Still in Billings, Montana - Happy 4th of July

                                                           Fireworks - 4th of July



Tjenare!

Som ni forstar har vi inte tackt sarskilt mycket distans de senaste dagarna. Aterigen har vi traffat en fantastiskt trevlig familj som vi ville tillbringa mer tid med och fick erbjudandet att stanna over 4th of July-firandet pa sondagen vilket vi givetvis inte kunde tacka nej till:).

Nar vi vaknade pa fredagsmorgonen borjade vi gora oss iordning for att ge oss av ut pa vagen igen. Vi hade fatt i oss frukost och satt i taltet och plockade med diverse agodelar nar vi gemensamt kommer fram till att det vore skont med en vilodag da vi tackt ganska mycket distans de senaste dagarna. Jag gar in i koket och fragar Liz om det ar okey att vi stannar och vilar en dag och visst far vi det. Vi far lana Karens bil och ta oss runt i Billings under formiddagen och pa eftermiddagen gar vi pa varan forsta basebollmatch tillsammans med Nick och Allen. Nick erbjuder oss under dagen att stanna och fira 4th of July med dem och det kan vi inte tacka nej till. Vi tyckte det var en fantastiskt bra mojlighet till ett shysst 4th of July - firande. Hade vi lamnat Billings hade vi sakerligen firat nationaldagen i nan liten hala med 20 invanare, eller an varre med ett dussin skallerormar pa Montanas prarie:).

Pa lordagen aker vi pa en liten tur tillsammans med Nick, Liz och deras 2-ariga son Esra. De tar oss vasterut till den lilla staden Red Lodge och senare in i Beartooth Mountains. Dessa berg ar ca 4000m hoga och med fantastiska vyer. Det tillhor egentligen inte bergskedjan Rocky Mountains men fran toppen av Beartooth sa ar The Rockies sa nara att det kanns som man kan ta pa dem. Vi tillbringar nagra timmar dar med lite hiking och att aka pa regnjackorna ner for den sno som ligger kvar. Nar vi kommer till Billings igen sa hade Karen gjort iordning grillade hamburgare till middag.

Precis som i Sverige firar givetvis Amerikanarna ocksa nationaldagen. Till skillnad fran oss sa ar detta dock den nast storsta helgen pa hela aret, bara julen ar ansedd vara storre. Vi har sett Firewoorks-butiker hela vagen fran Pennsylvania och det ar enorma summor pengar som laggs pa fyrverkerier under 4th of July. 

Under formiddagen akte vi till Laurel som ligger nan timma sydvast om Billings. En relativt liten ort men massor av manniskor hade samlats for att titta pa paraden som gick genom huvudgatan. Pa 4th of July ar det tva stora event. Paraden pa dagen och fyrverkerierna pa kvallen. Det kommer polisbilar, brandbilar, gamla traktorer, gamla bilar, nya bilar, sma barn pa enhjulingar, norska langskepp och massa mer, fantastiskt kul upplevelse.

Efter paraden aker vi tillbaka till Billings for lite frisbeegolf och middag innan vi aterigen aker tillbaka till laurel pa kvallen for att titta pa fyrverkerierna. Massor av folk har samlats. Vi strosar runt och ater popcorn och tro det eller ej men friterade snickers):. Emil och jag vinner faktiskt en tavling ocksa. De har en liten utnamnesle till de som kommit mest langvaga for att fira i Laurel och vi blev givetvis snabbt bra kandidater till den tavlingen:). Senare sitter alla och vantar pa att det ska bli morkt innan de massiva fyrverkeriena borjar.

Imorrn kommer vi aterigen ge oss ut pa vagen och ni kommer att kunna hitta oss pa highway 12 vasterut mot Helena och senare Missoula:).

Hade gott allihopa

Hey!

As you can imagine, we have not covered much distance in the recent days. Once again, we met a fantastic family that we wanted to spend more time with and got the offer to spend the 4th of July celebration whit them, which we couldn't refuse:).

When we wake up on Friday morning we began making us prepared to get out on the road again. We had eaten breakfast and sat in the tent and picked with various possessions when we together come to the conclusion that it would be nice to have a rest day because we had covered quite a distance in recent days. I go into the kitchen and asks Liz if it is okay that we stop and rest for a day and ofcourse it was ok. We borrowed Karen's car and drove around in Billings during morning and in the afternoon, we went to see our first baseball game together with Nick and Allen.During the day Nick offered us to stop and celebrate the 4th of July with them and we were happy to do that. We thought it was a fantastic opportunity for a nice 4th of July - Celebrations. If we had left Billings, we certainly celebrated the national day in som e small town with 20 inhabitants, or even worse with a dozen rattlesnakes at Montana Prairie:).

On the saturday we went on a little tour with Nick, Liz and their 2-year-old son, Ezra. They took us west to the small town of Red Lodge and later into the Bear tooth Mountains. These mountains are about 4000m high and with fantastic views. It does not really belong to the Rocky Mountains mountain range, but from the top of Bear tooth seems the Rockies so close that it feels like you can touch them. We spend a few hours there with a little hiking and going on a rain jacket down to the snow that remains. When we arrived to Billings again, Karen had prepared grilled hamburgers for dinner.

  As in Sweden, of course, the Americans also celebrate the National Day. Unlike us, however, this is the second biggest weekend in the whole year, only Christmas is considered to be greater. We have seen Firewoorks stores all the way from Pennsylvania and there are huge sums of money spent on fireworks during the 4th of July.

During the morning we went to Laurel that is located southwest of Billings. A relatively small town but lots of people had gathered to watch the parade that went through the main street. Pa 4th of July there's two big events. The parade on the day and fireworks on the night.On the parade there was police cars, fire engines, old tractors, old cars, new cars, small children on unicycles, Norwegian long ships and more, fantastic experience.

After the parade we headed back to Billings for some disc golf and dinner before we went back to Laurel in the evening to watch the fireworks. Lots of people have gathered. We stroll around and eat popcorn and believe it or not, but deep fried snickers). Emil and I actually won a competition too. They had a small contest to those who come mostly long way to celebrate in Laurel and we quickly became obviously good candidates for the contest:). After all everybody sat and wait for it to be dark before the massive fireworks begun. 

Tomorrow we will once again get out on the road and you will be able to find us on Highway 12 west towards the city of Helena and later on Missoula:).