Once we got to the Canadian/U.S. border we expected things to run pretty smoothly, seeing how we returning to our own country, but unfortunately we once again had an issue with firewood. We didnt think it a big deal thoe and just assumed that we would simply need to dispose of it like we had before and we’d be on our way. But apparently the U.S. side does things differently and they actually made us turn around, wait in the line to go back through the Canadian border crossing, enter Canada, discard of our firewood on their soil, and then get back in line to go through the U.S. border crossing. It was the most ridiculous system ever and ended up setting us back about 45 minutes to an hour. So frustrating! But there wasn’t anything we could do about it. It is after all all for the story right? đ
From there we traveled into Montana but decided to make a little side stop when I recognized a place my family had gone to when I was 12 and we’d gone up to Canada. That of Smashed in Head Buffalo Jump. I could still remember it fairly vividly and so we decided to make the 10 minute detour to see it. Little did we know that we’d spend over two hours there, but it really was quite the cool place with lots of interesting history.
If you don’t know the history of this place, basically the indigenous people used this site for over 5500 years to kill buffalo by driving them off the 36 foot high cliffs. They would create “drive lanes” out of rocks, and then dress up as coyotes and wolves and wave the buffalo through the lanes. Then they would also have “buffalo runners” who would try to keep the buffalo running in the right direction and if successful – right off the cliff for an easy kill. This became a much more productive way of getting the meat, fur, horns, and bones the people would need to survive the harsh winters.
The funny thing though is that the site actually didn’t get its name from the buffalo’s heads being smashed in from falling off the cliff, but the name came from a young brave who went down beneath the cliffs and perched himself under an overhang to watch the buffalo fall to their deaths, only to have his own head smashed in when so many buffalo piled in front of him. Crazy story, but thats how it got its name.
We lucked out too and just happened to show up JUST as a Native American Dance performance started. Saweet! We loved seeing all the intricate costumes and different styles of dance.
We ended up just having lunch at a gas station we stopped out somewhere in Idaho and Adam had to laugh when he set up lunch on the picnic table, but the kids all moved to the only spot they could find with shade. See the 4 kids just under the sign there on the grass?
