Rollin’ On The River #3 – Transitions!
Greetings from Three Forks, MT!! At least as I write this. Sunday (7/31) was my first ‘wheels rolling’ day of the official trip, and by the time you read it, I’ll be in Helena, MT, the capital! Perhaps I’ll have time to squeeze in some pictures in this edition . . . the rest will come next week.
I discovered a marvelous historical coincidence while I was in Three Forks! The Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis & Clark, arrived here at the Headwaters on July 27, 1805, and camped here the nights of July 27, 28, 29 (though I’ve seen minor variations on dates). And now, 211 years later, I am/was here at the Headwaters on exactly those same dates!! Wow!
My Three Forks stop marked the official beginning of the Trip – and the River!! So, it’s been an interesting week of transitions, both in terms of the trip and the river, actually! Seems like there’s a lot to share (will it be this way every week?), so let me summarize and you can pick and choose what you’d like to explore more.
Before the Beginning (The Trip) Since the last ‘blog’, I finished the ‘pre-trip’ out here with visits along the way to Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Needles Highway, Devil’s Tower, and Little Big Horn Battlefield.
* For pictures of Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, visit Monuments
* Near these monuments is a crazy loop of a road in the Black Hills called Needles Highway. Lots of 10- and 15-mph twists, turns and cutbacks, and INCREDIBLE scenery. To take a ride, click the link above.
*For shots of the amazing Devil’s Tower in NE Wyoming, visit Tower.
*I actually stood on/near the place where Custer fell in his ‘last stand’. For a few pictures, see LittleBighorn.
Before the Beginning (The River) The official source of the River is here in Three Forks, but that’s a historical accident of sorts – Lewis and Clark simply decreed it so (and named the ‘three forks’ something else.) The true headwaters area of what becomes the Missouri is located at skinny little Hell Roaring Creek, roughly 2 hours and 100 miles away. For some shots of the real headwaters of the Missouri, see HellRoaringCreek. Talk about a humble beginning!
The Official Journey Begins: The River & the Trip! As mentioned, the Missouri River officially begins in Three Forks. The area is now a nice state park.
For a look at the headwaters, as formed by the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers (named by Lewis and Clark), see MO.Headwaters.
Three Forks is a small town, though as delightful as its inhabitants. It reminds me of some of the small towns in Missouri. For a variety of Three Forks scenes, see ThreeForks.
Buffalo Jump For hundreds of years, long before Native Americans were introduced to horses (and later rifles!), they used to have to ‘harvest’ buffalo to survive the winters through other means. The main method was to stampede them over a bluff (not an easy task). An often-used one is Madison Buffalo Jump, not far from Three Forks. To see pictures, visit BuffaloJump.
Quick Early Helena Highlights For shots of the River after it leaves Three Forks see 3F.to.Helena. For some views of the Capitol Building in Helena, see MontanaCapitolBldg.
River-Related Highlight of the Week: I’m reluctant to call this the River highlight, but it’s right up there. I got a chance to take a 11-mile, 4-hour float on the Jefferson above where it flows into the Missouri. My host was Tom Elpel, President of the Jefferson River Canoe Trail. To see some beautiful shots, see JeffersonFloat.
Non-River-Related Highlight of the Week: This was so delightful to me!! You must see it! I was on this gravel road in the middle of nowhere (headed to a landmark), and there was this thriving business!! I loved it! See Cookies&Water.
Up Ahead – A Quick Preview: During this next week, I’ll be visiting Helena, Great Falls, the Fort Benton area, and the Fort Peck area. All of these are in Montana. I move into North Dakota next week.
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And with that, I shall quit for this week. LOTS more to share, but I fear I’m too long already. Have a good week!!