It's occurred to me, that I haven't added in one of my "short stories" for awhile. Let's fix that. For those new to the blog, these are stories I haven't shared yet, because seriously most people have the attention span of a gnat, so I try to keep our posts short. Anyway....
You know when you are on a road trip and you pass the sign that says "Historical site this exit" or something along those lines - depending on what state you're in? Well, in our many travels over the years -and not just in our Escape Pod, but in any one of a 100 rental cars we've had- we have seen those signs and said "Oh, that would be cool" or "We'll stop on our way back", and for whatever reason, it doesn't happen. I'm pleased to report that this wasn't one of them. Even more to the point, this happened during one of our longest travel days.
The sign said, "Custer's Last Stand" Next Right. So I told Mike, take this right. He asked "Why"? - As it turned out, he didn't catch the sign, he was doing his job and paying attention to the road- a novel concept these days. And once we turned and he saw the welcome sign he was glad we took the turn.
We knew it was already going to be a long day, but this was one of those moments when, if we didn't stop, somehow it would have been wildly disrespectful. There have been other places where we "walked through history", but this was different. I'm not eloquent enough to put it into words, but this is a really special, yet haunting place.
There was a lot that we didn't see, but here is some of what we did. Note: They are in no particular order, but taking a few extra minutes out of your day to read the plaques won't be a waste of time....I promise.
In case you missed it, you'll see that those markers are where people from one side or the other actually fell and died. It was a wildly somber experience. I almost felt the need to whisper so as not to disturb whatever spirits remained. It's worth mentioning that soldiers from many wars are buried here. If we had more time, we could have spent the entire day there. Should the opportunity present itself, I will be scheduling an overnight in the area so we can do just that.
I'll leave you with this thought. If we don't stop and remember our past, we are not only doomed to repeat it, but we are doing a great dis-service to those who sacrificed everything to get us here. I believe we can, and we will; do better....
Until then, Be Well, Be Happy, and Safe Travels......