I used to think “Big Sky Country” was merely a slogan. Now I think it’s an understatement.
I think it’s a minor shame that Lewis and Clark named each of the rivers at the “Three Forks” and decided the Missouri started there (instead of at what are now considered the ‘real’ ‘headwaters & source’.)
Speaking of Lewis and Clark, I think that expedition was so MUCH more amazing, courageous, and even ‘lucky’ than I ever thought!! What an amazing, tough, ‘can-do’ group of men (and woman)!! As one example, I think it’s unbelievable that Lewis and Clark portaged ALL their gear across 18 miles of hilly country to get past the string of 5 huge waterfalls in the area now known as Great Falls, Montana.
I think I felt somewhat cheated (river-wise, NOT beauty-wise) going through South Dakota. The string of reservoirs there prevents views of ‘the river’ itself through much of the state.
I think we must be going to have the best highway system in the world soon. Almost everyplace I went I encountered “Work in Progress” or “Watch for Delays” signs, frequently more than one a day.
I think I wish I could have seen the “Missouri Breaks” in northern Montana – a beautiful stretch of river so deserted that it’s almost impossible to see (I tried!) unless you’re floating it.
I think I agree with one of my hosts as we drove through a vast open area of South Dakota (where Dances with Wolves was filmed): “People who say there’s nothing to see here, don’t know what they’re looking at”
I think I also agree with the same host who noted that the Missouri River, going south through the Dakotas, “may not be a continental divide, but it’s a cultural divide”. Cowboys to the west, farmers to the east.
I think I was surprised at how quickly and visibly the ‘feel’ of River and the surroundings began to change right about Sioux City, IA – right at the SD/NE/IA state lines. Starting there, I left the wide open country behind, and began encountering increasingly bigger cities with increasing frequency.
