Wednesday, August 20, 2003
HOME PAGE News
Viewing the trail from above
By Ryan Mayes
Nearly 200 years ago Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark started a journey to explore the western lands of North America. The explorers' path weaved through today's states of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Just over two months ago, another group began retracing Lewis and Clark's path. This journey may not be quite like the adventure into the unknown that the Corps of Discovery endured, but it may produce views of the trail that no one has ever seen.
"We've done a lot of research on the Lewis and Clark Trail the last couple years. In most of the books, it shows what it was like when they made the trip," Ron Lowery said. "We want to do something different." Lowery was in Laurel last Thursday, along the Corps of Discovery route.
Lowery, who has partnered with writer Mary Walker to create a book on the Lewis and Clark trail, wants to show a never-before-seen perspective of the journey made in the early 1800s.
"We're doing it by air," Lowery explained. "We want to show artfully the way people live, how the land has changed and a view of the wildlife that Lewis and Clark would have seen," Lowery remarked. "The challenge is to find a unique perspective that nobody has seen before. The angles we pick are very new and desolate."
Lowery is able to get these photographs by popping off shots from a digital camera while flying a plane that he and his son, Alan, built a few years ago. This plane, named Cloud Chaser, is formally called the Air Cam. It was originally designed for National Geographic to use to take aerial photos.
In an open cockpit Lowery can photograph without the obstruction of wings, struts and landing gear, even with a wide angle lens. The aircraft was built with twin 100 horsepower engines and a large wing, which results in tremendous power and the ability to take off and land in short spaces. The plane reaches speeds up to 75 mph, but can also slow down to 35 mph, which allows Lowery to almost hover quietly over scenery and wildlife.
Lowery is accompanied on the trip by his wife, Sue, their son, Ryan, and their dog, Jack. "Lewis and Clark had a dog, so we thought we would bring Jack along with us," Sue Lowery told the Outlook while camping at Riverside Park in Laurel last week. "He's our replica."
Walker was not present for the interview because she made a short business trip to Tucson, AZ.
The Lowery family, from Chattanooga, TN, and Walker began their adventure on July 12 in St. Louis, MO. The group has already followed the Lewis and Clark trail to the Pacific Ocean in Oregon and is currently midway through returning to their starting point.
"We've had to do a lot of planning on where we'll stop next throughout the trip," Ron Lowery said. "We will pick a place where we think there are photo rich environments and we'll camp two or three days and wait for the right lighting and weather."
Once a destination is picked, Lowery flies to that point and the rest of the group follows in a truck that pulls an RV, where everyone stays. He flew into the Laurel airport, and then the group camped at Riverside Park.
Capt. Clark and his party, including Sacajawea, Charbonneau, "Pomp," York and other members of the expedition built canoes near Park City, then floated them along the Yellowstone River past today's Laurel, Billings, and on to the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers from July 21 to Aug. 3, 1806. (Lewis and the remainder of the party retraced the 1805 route along the Missouri and explored the Marias River area.)
According to Lowery, early morning and evening are the best times for photo opportunities because of the lighting. This causes many early wake up calls. "We usually get up at about three or four in the morning so that we can be taking pictures by five and six," Lowery said.
Waking up early has not been the biggest problem for him, though. Montana fire conditions caused the closing of certain areas of the Lewis and Clark trail. "We've had to make alterations in our path because of the fires in the Bitterroot Mountains," Lowery remarked. "The smoke from the fires has also caused a problem with taking some photos."
Despite the fire conditions, the Lowerys and Walker have concentrated most of their time and film in Montana. "Montana is the most intense area to photograph because Lewis and Clark spent most of their time here," Lowery stated. "They wandered all around this place."
The trip has been more than worthwhile according to the Lowerys. "We celebrated Ryan's 19th birthday in Kansas by sitting around a campfire and playing old songs like Lewis and Clark would have done," Sue Lowery remarked.
The group also got to meet the ancestors of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. "It was great to get their perspective," she said. "They call the bicentennial a commemoration rather than a celebration because to them it was the beginning of the white man coming here." Formal ceremonies launched the bicentennial Jan. 18 in Montecello, VA.
Lowery expects their book, "Chasing Lewis and Clark Across America," to be on shelves next March. However, they currently have a web site that has more information about the project, Lowery's plane and where the group currently is on their trip. Sue Lowery serves as the site's web master and is able to upload new information almost daily because their RV is equipped with a satellite. Go to www.chasinglewisandclark.com for more information.
Ron Lowery, 59, has been doing photography for more than 40 years. He started out taking pictures for his high school newspaper. He went on to work for weekly town newspapers, portrait studios and later began his own commercial studio. His work has been featured in various publications nationally and internationally. "I'm self taught," he commented. "I have never been to a formal photography school."
Lowery made it clear that he has no intentions of putting away his camera anytime soon. "Our wedding vows were 'To love, honor and carry a tri-pod.'"