The Bitterroots: Sept. 26-27, 2008 (Aug. 10-Sept. 22, 1805)

Smoke from Forest Fires in the Bitterroots


Big Hole Battlefield, Montana, site of 1877 battle between non-treay Nez Perce and US



Wheat-covered hills just outside Moscow, ID


Replica of canoes made by L&C at Canoe Camp

Road down into Idaho from Lolo Pass--notice tall trees surrounding road--so unlike Montana side.

"Heart of the Monster"--a sacred spot to Nez Perce where their creation story is embodied. This is close to the bottom of the Bitterroots in Idaho.

This depicts how steep the drop from Contintental Divide is to the West vs. the East. Thus L&C expected the river(s) on the Westy side to rund much fsater, have more falls, etc.; they were right.

Lemhi Pass--looking West, to Idaho and the Bitterroots. See quote from Lewis below.

Looking East from Lemhi Pass

On Saturday and Sunday, Daisy and I very closely retraced L&C's footsteps as they attempted to cross the Bitterroot Mountains. A week and a half after leaving the Missouri Headwaters (Three Forks), Lewis was walking some distance ahead of the main Corps (who were still traveling by water) and crested a hill after a long upward trek. Here he tasted the waters from the initial spring of the Missouri, and he saw the West for the first time. Instead of the plains and river to the Pacific he expected, he saw...the tallest mountains he had ever seen.

In Lewis's words: "the road took us to the most distant fountain of the waters of the mighty Missouri in search of which we have spent so many toilsome days and restless nights. Thus far I had accomplished one of those great objects on which my mind has been unalterably fixed for so many years, judge then the pleasure I felt in allaying my thirst with this pure and ice cold water." Then he says: "after refreshing ourselves we proceeded on to the top of the dividing ridge from which I discovered immense ranges of high mountains still to the West of us with their tops partially covered with snow." (I normalized his spelling)

For a while they had suspected they would need horses to cross the mountains, and the reason Lewis and a couple of others were going ahead was to find the Shoshone to buy horses from them. After Lewis saw the Bitterroots, the need for horses became a dire necessity.

Shortly thereafter he found a few Shoshone and bought a few horses. He also convinced them to accompany him back over Lemhi pass to the rest of the Corps to help them across. When they met up w/ the rest of the Corps, Sacajawea recognized their leader as her long-lost brother, which greatly helped negotiations for horse. (She had been kidnapped 4-6 years before from this band of Shoshone by the Hidatsa's. Thus she was at the Mandan villages in North Dakota, "married" to Pierre Charbonneau, when L&C came though. They were pleased to have her jon her hsband (and their baby too) because they realized she would be invaluable in their future negotiations with Indian tribes, esp. the Shoshone.)

Eventually they set off on the other side of the pass and followed a long route north (over 100 miles) to a meeting/camping area well-known to the natives, which Lewis named Travelers' Rest. After camping there a couple of days (Sept 9-11), they prepared for the arduous route over the mountains. It took 12 days to go about 170 miles, over Lolo Pass to the Weippe prairie. They were cold, faced a blizzard, exhausted by the hard work, and nearly starved as there were no game in the mountains. Once over Lolo Pass, the climbs (down and up) became steeper than on the east side, and several times some of the horses tumbled down the hills. For the most part they only had their "portable soup" to eat, which they reconsituted w/ snow. (Apparently this precursor to Ramen noodles or instant soup was quite vile tasting.)

Once they reached the plain, they met the indiegnous people, whom they called the Nez Perce. Without these people, they might have perished, for they were almost starved. The Nez Perce gave them dried salmon and berries, on which they gorged themselves and then got violently ill. A bit further West they camped for over a week to make canoes for the journey down the river to the Pacific. They gave their horses to the Nez Perce for safekeeping over the winter. Daisy and I stood at this location exactly 204 years after L&C were here.

Modern notes: The "roads" over both passes (Lemhi and Lolo) are, even today, very steep, windy, and in the middle of nowhere. I didn't see power lines on the gravel road to Lemhi pass, nor did I see anyon the Idaho side of Lolo Pass (Highway 12). This was a paved road, but was very steep and windy for about 80 miles from the pass--much steeper than east side and heavily wooded, vs. the open hills on the east side.

Other History notes: L&C came back in May-June 1806 across much of the same routes, although they avoided Lemhi pass as they hadn't needed to go there in the first place. By listening to their Indian guides, they were able to make a shortened and somewhat easier journey, although they had to spend almost a month w/ the Nez Perce until the snows melted on the Bitterroots.

Also, most of the routes we followed Saturday and Sunday are also part of the Nez Perce National Historic Highway. As noted above, the Nez Perce truly befriended the Corps of Discovery. Sadly, white men who followed them were not as respectful. In the mid-1850 the Nez Perce negotiated a settlement that established a fairly large reservation. Almost a decade later, about 2/3 of them renegotiated to a reservation 1/10th the size of the orginal. The rest were known as non-treaty Indians, and in 1877 the US military waged war against them. Some escaped to Canada; the rest who were not killed in a series of battles in Montana and Idaho were relocated to other reservations that are not part of their indigenous lands. There are many informative and heart-rending sites along these drives.

We ended Sunday by driving north from the route to Moscow, ID, amid rolling hills of wheat. I am told this is the most productive winter wheat-producing area in the country. It took us over 7 hours to cross the 170 miles that L&C took 12 days to traverse. I truly cannot imagine going through this landscape on foot, with my luggage on a horse that kept falling down a mountain, with almost no food, inadequate shelter and clothing, through a blizzard, and having no idea what came next. Neither can Daisy, although I remind her that Seaman (the Newfoundland dog) made it all the way.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will head south to Lewiston and re-connect on the L&C trail. We'll also see sites on the Nez Perce trail, and may drop south to see few Oregon trail sites. We are on Pacific time now. We'll spend tomrorow night near Walla Walla, WA, and on Wednesday will complete the trip to the Pacific. So I'll have one or two more L&C posts, then who knows. I plan to spend 3 or 4 days in Portland, OR, area to see the area and plan the next 1-2 weeks of our trip (and get the car serviced!).

Today we are staying in most of the day; there is a fierce and smoky wind outside that is making us both sneeze and wheeze again (I am told the smoke is from burning wheat fields after they are harvested).

Montana--what an amazing and beautiful (and HUGE) state!

Glacier NP


Glacier NP



Marker for Camp Disappointment

Very close to where Lewis recrossed the Continental Divide on his return trip

We have spent the last 2 days driving around Montana, mostly in pursuit of L&C trail, and we also found some other interesting or entertaining sites.

Entertaining: Great Falls has a Dog Park right on the River Road, and it is open to all dogs whose owners behave. Daisy and I went there yesterday and today before setting off on long car trips. She had so much fun! Barked at and chased other dogs and was chased and barked at. Nothing could be better! (She also wore out for a while and was a calmer car rider for a couple hours after each visit.)

Interesting: learning more about Native Americans including going to the Museum of the Plains Indians on the Blackfoot reservation today (on the way to Glacier NP). The museum is small and contains scores of artifacts of Plains Indian hand-work--clothes, tools, weapons. Truly beautiful stuff; reminded me of my Uncle Ole.

Glacier NP was our Point of Disappointment (you'll understand the reference later). I had been assured by locals in the know that the park's main road, the Road to the Sun, which traverses the park from east to west, would be open till at least October 1. However, I learned upon entering the park at St. Mary's Lake, that the road was closed beyond the Logan Pass Visitor Center--18 miles in (the road is 50 miles long). Nonetheless we drove in and saw some awesome sights--glaciers, snow, lakes, etc. I posted a ton of pics on Facebook. Then we turned around and drove back out and then around the outside of the park in order to get to Missoula as planned. Made for a long day of driving but was worth it.

On the way there, we stopped at the site that Lewis called Camp Disappointment. I need to backtrack on the history of the Expedition to explain... On the return journey, Lewis and Clark agreed that there was so much to explore in Montana beyond their single-minded focus on the Missouri (which was their strict order from Pres. Jefferson), that they would split the Corps at Travelers' Rest (in western Montana; we'll be there in 2 days, so more on it later) and reunite at the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers in far eastern Montana. The expanse to cover was almost 500 miles, but their various detours meant that Clark covered about 1,000 miles and Lewis almost 800. Clark went south, finding the Yellowstone and following it downstream to where it joined w/ the Missouri.

Lewis went North, first taking a short cut across the Continental Divide that they had learned about from the Indians, then going back to Great Falls. He left some men there to dig up what they had cached on the way up, and then he headed up the Marias river with the rest of his group. He hoped to determine that the Marias came from North of the 50th parallel, thus extending the US border further north than currently known. (The Marias was the river that came into the Missouri shortly before Great Falls where they had their Decision Point...see previous blog.) In following the river north and west, he learned it went more west than north and so he was not able to move the US boundary--thus he named their northenmost camp Camp Disappointment. During this trek they also encountered a small band of Blackfeet and had the only violent encounter of the Expedition. They survived and proceeded back to the Missouri to meet up with the rest of their group and then later with Clark & Co. (There were other side trips made by both captains...I won't bore you with it all.)

So that was today. Yesterday we followed L&C trail west from Great Falls to Gates of the Mountains and to near where they found the headwaters (see previous post on Three Forks). Then we headed north to pick up Lewis's return trail and went back to Great Falls. In this day we crossed the Continental Divide several times.

This whole Continental Divide thing has me wondering...do other continents have continetnal divides? I know there is another one in eastern US--along the Appalachians. And here in Montana in Glacier NP the divide is actually three-way: some rivers run to Mississippi (like Missouri River); others to the Pacific (we'll be getting to those soon), and still others to Hudson Bay.

I must say that until I started really following the L&C trail I had little understanding of the geography of the US West. I have learned so much, and seen much beauty and many varying landscapes. The journey becomes more amazing every day as I see how truly daunting were the obstacles they faced!

Tomorrow we'll back track for the last time to where they first tried to cross the Bitterroots. Should be an awesome day!

L&C: Great Falls, MT--Amazing!

Road that goes down steeply from Lower Portage camp to Missouri, from where they have to haul everything up


The "experiment"; it failed



One of the falls in the Great Falls (modern dam above it)

map of falls

Today was a busy day! We did not go to Glacier, NP, because I was inexplicably awake from 2 to 4:30 so I slept in till after 7:30 this morning (thank you, Daisy!). After a quick wake up walk and some housekeeping, we set off before 9 for the L&C Interpretive Center at Great Falls. Then we came back to hotel for lunch and laundry, then set off again from 2 to 5:30 to find/explore the portage trails the L&C & Co. followed to get around the Falls. Tonight I've rearranged my itinerary--again--allowing for even more time in Montana and at the Pacific. Now, I'll get to the Pacific on Sept. 30 and leave for points South on Oct. 3.

The L&C Interpretive Center at Great Falls is an amazing museum and outdoor experience. I got there just as they opened (it got above 90 degrees here today so I had to get in and out before it was too hot to leave Daisy in the car). I spent about an hour inside, speaking to some of the interpreters and wandering through their exhibit that takes you from Washington, DC, to the Pacific and back.

The exhibit shows on one side what was going on with L&C, including some great explanations of things like how L&C surveyed the land and Clark created maps, how and what they packed (over 4 semi-trucks' worth of stuff!), and how they cached supplies at various places in Montana to pick up on the return journey. On the other side as you walk through history, you see who the Native American peoples were whom they encountered, their languages and customs, the impact on the of future American expansion, etc. Did you know that L&C encountered peoples speaking 50 different languages on their trip?

One of the things that amazes me is the sheer physical effort it took to accomplish this journey. Great Falls gives an extreme example: L&C has heard from the Mandan Indians with whom they had wintered that there was a Great Fall on the Missouri, whjich would require about a day's portage, and after which they would quickly be at the mountains beyond which lay a river leading to the Pacific. Well, they weren't quite accurate.

L&C found a series of 5 falls of varying heights, along a stretch of the river, that, as with many areas, was surrounded by high cliffs. To get up the falls (remember: they have been travelling UPstream the whole way), Lewis surveys an 18.5 mile portage, before and after which they have to haul everything up steep inclines. Sometimes the wind blows so hard they can hoist the sails on the canoes to help haul them across the bumpy land. The men collapse into sleep without even eating because the work is so strenuous.

By the way, food becomes important later. For now, when game is plentiful, each man eats about 9 punds of meat--mainly bison and elk, EACH day.

It takes about 11 days to accomplish the portage around the falls, and they leave some boats behind, because Lewis plans to assemble his collapsible iron boat at the top of the falls to take them the rest of the way. The Corps called this boat the "experiment," and with good reason. When they set forth to cover the iron ribs with elk skin, they could not make it waterproof, so the entire project was abandoned, and some of the men were set to cutting down 2 cottonwoods to create 2 more canoes. Finally they were able to set off West again and shortly arrive at the Headwaters, or Three Forks, which I described yesterday.

The whole of what I described today took place between June 13 and July 13, 1805. And it only took me a couple of hours to traverse the portage using some back, dusty roads and some detours caused by the Air Force base outside of town.

Here's a video of Miss Daisy having a ball today;

Montana--Big Sky Country and L&C Again

Decision Point. As they head West on the Missouri, a river appears coming in from the North. Lewis named it Marias River (after his cousin). In the pic, I am looking east, so Marias is the water on the left.


Near Fort Benton, MT. You can see how the bluffs come all the way to the river. Lewis noted that this was a frequent occurrence and made the traveling upstream even harder.



Big Sky Country



The top map shows the Rockies and L&C thought them to be (aided by inaccurate reports/translation from the Native Americans); and below is how they actually are. More on tis in future blogs!

Three Forks, or headwaters of the Missouri. The Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson rivers converge to form the Missouri. It's pretty early, so you can see my and Daisy's shadows.

We started the day early and drove to Missouri Headwaters State Park, also known as the Three Forks area, where Lewis and Clark noted that 3 rivers came together and formed the Missouri. Daisy and I walked a number of trails and got some great pics.

Then we drove north and east, and backward in L&C time to Loma, MT, where the Marias River comes in from the North and the Corps was stumped as to which was the "real" Missouri. This area is known as "Decision Point." There Lewis took a few men and explored the northern river (which he later named Marias River) and Clark and some men explored further up the Missouri. When they came back together, all the men in the Corps were certain the northern river was the real Missouri, but the captains believed it was the southern -- and they were right. From there we drove south through now-Fort Benton to the Great Falls. It took Lewis and men 3 days on horseback and Clark and the rest via the Missouri 6 days to cover what we did in just over an hour.

On our way from Three Forks to Loma, we drove through some beautiful country, including the Lewis and Clark National Forest. From there we rose to high plains like those L&C traveled through, and saw how sharply the bluffs from the plains close down on the Missouri River. While up on the plain, it is clear why they call this Big Sky Country. My relatives in West Texas may disagree, but now I have seen both places, and the sky actually seems even bigger here than in West TX. Another thing to note about Montana: Interstate speed limits are 75 mph, and state highway 70--wow--too fast to see all there is to see! And at the ends of ramps on and off Interstates, there are cattle guards--I guess I wouldn't want to see a cow at 75 mph!

All in all, a good day. I keep struggling with our itinerary...and as of right now I believe we sill drove to Glacier NP tomorrow, stopping aong the way to see a couple of L&C sites as well as some significant American Indian sites and museums. It will be a long day, so we'll make Thursday a local day--to see all there is to see in Great Falls (and do laundry) before leaving Friday for points West, following the L&C trail. From here, with a couple of exceptions, we'll be on L&C trail to the Pacific.

Wyoming, Part 5

Sunrise over Jackson, WY


Roaring Mountain, one of the many thermal areas of Yellowstone


We left Jackson, WY, at 6:15 today. Beautiful sunrise! Drove through Grand Teton NP to Yellowstone. Went from South to North entrance, stopping infrequently b/c dogs not allowed in many places (never in thermal areas) and Daisy was never happy being left behind. From there we drove north then west to Bozeman. Thought about going to Museum of the Rockies but missed a turn amid road construction and was just too tired to re-try (plus I probably couldn't have stayed long due to no shade in most parking areas around here, and admission is about $10). Not likely to go tomorrow as they don't open till 9 am. Will save this for a future trip.

Spending late afternoon/evening planning L&C routes within Montana and Idaho. I think I have it figured out...

Camera battery ran out of juice in the mdidle of Yellowstone, but I still got some good pics!

Wyoming, Part 4

All of today's pictures are from Grand Teton NP; more are posted on Facebook.

Today will be a short post. I slept horribly last night so today was a little flat. We drove around Grand Teton NP for almost 5 hours--quite beautiful. The storms of last night (we were awakened at 4 am by tremendous thunderstorms) remained aroundthe tops of the mountains, which made for some great pictures.

National Parks are not all that dog friendly, so it's hard to spend much time other than taking pictures from turnouts. Dogs are not allowed on the trails, and even though the weather is cool, the sun is bright, so I can't leave Daisy in the car for very long for me to go on a hike down a trail. The pet policy makes sense, and I am not complaining, just commenting. There is an abundance of wildlife living here and in all the National Parks, and their encounters with humans are not always for the best (for humans or the animals). Add human pets and it gets worse.

I did have Daisy out at a pull off earlier today and was just walking the perimeter. A woman came up to me and advised against going down the trail we were near. I explained that I couldn't/wouldn't with the dog, and she said that was good as she saw a mama bear and her cub there 10 minutes previously. I do NOT want to see what would happen if Daisy sees a bear while on a leash.

Tomorrow we head for Montana to pick up the L&C trail again. We'll go thru' Grand Teton NP again and a good portion of Yellowstone, including the Old Faithful area.

Before I forget!!!!! September 27 (one week from today) is the premiere of a six-part Ken Burns series on the national parks. It is called The National Parks: America's Best Idea. It will be on PBS, and many communities near national parks are organizing viewing parties, so you may want to check out what's available in your area. If anyone wants to tape it for me, I'd appreciate it!

Wyoming, Part 3

Daisy, mountain dog!


Trout in the "rise" of the Popo Agie river in Sink's Canyon



The Grand Tetons

Pheasant outside lander

Sacajawea's grave.

We've had a busy couple of days! I spent yesterday in the Lander area w/ friends and went to a museum in town (really great museum of the West). Then we drove into the Wind River Indian Reservation and to the site of Sacajawea's grave (although many dispute that this is not the site). Then we went to Sink's Canyon and drove to the top of the mountain. At the bottom is where the Popo Agie River sinks into the ground and rises about 1/4 mile away.

Today we drove to Jackson, WY. It was only about 17o miles, but there was road construction, and of course we had to stop at most roadside markers. I also took a small dirt road up the side of a mounatin from where I got great views of the Tetons. Daisy got to go mountain climbing. We drove through part of Grand Teton National Park, and it is beautiful! The mountains are incredible. We'll spend all day tomorrow in the park, so more details to come then!

Wyoming, Part 2

Looking ahead to the Rockies


A map of the Oregon, Mormon, and oterh trails. (They all traveled together to South Pass and then went difefrent directions after that.)



Gold mine near South Pass City, WY.

Independence Rock

Sunrise over Casper, WY.

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Not being able to sleep we were packed and in the car at 6:30, in time to see the sunrise over Casper. We drove around the city till 8, when the National Trails Interpretive Center opened. From thatpoint on we jumped 40-50 years ahead of Lewis and Clark and spent the day w/ the westward pioneers.

The Trails Interpretive Center is an INCREDIBLE museum run by the National Park Service, and I recommend everyone go there. It provides detail and context to the great pioneer movement west that started in the 1840s. Think back to high school history...covered wagons, Oregon trail, etc. I hadn't thought about the westward pioneers in years and am in awe of their courage and tenacity to pick up house and home and move to a wilderness that few had explored. Later in the morning, I went to the Fort Casper museum, and Daisy and I took a walk around the partially restored fort and down to the Platte.

The rest of our day was spent following along (more or less) the Oregon Trail to the Continental Divide (South Pass). This was the elusive "easy" way to get to the other side of the Continental Divide and until it was found, travel West was very limited. On the way we passed Independence Rock, where the pioneers engraved their names as they passed by. Sight of this rock meant they were within a few days of South Pass and the "downhill" slide to the Pacific. No one knows exactly how the rock got its name, but one theory is that the settlers knew if they reached the rock by July 4 (having set out from Independence, MO, in April), they would be able to cross the Rockies and get to Oregon (or elsewhere) before the winter snows.

We stopped at nearly every historical marker between Casper and Lander and took a side trip down to the South Pass. I have always wanted to be able to travel like this, so yesterday was nearly perfect! So much history and so much beauty--and I only covered 250 miles (in 9 hours)!

Today I'll spend in Lander with friends; it's a beautiful day! More pictures are posted on Facebook from yesterday.

Wyoming, Part 1

The orange cloud from blasting at the surface coal mine; signs warn you not to be exposed to it.... Hope that recirculation function on my A/C unit was working!

Wide open grassland.....

Yesterday we traveled from the Black Hills of South Dakota through some coal mining areas (ugly!) and then through the Thunder Basin National Grassland to the Platte River and Casper. Before Casper, we were in some of the lower elevations in Wyoming. The plains (grassland) are vast open spaces with nothing to cut the wind but artificial windbreaks. We saw lots of cattle, sheep, deer, and coal trains--but mainly lots of open space and sky and NO TREES.

We spent the night in Casper and I fell asleep really early, so of course I am awake in the middle of the night (it's 4 am MDT). I think the elevation is what is getting to me; I believe we're about a mile high here and going higher today as we head west to Lander. The Grasslands were lower but we climbed out of them before getting to Casper.

Daisy will stay at a kennel the two nights we are in Lander. We'll take our time getting there today. There are two ways to get to Lander from here, and both look interesting. Both also have side trips. So I have yet to figure out what we'll do exactly, but it will be beaustiful, I am sure!

It's been so pretty I have not had the radio on or played CDs much the past few days. However, today I will play my Peter, Paul, and Mary CDs in tribute, as Mary Travers died yesterday. What beautiful music they brought to all of us--even if you didn't agree with their politics!

More Black Hills

Today we left the Hils but went to through the Wildlife Loop Rpad again. This time we were there shortly after 8 am, and headed East to West. Saw LOTS of deer but few buffalo. In the video attached below, the deer is trying to get some branches off his horns. The noise you hear is Daisy whining. Once again she didn't bark at bison--and as you can see, we saw one really close up! But the deer and burros got her full voice!

After leaving Custer State Park, we drove through Custer, a small town and seemingly a nice alternative to stay vs. Hill City or Keystone (which are closer to Mt Rushmore but SUCH tourist traps). We stopped by a couple of NPS (National Park Service) interpretive sites, and I learned more about the fire that ravaged these hills in 2000.

Then we went on to Wyoming. More on that later.

Video below from Wilderness Loop Road

The Black Hills

This cloud formation looks like a big bird. We are heading East out of the Wildlife Road in Custer State Park. By mid-day the weather was hot and very sunny, as you can see.

This picture of a huge power stationg was taken about halfway down the hill it's on. We drove to the top--about 6,000 feet--and had a beautiful view of the entire area.

Mount Rushmore from the road that approaches it from the North.

One of the 1-lane tunnels along the road known as the "Needles." This drive is a bit harrowing but beautiful!

This cutie was right ourtside Custer Park. Within the Park, most bison were already in corralls, so I saw many from afar but none close up, as I have experienced on past trips. Daisy ignored these guys, but barked her fool head off at the deer and burros we saw.

Today we spent 5 hours driving around the Black Hills. I took tons of pictures and am trying to figure out how to post them all. For now they are all on Facebook, so if you're my friend there, you can see a full album (note: I need to go back and add captions to many of the pics).

It was fairly hot so I didn't actually go into the Mount Rushmore area, but got some fantastic pictures from the road. There is ever-changing beauty in this area. There are many tourist attractions, some geared solely for kids, some more historical, and some just plain trashy. One I've been to in the past that is really nice is Bear Country USA, a driving tour where you can see lots of animals. I've done that in the past but elected against it w/ Daisy in the car.

My favorite spot is Custer State Park. There is a wildlife road that is about 18 miles long and you can see deer, bison, and prairie dogs, as well as semi-tame burros. Today most of the bison appeared to be in the corral area, as few were near the road. (In past trips we have been stoped on the road and surrounded by bison.) The permanent herd numbers just under 1,000, and swells by about 400-500 with births every spring. In October there is a round up and a number are sold for stock or slaughter, reducing teh herd back to just under 1,000.

A note about Mount Rushmore. It is a must-see for all! Pictures and words cannot do it justice. For those of you who don't know, the sculptor, Gutzom Borglum, also sculpted the North Carolina Memorial statue at Gettysburg and the carving on Stone Mountain in Georgia.

Daisy and I are going to take tomorrow off from travel. I've got laundry to do and must repack the car (this is the first time I've unloaded everything in the trunk, switching out some summer and fall clothes, getting coats out, etc.). I also need to send some stuff home and to Unc's house for later retrieval. And I must write up in detail what I learned in Le Mars regarding options and opportunities for our reunion next summer.

We'll leave early Wednesday for Wyoming, and stop by one last SD monument before we leave--Crazy Horse. (There is much more to see in this area--including Deadwood, Spearfish, and Sturgis I've seen it before and hoep to again, but not this trip. The Black Hills and environs are quite beautiful and would be a lovely place for a week's vacation.)

The Badlands

The earth seems to drop away at the Badlands. There is a very nice National Park museum (and gift shop) there. From I-90, a road loops through the Badlands from exit 131 to 110, where Wall Drug is located. (More on Wall later.)

The Badlands are stark and beautiful. Sometimes the land falls away and other times you drive through rock formations that surround you like castles. There are a lot of trails you can hike, but Daisy and I just got out at a few pull offs. The day was ckoudy (affecting color of pictures) and very windy.

When you exit Badlands Park at the west end. you arrive at Wall Drug. All along I-90 heading West there are billboards for Wall Drug. They are as wacky as the ones for South of the Border that line I-95 along the east coast before and after its location in SC. It's a huge tourist trap, and I've been there before, so we didn't stop.

Our hotel in Rapid City was still about an hour away, and I was tired so we drove on. Shortly before the Badlands, we drove into Mountain time, and will be in this time zone for quite a while. I am happy to report that at least for the first night, Daisy did not wake me up an hour earlier than usual (that has happened in the past when traveling w/ other dogs) so we slept will 6:30 am MDT. More on Rapid City and the Black Hills in the next blog.