Our Lewis & Clark Adventure: Missoula, Montana (There is NO sex or naked women in this blog)

We had been to Missoula once before. That was six years ago on a crisp football Saturday in mid-September 2008. The farmers market was underway, tailgate parties all around. We did not see the game but we did get to watch as both marching bands paraded, playing their school songs. We rented bicycles and rode up and down the riverfront bike paths. 

So when we planned this Lewis and Clark adventure we were sure to include a return visit to Missoula. There is much to love about Missoula. it is a university town with all of the sophistication that that brings.. It is relatively flat but surrounded by mountains, some snow peaked. There  is a walkable lively downtown with bookshops, restaurants, cafes, and art galleries.

The "M" is visible from much of downtown. You can see a trail leading up to it. We didn't take it.

Saturday mornings feature two farmers markets, one at either end of Higgans Street, about six blocks from each other. This one has mostly food and some clothes and jewelry. The other one is mostly crafts, but some food as well.

The Cat-in-the-Hat is selling morel mushrooms

There is a parking problem in downtown Missoula, a bicycle parking problem, that is.
I need to write a rant.. It is at the end of the blog, if you are interested. Or you can skip it.

The First Friday celebration. Most of the shops and galleries are open and seemed to be rather full.

First Friday. I told you there would not be any naked women in this blog so don't look so hard.

This part of Higgans Street reminded us of West Asheville, NC

I think this business is some kind of bible store.

A River Runs Through It. Norman Maclean grew up in Missoula. He wrote his great novel after he retired.  Hmmmm!

The Lolo Pass is where the Corps of Discovery went over the Rockies into what is now Idaho.

Rosie is not too sure about this white stuff up at Lolo Pass.

But Rosie did want to climb into these holes to catch those upstart Prairie Dogs that were all over the place.

Snow still on the ground at Lolo Pass

I was one of the millions who felt that Undaunted Courage brought the Lewis & Clark expedition to life. I have been obsessed with this journey ever since reading it about 10 years ago.

This 3-D map of the Bitterroot Valley helps to show what Lewis & Clark faced in this section of their trip. It is about 150 miles from the bottom to the top. Dillon, Montana is off the map, bottom right. The blue dot at the top is Travelers' Rest. L&C camped here both heading to the Pacific and returning. To the left of the blue dot is the Lolo Pass. After L&C returned to Travelers' Rest they split up, Lewis leading 9 men to explore the Marias River and the area near where Galcier national Park is now. He found that Great Falls was a great deal closer this way than they way they took on the outward journey. Clark went south then east to explore the Yellowstone River. They met up again near the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri Rivers.

Several American Indian tribes, including the Salish, Koutenai, and Nez Perce used this peaceful area to meet and trade

Travelers' Rest. Archeologists have uncovered signs of Lewis & Clarks campsite in this field. They found that the Corps of Discovery set up its' campsites in line with military protocol as written by Gen. Van Steuben during the American Revolutionary War.. L&C maintained strict military discipline throughout the entire expedition.

This is a photo of Missoula, Montana in the mid 19th Century.

Missoula is the home of the Missoula Smokejumpers

So you want to be a smokejumper?

A small tent that a smoke jumper can set up and get into in 30 seconds. It protects from fire for a short while.

Diva at a rest stop.

They don't call it "Big Sky" for nothing.

View from the passenger seat.

What a pleasant drive from Missoula to Dillon

The black and white for this blog is of a navigation marker on the Macatawa River near Holland, Michigan.

Ciao, Frank

RANT: Everywhere we have gone on this trip, every small town and city, has had wonderful bicycle and walking trails that for the most part keep you out of traffic. Missoula has bike lanes on almost every major street. Great Falls, MT and Sioux City, IA had bike trails that allowed commuting by bicycle. From St. Charles, Missouri the Katy Trail is a bike/hike trail that goes 200 miles up the Miissouri River. Hilton Head Island has trails in almost every neighborhood. 

Debbie and I lived in Aiken, South Carolina, for 30 years. We love Aiken, the beautiful streets, the culture, the history, great downtown shopping and eating, the arts, the highly educated people, and our great friends, and we would still be there if it wasn't that all of our family has moved away, most to Asheville, NC. Ten years ago, maybe more, Aiken had an opportunity to add miles of bike trails AT ALMOST NO COST TO THE CITY. City council turned it down because some vocal citizens objected, probably for racial reasons. They said they didn't want "undesirables" biking through their neighborhoods. I stood up and volunteered that the bike path could go in front of my house. Aiken should be ashamed of itself for failing to do what so many towns and cities have done. So there!

Lewis & Clark Adventure: Pow wow at Council Bluffs, Omaha, Sioux City.

Where are we anyway? Since the Missouri River separates several states from several other states (like Iowa and Nebraska) and since we travelled over the bridges so often we have to keep reminding ourselves where we are.

 We spent a few days in Council Bluffs, Iowa but, visited Omaha, Nebraska. We are camped in South Sioux City (which is in Nebraska) but many of the sites we have seen are in Sioux City (in Iowa). To makes matters worse, there is a North Sioux City, South Dakota.

Meriwether Lewis's dog, Seaman in a pirogue. Seaman was the only non-human on the adventure.
At the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City (yes, in Nebraska) 

View of the Missouri From the Interpretive Center

A short walk from the Center are some mock-up earthen mound houses used by the native people of the region.

Inside these homes had lots of room for large families.

In Omaha, Nebraska, The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters, is the main administrative center for the National Park Service to care for all of its' holdings and joint activities along the entire Lewis and Clark Trail. It's a nice place to visit if you need information about the trail, maps, guides, etc. The is a small display of L&C artifacts in the lobby. Outside, there are some nice statues commemorating the working people of America.

Labor

This reminded me of some of the art I saw on a trip to The Soviet Union, back during the cold war. Most of the art there was "social realism," that is it glorified the Russian people and government

We found the Western Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa to be somewhat disappointing. It seemed like a nice display but the lighting was very poor making it hard to read the information or to see the details of the displays.

We are spending a week in the Sioux City area. We needed some time to catch our breath, to post some blogs, to do laundry, etc. We also loved the campground in South Sioux City, Nebraska. I will
be doing a special blog on the campground itself.

Well, you turn a corner and look what you run into, Nebraska's most recent set of quintuplets. They were born in July 2013 at 28 weeks of gestation (out of 40). They weighed 10 lbs altogether. Mom sure seems happy and relaxed.

Here's four of them, all that would fit in the largest stroller. Read more about them here.

The Sioux City, Iowa Public Museum was a treat. First of all it is free. There is a standing exhibition of the local history, including Lewis & Clark, of course. But there is also a 10 min movie about the development of Sioux City. Once we stole all the land from the native people, around 1853, the area was set for "civilization". Really, the display pays tribute to all of the people who have played a role in Sioux City's history.

The original corn palace was built as a tourist attraction. Every year a new one was constructed.

Talk about being kicked around. The Winnebago Tribe was kicked out of their home 3 times.
There is a Ho-Chunk Plaza, street, and other references in the area.

The people of Sioux City are justly proud of their actions in the aftermath of United Flight 232's crash at the airport. Of 296 people aboard, 185 survived. The Iowa National Guard was on duty at the airport by chance. People came from all over the area to help care for, feed, and shelter the survivors.

Sgt. Charles Floyd Memorial, Sioux City, Iowa.
Sgt. Charles Floyd became very ill when the Corps reached the Sioux City area. Capt. Lewis, who had studied medicine for 2 weeks a year before leaving, diagnosed him "bilious colic". Modern investigators feel that he had a ruptured appendix. He was the only member of the entire crew to die on the journey.

Sgt. Floyd was buried on a bluff above the Missouri River, about 200 yards from this memorial. The Missouri is visible in this picture. That part of the river bank had already eroded when the Corp came back 2 years later. They reburied him but erosion disrupted his grave. Only fragments of his bones are buried here.

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is Sioux City, Iowa, is one of the best we have seen. It focuses on the events that happened to the Expedition in this area. There are dozens of large original oils like this one, depicting the burial of Sgt. Floyd. The Corps, a unit of the U.S. Army wore full dress uniforms on a regular basis.

This painting shows the capture of Pvt. Moses Reed who deserted.

The Court Martial of Pvt Moses Reed. He was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to run the gauntlet. He was dishonorably discharged. He spent the winter in quarters, under hard labor, and was sent back with the keel boat in the spring. 10 other men went back, bringing notes, maps, and specimens to Jefferson.

Attached to the Interpretive Center is a museum of South Dakota heritage. There were two fantastic photographic exhibits on display. The "Children of St. Augustine Indian Mission, by Don Doll, a Jesuit.

All of the children are photographed in full regalia and with some comment by the child. Most wanted to  be doctors, teachers, or some other profession.

The other exhibit was of Black & Whites of rural Nebraska schools.

I will not chew gum. I will not chew gum.

We ate at a fantastic diner in South Sioux City. We each ordered one pancake butthey were so large, neither of us could finish, I tried out a new hair style while there.

A Black & White of my own. At Hooker Falls in Dupont State Forest, near Brevard, NC

Ciao, Frank