North-Central Wyoming - August, 2003 (Re-run)

 This part of Wyoming has a scenic loop formed by Highways U.S. 14 and U.S. 14A, both of which cross the Bighorn Mountains.  On this occasion, I started in the town of Greybull because of its central location.  Like other parts of the state, this one has some of the very colorful badlands that I enjoy.

North of Greybull, the Bighorn River flows through Bighorn Canyon, home to bighorn sheep (which we did not see) and wild mustangs (which we did see).

A dam across the river has created Bighorn Lake, a huge reservoir and recreation area.

Starting east into the mountains, Alt U.S. 14 has an 11% grade called "Going To Hell Highway" or something close to that.  All the way through the Bighorns, the road is narrow, with steep grades and lots of sharp curves.  At that, it is much improved over earlier versions, and the scenery is great.

 Eventually, the road re-joins U.S. 14 and I turned west, back toward Greybull.  One of the attractions along this route is Shell Falls.

Dirty Annie's Country Store is also worth a brief stop, and a spur road leads to some dinosaur tracks in an ancient river bed.

Montana & Wyoming - August, 2003 (Re-run)

 If you are old enough, you may remember Charles Kuralt, a CBS newsman who became famous for producing the "On The Road" segment for the Sunday Morning TV show.  (He later became famous for having two wives and two families, but that's not relevant to my story.)  Kuralt traveled all over the country reporting on the interesting and scenic things he found along the way.  As one who saw much of the country, his expert opinion was that the Beartooth Highway in Montana and Wyoming is the most spectacular highway in the country.  Maybe he never saw those highways in Colorado, Utah or the Coast Highway in California and Oregon.  Regardless, I would agree with him that Beartooth Highway is among the most spectacular roads in the country.

The 68 mile highway runs between the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park and the charming western town of Red Lodge, MT.  It rises some 5000 feet through a series of switchbacks and tops out at roughly 11,000 feet.  Travelers on this highway are treated to mountains, valleys, waterfalls and nearly 1000 alpine lakes.  Open (weather permitting) between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, breathtaking views of wildflowers are available much of that time.  The highway is named for Beartooth Mountain, as is Beartooth Butte, Beartooth Falls, Beartooth Lake and the entire Beartooth Mountain Range.

                                      

Of course, the Missouri River runs through Montana, which makes it Lewis & Clark Country, and those intrepid explorers are properly honored here.  The "mighty" Missouri has been tamed somewhat since those days by the construction of six dams to provide electricity and water for drinking and irrigation, but also to control the catastrophic flooding that once occurred.  It's easy to see why the Lewis & Clark expedition had to make long portages around what were violent falls at that time.

Eastern Montana is a huge wheat-growing region.  Coming into the state from the East, I've speculated that a person could travel some 200 miles without ever leaving a wheat field except to cross a river or a road.  It seems to go on forever.

Cataldo, Idaho & Missoula, MT - August, 2003 (Re-run)

 On this trip, we really just passed through Idaho, making one quick stop in the small town of Cataldo, near Coeur d'Alene.  The Sacred Heart Mission, a National Historic Landmark, was our target there because of its unusual history.  The Nez Perce Indians had heard of the white man's religion and wanted to learn more about it, so a small group of tribesmen went to  St. Louis and met with church officials.  Consequently, a priest was sent west to help establish an Indian mission.

Starting in 1850, the Indians built a chapel using the wattle and daub method, an ancient type of construction.  No nails were used.  With limited materials available to decorate the church, fabric bought from Hudson Bay Company and hand painted newspaper mailed to the priest from Philadelphia were used to decorate the walls.  Statues that looked like marble were carved from wood by the priest using only a knife.  The colors of the walls and ceiling were created by pressing huckleberries and blueberries into the wood.  All furniture was made by hand.  The site is now an Idaho state park.

In the mission cemetery is a beautiful memorial to Louise Siuwheem of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, considered to be apostle of her tribe.   She taught religion to the children, cared for the sick and the orphans, taught hymns and prayers and came to this cemetery every night to pray for those buried here. Louise died and was buried here in 1853 while helping construct the church on the hill.

Missoula is the second largest city in Montana with a population of about 120,000.  Lewis and Clark made rest stops here as they traveled to and from the Pacific Ocean.  Later, a trading post was formed here, followed by the railroad, a fort and lumber mills.  Its location on the Clark Fork River contributed to its growth.  Now a center of commerce, it is also home to the University of Montana.  I was mainly interested in the scenery and the wildlife, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

The Missoula Smokejumper Headquarters was extremely interesting.  We learned a lot about their facility and operation and saw the planes used to drop the Smokejumpers and fire retardants.  The men pack their own parachutes and jump into wildfires with over 200 pounds of equipment on their backs.  Can't give them enough credit.

 

                                      

                                      

In the early 1990s, a local cabinetmaker learned of a carousel in Spokane and decided that Missoula should have one, too.  Realizing he could not do it alone, Chuck Kaparich headed a team of some fifty volunteers who created the carousel.  Chuck taught carving to the team members who each carved an animal or other piece of the project.  A pony would be made in seven pieces and assembled, many with small mementos placed inside.  On average, each piece required 800 hours to complete.  Sad to say, Chuck recently (June 28) passed away at age 73, but "A Carousel For Missoula" will continue as his legacy.

The nearby town of Clinton is famous for its annual "Testicle Festival" that features five days of drinking beer and eating  Rocky Mountain "oysters".