buddymedbery

Okay, I get it. This is not exactly timely. But it is what it is. Our reason for overnighting in Olympia was that we had planned to take my aunt to dinner. She is our only remaining relative from my parents' generation. But it was not to be. Shortly before arriving, we found out that she had just been diagnosed with covid, and so we abandoned that plan. However, we did go to her favorite restaurant in Olympia that evening. We also needed to have a part day in a town large enough to have a Honda dealership that could service my Honda Accord Hybrid. We had put 5000 miles on it since leaving Charleston. We knew this would happen, so had scheduled early morning service at the dealership in Olympia. Departing that thrilling adventure, we ... read more

When we left Missoula, we abandoned the Lewis and Clark expedition trail temporarily. From this point they had a relatively easy journey down the Columbia River to the Oregon coast, and we shall cover that later. For now, we left their path and made our own. First we went to Spokane to pick up Jennie and have dinner with her niece, then across the Snoqualmie Pass to the Seattle area, and on through onto the Olympic Peninsula. There was little of interest between Missoula and Spokane, unless you consider it interesting to be traveling through country you know is inhabited by 3 foot long earthworms. Seattle is just a big sprawl for the traveler passing through. Its charms require an actual visit. Eventually, at the end of two days of driving, we found ourselves at the ... read more

Today's route took us to Tower Rock, site of a Lewis and Clark camp on August 21 1805. From here they investigated the Salmon River but realized that it was not usable as a way west because of steep surrounding cliffs and dangerous rapids. They proceeded on up the Missouri's main channel. Near present day Three Forks MT they came to what they called the headwaters of the Missouri, where the river was formed by the junction of two rivers with a third coming in less than a mile downstream. They named the rivers the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin, after members of the president's cabinet. The ascertainment of a river's source or headwaters is not a particularly exact science. In common usage, the river's source is that point most distant upstream from the river's ... read more

Anyone with two neurons to rub together must be asking themselves "Why did they spend 3 nights in Winifred?" A good question. We were aware before beginning the trip that seeing any of the Missouri that looked anything like it did in 1804-1806 was going to require getting off the grid a little. Or in this case, a lot. Much of the river is now impounded by dams, encased in levees, or otherwise altered in ways that make it quite different from its earlier self. One stretch that has remained untouched is the White Cliffs area, which also has some of the most iconic scenery, often painted by Charles M. Russell and others. In 1977 Bill Clinton proclaimed the formation of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, not without some opposition from local ranchers who ... read more

Today's travels took place with a single focus: seeing the South and North units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We had originally planned to include Lewis and Clark State Park (ND) but time precluded that visit. In 1883 a young Theodore Roosevelt, wealthy, educated, scientifically keen, and already a published ornithologist, came to North Dakota and established a cattle ranching operation there. Partners ran the ranch for him. Following the postpartum death of his wife and the death of his mother the same day, he came back out to North Dakota and spent considerable time. He became a fervent believer in the cause of conservation. When he became the 26th POTUS following the assassination of William McKinley, he used the legislative process and an unprecedented number of executive orders to create 5 new national parks, establish ... read more