In Custer, MT, a "Census-designated place in Montana" (a CDP i.e. not even big enough to qualify as a township), I spent one dollar to hear Prince's "Kiss" on the jukebox at the town's restaurant/motel/bar (the facility combination due not to extravagance but rather the exact opposite). I watched as one Montana tough guy turned to another: "Now whas that?" The other said "Ah yeh thas Prince from Back in th' day." The other nodded: "Mmmm" and took a long drink.

The name of this tiny and insignificant town comes from General Custer who lost the Battle of Little Bighorn nearby.

On the way, I stopped to visit the top of Pompey's Pillar, a local landmark for Lewis & Clark. One thing that really struck me in this region is how OBSESSED locals are with Lewis & Clark. They love them!! They are rock stars to the people who live here. Montanans cannot get enough of good ol' L&C, reading books, reading their notes, reading novelizations of their notes. Signs explaining that L&C might have been here maybe for a day litter the sides of the local highways. People talk about them all the time in great reverence.. "oh you know Lewis and Clark probably ate the bark of this tree to survive." And then they would eat that same tree bark because they thought that was pretty cool.