 |
| Great Falls of the Missouri River |
 |
| What portaging a L&C canoe might be like
After
we left Fernie, BC we headed into MT and spent a few days around Great Falls.
The Missouri River runs right through town and five major waterfalls presented
the Lewis and Clark Expedition their greatest challenge. The 18-mile Great Portage
took the expedition a month to carry 30 tons of supplies and equipment over
rough, cactus covered ground while wearing just moccasins. Now many dams along
the river detract from the original beauty of the falls. The Lewis and Clark
Interpretative Center is a great place to catch up on their travels.
|
 |
| Stylish Duck |
 |
| Gates of the Mountains
Further
down the road we hiked to First Peoples Buffalo Jump SP. Here the natives
herded the bison over a high cliff to their death. We also took a scenic cruise
on the Missouri River in an area Captain Lewis called “the gates of the rocky mountains”,
because the water appears to flow from solid rock, but then the mountains
appear to open up as you approach.
|
 |
| Bison Pictograph |
 |
| At Pompey's Pillar
We explored the capital city of Helena, and its massive city
park, on par with Bangor ME for city hiking. After touring Tizer Garden, we
hiked Bear and Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman. Our last stop in MT was Pompey’s
Pillar - here Captain William Clark climbed the 150 ft sandstone pillar to get
a better view of the Yellowstone River. His carved signature and date are the
only remaining physical evidence of his detachment’s passage along this route. He
named the pillar after Sacagawea’s son whom he had nicknamed Pomp.
|
 |
| Little Missouri River
In
North Dakota, we spent two days exploring Theodore Roosevelt NP. Here bison,
wild turkeys and way too many prairie dogs roam the badlands of the Little
Missouri River Valley. Teddy came to North Dakota to shoot a buffalo, but soon
fell in love with the land and the need to protect it. Roosevelt established
the modern USFS and created 150 national forests and 5 national parks and
numerous reserves and monuments.
|
 |
| Bison, TRNP |
 |
| Prairie Dogs, TRNP |
 |
| Petrified tree stump (on left), TRNP |
 |
| Room at Fort Mandan
Further
east we toured Fort Mandan in ND. Here the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the
winter of 1804-1805. They made six
dugout canoes, leather clothing and cured meat. Lewis and Clark meet with the
local tribes to get food and information on the trip ahead.
|
 |
| Stave Church
We
crossed into Minnesota and stopped at the Hjemkomst Heritage Center in
Moorhead. One man, Guy Paulson, spent five and a half years doing the woodwork
for the stave church he built on site. Another man, Bob Asp, dreamed of
building a Viking ship and sailing it to Norway. Construction took eight years.
He died five months after its maiden voyage in Duluth Harbor. Two years later
his dream was accomplished when his boat reached Bergen, Norway.
|
 |
| Viking Ship |
 |
| Pat and Diane at Hawk's Ridge
We connected
with our friend Diane, whom we met through our work with Habitat for Humanity.
Together we investigated the Kensington Runestone and later when to Hawk Ridge
near Duluth. This is usually a great place to see migrating birds, unfortunately
the wind was blowing from the wrong direction and the birds were waiting for
better conditions.
|
 |
| Big Manitou Falls |
 |
| Trail of Gold |
 |
| Falls Colors
We stayed at a timeshare in remote Cable, WI and enjoyed
exploring the parks in the area and seeing the fall colors. We had another week
in the Wisconsin Dells. In addition to the usual stuff, we visited most of the
Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the area. We took a cave tour at Cave of the
Mounds and a duck boat ride through the dells.
|
 |
| Devil's Lake SP |
 |
| Devil's Doorway, DLSP |
 |
| Bank designed by Frank Lloyd Wright |
 |
| Wisconsin Dells |
 |
| Pat, Shawny, Connie, and Phil
We dropped the RV off at the factory in Elkhart, IN and
drove down to Fishers, IN to visit Phil and Connie. After a nice, but short
stay, we picked up the RV and headed to Lewisburg, WV. The purpose of this side
trip was to pick up the canoe for our FL trip and get a bike from storage to
replace mine that was damaged in a backing accident. Upon arrival, we found our
storage garage had been broken into and the bike (jewelry and other stuff) had been
stolen. The canoe, which had been stolen and recovered from a previous break-in,
was still there as its size makes it easy to find in the neighborhood. We may
sell this property in the spring.
|
 |
| Barb, Don and Sharon
We spent the month of Nov at a campground in Woodbine, MD
and took a side trip to a timeshare in Hawley, PA for a week. We wish Sam and
Maha Amad safe travels. Sam, after retiring from WSSC, took a three-year work
assignment in Lebanon. We gave Sharon a send off prior to her six-month volunteer
missionary assignment in Albania. We hope she has a rewarding experience.
Have a great Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas!
|
