St.
Charles, Missouri
Historic town across the Missouri River from St. Louis.
The entire Corps of Discovery assembled after their winter
encampment at Wood River. We may think of the Corps as hardened
back-woodsmen, but the citizens of St. Charles gave them
a huge send off with a formal ball before they began their
journey west.
We met several re-enactors devoted enough to sleep out overnight
on military cots in a park along the river. They drew the
line however at elk for dinner and instead served spaghetti,
an easy one-pot meal. |
Grain
Valley, Missouri
Thirty miles east of Kansas City, here is where we had our
first "musical night" in honor of the original expedition's
fiddler, Pierre Cruzatte. We brought out the dulcimer, woodblock
and spoons to play along with traditional pieces such as Shenandoah,
Soldier's Joy and Yankee Doodle.
At the time Lewis and Clark traveled through this area of
the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas River there was
not even a settlement. Now it is a metropolis larger than
the state of Connecticut. |
Onowa,
Iowa
Boasting "the widest Main Street in America,"
Onowa is a charming small town in the middle of farm country.
In an airport that had seen little recent traffic, we had
to "weed out" the tie down rings on the grassy
parking area in order to secure the plane, Cloud Chaser.
One of only two keelboat replicas docks at the Lewis and
Clark State park complete with colorful characters on board
such historian Buffalo Bill and "Swede." We stopped
here to spend a few nights on each trip. |
Sioux
City Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota or the Sioux Lands
We first landed at a true ghost town airport and then moved
to the wonderful family airport owned and operated by the
Martin family. Sioux City is near where the Corps suffered
their first death, Sergeant Floyd, and a desertion. |
Mobridge,
South Dakota
A terrible storm kept us in our campers with windows battened
down and tornado warnings scrolling across our TV screen.
But by the next afternoon, the sun was out, making the lake
sparkle.In
early October the Corps met with the Arikara in this area.
Near here is a monument that honors Sacagawea and is supposed
to be her burial site, however, like many aspects of Lewis
and Clark's journey, this point is surrounded by considerable
controversy. |
Eagle
Butte at Meadowlark Ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation
We had a fascinating evening with Emmanual Red Bear, his cousin
Ira Blue Coat, Doug Peterson, and Tom Van Norman at the Diamond
A cafe. Doug and Cora Peterson graciously let us park our
RV's on their ranch overnight and we woke to the call of Meadowlarks. |
Bismarck,
North Dakota
Site of the Mandan Villages and Fort Mandan, we ate our
first bison burgers at Captain Meriwether's, right on the
bank of the Missouri.Lewis
and Clark camped across the Missouri River from the future
site of of North Dakota's capitol. It's original name, 'Edwinton,'
was changed to honor Germany's chancellor in hopes of attracting
German investors. In 1873, the gold rush made Bismarck a
rail center. |
Watford
City and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
The Little Missouri River cuts dramatically through the
badlands creating a place of incredible beauty through this
erosion.
A
flat tire on Mary's RV, Gypsy Moth, brought Good Sam's Club
77 miles to rescue her in the TR National Park. Lewis and
Clark encountered very high afternoon winds here and waited
for several hours before continuing on. |
Glasgow,
Montana
To counteract strong crosswinds while landing, Ron had one
engine on idle and the other at 3000 rpm. By morning, the
winds were calm and a dawn flight found pelicans, antelope
and deer. |
July
2, 2003 Zortman, Montana
After working some connections out of of Watford City, Ron
was able to get permission to land on a private strip on
a ranch 10 miles from Zortman. The very generous rancher
let us park the RV on his land next to the plane overnight
when high afternoon winds kept us on the ground.The
town of Zortman was the closest access to the Missouri some
35 miles away. Along this stretch of the Missouri Breaks
are many areas inaccessible except by air or on the river.
Zortman sports a jaunty, rawboned atmosphere that tells
of its mining heritage. We were sorry to have to miss their
Fourth of July parade. |
Great
Falls, Montana
Five great waterfalls forced the Expedition to portage around
the obstacles. Great caissons were built and used to portage
the Corps' gear overland. "Portage" is a understatement
of the task they undertook to pull heavy wooded canoes filled
with their freight overland. |
July
7, 2003 Three Forks, Montana
Three rivers converge at this spot, causing great consternation
to Lewis and Clark as to which river was the main feeder
to take them over the Rockies to the Columbia and ultimately,
the Pacific. Clark explored the north fork, the Jefferson
and, with some of the men, crossed overland to the middle
fork, the Madison.
A
very unusual landscape here with more the look of Florida
than Montana. The rivers twist and wind like snakes. There
was more incredible scenery within just 5 miles of the airport
than anyplace we have landed. |
Hamilton,
Montana
A beautiful valley right before the Lolo Pass, Hamilton is
a fly-fisherman's dream. As we flew overhead, small rafts
of fishermen swirled by, occasionally getting out to portage
over a sandbar, their lines glistening in the late afternoon
sun. The downtown has been preserved to lend historic charm
to the area. |
Fort
Benton, Montana
On a river, but down in a valley, Fort Benton has a winding
riverwalk and a rollicking reputation for a true "wild"
west town. Much quieter now, it is full of stories such as
the famous railroad dog, Shep, that waited by the tracks for
years for his deceased master. Fed and cared for by the townspeople,
he was struck and killed by a train six years after his owner
died. |
Orofino,
Idaho
The Clearwater, a clear and fast-moving river runs through
here. A quick swim in the river convinced us all of its clarity
and cold temperatures. |
Lewiston,
Idaho and Clarkston, Washington
Located at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers
these two towns are like siblings. A wonderful riverwalk,
huge sternwheeler boat, and a lot of industrial plants are
part of the riverscape.The
expedition camped here beneath the bare hills. Coming into
Lewiston or Clarkston from either west or east is a landscape
shock. The ponderosa pine of the Rockies gives way to these
beautiful hills and the rolling farmlands west disappear
to farms that are high atop the hills, visible to us from
the plane. We spent time here on the return as well as the
outgoing trip because there was so much fascinating geography. |
Hermiston,
Oregon
Hermiston has a reputation for world-class watermelons and
our Corps can testify that the melon we ate was the best!
An agricultural town, we all enjoyed flying and seeing the
interesting circles of irrigated crops.
Near
Hermiston is the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers.
The Corps spent several days here, Clark and a couple of
men paddled canoes up the Columbia River to the mouth of
the Yakima where the river was filled with salmon and the
banks lined with scaffolds laden with drying fish. |
July
16, 2003 Arlington, Oregon
High winds in the gorge kept us here overnight, but what a
spectacular campground. The airport is on a mesa and we "boondocked"
next to the plane to spend the night. For 360 degrees you
couldn't see another person or building except for the tiny
airport. Late that night we went outside to look at the incredible
night sky. Unspoiled by light pollution, the Milky Way was
a very visible cloud of stars across the sky. |
July
17, 2003 Portland, Oregon
Picture perfect weather as we came down the Columbia Gorge
revealed Mt. Adams in snow-capped splendor! We are in the
outskirts of Portland in Hillsboro.Lewis
and Clark traded with the Chinook here at the confluence
of the Williamette and Columbia Rivers. |
July
19, 2003, Astoria, Oregon
"Great joy in camp we are in view of the Ocian, this
great Pacific Ocian which we so long anxious to see."
William ClarkFrom
Fort Clatsop where the Corps wintered to the lighthouses
of Cape Disappointment, the Astoria area seems one of the
most significant to the Corp's journey. If only they had
been so fortunate to be there in the summer when the weather
is truly spectacular. At any time of the year however, fierce
winds can blow at the point where the Columbia River meets
the Pacific Ocean, and enormous logs washed up on beaches
testify to the power of these storms. |
| Return
Trip |
The
Dalles, Oregon
Made spectacular by its volcanic origins,
The Dalles is an agricultural powerhouse. Cherry orchards
dot the hillsides. There is also a very good interpretive
center here. Lewis and Clark found a commanding view of
the river here as they made their way through the gorge.
They found harbor seals playing in the current and whooping
cranes overhead. They spent several days here repairing
canoes and other gear.
|
Hermiston,
Oregon
On
our return trip we made a trip to Pasco, a point near the
confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers where the Corps
camped. |
Lewiston,
Idaho
Except
for the record-breaking heat, this is one of our favorite
places. Not too small nor too large, there is a wealth of
interesting photography spots. We spent several days camped
at Hells Gate, a seemingly appropriate name since the temp
hovered around 108 degrees in the afternoons. |
Butte,
Montana
A
short detour to this town made famous by mining. |
Bozeman,
Montana
The tall mountains have given
way here to more gentle rises. As Clark moved up the Yellowstone
through this area there were antelope, bison, deer and elk
as well as countless beaver. |
Laurel
and Billings Montana
Laurel
is a small suburb of Billings with a wonderful airport filled
with some of the friendliest folks we have met. They were
most hospitable, and even the office dog made friends with
us once we shared some of our dogs treats with her. Clark's
party rode their horses all the way up to this point on the
Yellowstone, searching for trees large enough for canoes. |
Ennis,
Montana
Located
in a deep valley flanked by mountains, this airport, Big Sky,
is small but with a spectacular view. High winds forced us
to spend the night here and it was well worth the stop. The
town is a fishing mecca–the quaint downtown is lined
with stores featuring fishing equipment. |
Yellowstone,Montana
Planning
to retrace Clark's detour south, we spent several days around
the park and in the mountains here. A flight over the Red
Rock Lakes revealed spectacular scenery that could not be
appreciated from the ground. |
Livingston,
Montana
Although we had seen smoke from the forest fires
as far back as Butte, it was here that it really became a
reality. Firefighting crews were based here and helicopters
and spotter planes buzzed in and out. |
Miles
City, Montana
Along
the Yellowstone River that Clark navigated, Miles City has
a rich cowboy heritage with a wonderful museum that celebrates
this past. We discovered that out of town visitors get in
FREE to the local swimming pool. |
Glendive,
Montana
Meeting the world's friendliest
FBO guy here was the highlight of our trip. Leon Baker at
the Dawson County Airport gave us a most warm welcome, but
he treats all his customers like this. Keeping corndogs
in the freezer for hungry pilots won Ryan over immediately.
Near the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri
Rivers. The side trip Clark took up the Yellowstone was
relatively easy. Food was plentiful and they averaged 45
miles a day. |
Fairview,
Montana
A small dirt strip and boondocking
in a field by the airstrip. This is close to the confluence
of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers. At this joining of
the rivers sits Fort Buford, which became a major trading
center years after Lewis and Clark. It is interesting to see
how much the Missouri River has receded and hard to believe
that all manner of boats from canoes to paddle wheelers stopped
here to trade. |
Dickinson,
North Dakota
A short stop, but a friendly
FBO office. |
Mobridge,
South Dakota
A return trip, but just as
beautiful as the first time. We stayed on Lake Oahe and swam
and walked the beach. |
Pierre,
South Dakota
Billed as the second smallest
capitol city, Pierre is surrounded by prairie. |
Onawa,
Iowa
Our return stay here allows
Ron to get a great shot at dawn of their replica keelboat. |
Nebraska
City, Nebraska
We camped at the airport and
took a quick tour of their town. |
Omaha,
Nebraska
Cloudy and rainy weather south
allowed us to spend a couple of days here. |
Grain
Valley, Missouri
Another successful return.
This time we were lucky enough to park at the airport. A quick
interview by the Grain Valley Point. |
Jefferson
City, Missouri
The capital city, right on
the banks of the Missouri |
St.
Charles and St. Louis , Missouri
Journey's end! |
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