horses. The horses, to our left at ten o'clock, rode in front of us towards our right... two o'clock. The herd created a din amidst clouds of dust. The sight was spectacular... unforgettable...emblazoned into my memory.

Above: Bishop. Western Rose Motel. Cody, WY. 30 July 2018.
Rendu in Cody.

Last time Markco and Mwah (sic) were together in Cody was late September 2006. We were staying at the Irma Hotel in a room sans windows. The Irma is the original hotel underwritten and constructed by Buffalo Bill Cody.

We woke up next morning to 28 degree temperatures and 5 inches of snow on the seats of our overnight parked motorcycles.

We extended our stay by a day having heard that the forecast for the next day was clear skies, albeit cold.

On the extra day in Cody we went to an outfitter store and bought a couple of fleeces and glove liners each in anticipation of super cold temps expected the next day.

The following day we rode 60 miles to Red Lodge, MT on clean roads in 24 degree sunshine. I remember riding out of Cody when a guy and his Corvette slowed coming from the opposite direction. The guy looked at me and twirled his finger around his temple.

We stayed in the Pollard Hotel in Red Lodge for a couple of nights, after which the weather warmed up considerably.

Then, we did the 'Tooth. — at A Western Rose Motel.

Above: Bishop at Irma Hotel. Cody, WY. 30 July 2018.

We had tried and failed to get reservations at the iconic, historical Irma Hotel. Still, Markco and Mwah, had a symbolic drink together in the hotel bar. We talked to an Indian American (as in the real India) guy wearing a cowboy hat. He said he was a comic and did gigs in comedy clubs around the country. He said he was visiting this area (Cody/Bighorn Basin) because his brother and mother lived nearby.

I said to the guy that the comedy scene was difficult these days because of hyper concern with political correctness. "The Indian American Comic" replied, "do you think that I, with a dark brown skin, have a problem making politically incorrect jokes?"

Above: Markco. Wyoming Rib and Chop House. Cody, WY. 29 July 2018

Same company (restaurant) as Sheridan last night. Waitresses for Rib and. Chop must have special "saucy" training. No male waiters...they're all out working digging coal for $40 an hour. Driving lifted F350's.

Ribeye, green beans and cab. Life is good in the real world. — eating dinner with great friends at Wyoming's Rib & Chop House.

Above: Cell tower contractors. Western Rose Motel. Cody, WY. 28 July 2018.

Sittin' outside late, shootin' the bull.

Guys, deplorables, who leave their families in Dallas to contract to do dangerous work in Wyoming.

Jack, has climbed the tallest cell tower in the world... 2000 feet... in Louisiana. He says they love working in Wyoming where the cell towers aren't so high since they are all on top of mountains.

Addendum:

It was great to see the pictures of Dubois. I remember our trip way back then fondly. I still have my Dubois T shirt and wear it frequently.

El Contador,
Devon, UK

Amazing family shot.

Zib,
New York City, NY

Nice work SDT.

The Accountant,
Miami, FL

Great adventure and reporting.

Basketball,
Pelham, NY

Good afternoon Steve, Margaret, and Phoebe!

As the young drummer's piano teacher, I am proud of his accomplishments.

Most importantly, I am delighted with your support and encouragement of his efforts. He always had good rhythm, but you have helped him capitalize on his strengths.

Hope all well.

Music in the Mountains,

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Well written , we had a wonderful event full “Adventure Uncharted “ thanks to the likes of Dr. G Adventures always just around the next bend in the road 🏍😎

Markco,
Ojai, CA