Day 5: Big Sky Country!

The day dawned cool and mostly cloudy in Shelby, MT.  Continuing our eastward expedition, we soon arrived in the small farming community of Chester.  Actually, nearly all the towns along U.S. Hwy 2 in northern Montana are small farming communities, and all are located along the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad line.  Dryland wheat is the dominant crop (along with hay for the beef cattle on nearby ranches).  At the Chester rest area/park, which is generously provided by the local Lions Club, we met a local rancher. Bob, who is about 70 years old, farms dryland wheat about 17 miles north of town.  A Lion himself, he takes care of the park.  Upon learning of our Oregon roots, he stated with conviction, "trees hem me in. I like wide open spaces." Well, he certainly has that!  He shared two other noteworthy bits of information. One, about 50 freight trains pass through town daily (a number we can attest to!), and two, don't go near Williston, ND.  The oil boom there has created a nightmare of traffic, no available lodging, and less-than-ethical oil workers.

We ventured further east, stopping for lunch at a city park in Havre, located across the street from a primary school (2nd and 3rd grade). We watched children on recess play hide-and-seek among the forest of elm trees as we enjoyed our repast at a picnic table in the shade.  The quintessential American western small town park!

At Malta, we visited the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, featuring dinosaur fossils found in the area and donated by local ranchers who discovered them. Sue, the staffer, reiterated Bob's warning about Williston, but much more emphatically.  She said about 200 oil trucks per day per well rush in and out of the area, and that prices are high and lines long for food, fuel, and lodging.  We already passed on the highway about half a dozen huge pieces of equipment being moved on lowboys. We assume the equipment was headed to oil wells.  Each one took up two full lanes of traffic, which is a problem on a two lane highway. We had to move clear over to the shoulder and stop to leave room.  When they say wide load in Montana, they mean it!

We ended the day at Glasgow.  Another 265 miles, bringing our total to 1,290.  We saw a couple of antelope, five deer, and many more freight trains today (mostly moving oil, wheat, and containers). The Great Plains have a reputation for being flat, and that is certainly true in some areas, but here, small mountain ranges were visible to our south almost all day, and although the topography was more subdued than in the Rockies, we still had rolling hills, small canyons, bluffs, and more variety than expected. The western U.S. (from the Pacific to the Rockies) flaunts its topography, in essence shouting, "look at me!"  The Plains are more demure, playing hard to get if you will, but the beauty and diversity are there to be discovered by the observant -- or someone who is thinking geographically!

Downtown Shelby, MT

Grain and grain elevators. The Sweetgrass Hills in the background are considered sacred by the Blackfeet Indians.

Downtown Havre, MT.

A tragic accident at the Havre city park nearly ended the trip early.

The Milk River at Malta, MT. Apparently chocolate milk.

Cargo containers.

Malta, MT.

Oil cars.

Glasgow sunset behind a grain elevator, which are ubiquitous in Montana.

Day 4: Glacier National Park

Spent most of today in Glacier National Park, taking nearly 400 photos of rivers, lakes, valleys, waterfalls, snowfields, black bears, mountain goats, and mountains. Oh, and a glacier. Traveled another 172 miles today (1,025 miles total).

Going-to-the-sun highway is an impressive feat of engineering -- and not for the faint of heart!

Rocks. In the Rockies. Hence the name.

Looking east from Logan Pass (elev. 6646 ft.), located on the Continental Divide. Streams flow eastward from here, eventually reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

More Logan Pass views.

Logan Pass parking lot.

Rolling hills just east of the Rockies between St. Mary and Browning.

Where the Plains meet the Rockies. Huge groves of aspen trees and open range cattle.

Jackson Glacier

St. Mary Lake, near east end of Glacier NP.

Wheat fields near Cut Bank, MT. Already harvested and the straw cut, only stubble remains.

Grain silos at Cut Bank, MT.

Day 3: Goodbye summer, hello winter!

What a difference a day makes! A cold front pushed through last night, dropping temperatures into the low 40s. It never got above 51 degrees today and was rainy and overcast nearly all day. Glacier National Park had a winter storm warning for up to four inches of snow at higher elevations! Good thing we're a day behind schedule. It's supposed to be sunny and much warmer tomorrow.

Gray skies and beautiful scenery near Bonners Ferry, ID

We continued north this morning to Bonners Ferry, situated along the Kootenai River. Just north of there, we hung a hard right onto U.S. Highway 2, which I intend to stay on or near all the way to Michigan. We quickly arrived at a viewpoint high above the Moyie River, a tributary of the Kootenai. An impressively long and high steel truss bridge spans the river just below a hydroelectric dam.

Informational sign at Moyie River overlook.

Bridge over the River Moyie

Continuing eastward, we soon crossed into Montana (state number four of the trip) and entered the Mountain Time Zone.  We drove past the small community of Troy to a trailhead for Kootenai Falls and a suspension bridge over the Kootenai River. The thundering falls only drop a short distance, but span the width of the river and interesting geology is exposed in the steep-walled canyon. Crossing the suspension bridge was an adrenaline rush! Multiple signs warned of imminent doom for a misstep, but we proceeded on. Only three boards wide (some of them rotting and splitting), it bounced and swayed with every step.

Railroad tracks near the falls. This image disturbs me. Probably because I have a one-track mind. :-)

Safely back across the bridge of doom. Most people turned back without crossing, but a few adventurous souls dared to cross the watery chasm.

Folded rock strata near Kootenai Falls.

 We spent a couple of hours hiking and photographing at Kootenai Falls. Fortunately, the speed limit on all Montana highways (even narrow two lane ones) is 70 mph, so we made good time to Kalispell.

Kalispell, MT

Interesting cloud formations at sunset at Kalispell.

Day 2: The Inland Empire

We traveled east on U.S. Hwy 12 this morning from Walla Walla, stopping to take photos in the historic downtowns of Waitsburg and Dayton (county seat of Columbia County). Both are farming communities located in the heart of the Palouse, a region in southeastern Washington with fertile loess soils. Loess is very fine soil with a consistency like talcum and is  formed of windblown deposits. It holds moisture well, so dryland wheat can be successfully grown here despite the low precipitation.

Downtown Waitsburg, WA

Columbia County Courthouse, Dayton, WA

Loess soils about 5 miles north of Dayton, WA

Garfield County Courthouse, Pomeroy, WA

At Alpowa Pass summit (elev. 2785 feet).

Panorama of Snake River along U.S. Hwy 12 west of Clarkston, WA

Hillside C above Clarkston, WA

We continued east as far as Lewiston, Idaho, crossing the Snake River just before entering the city. From there we turned north, staying on U.S. Hwy 95 all the way to Sandpoint, ID, a tourist town on the western shore of Lake Pend Oreille.

Marina on Lake Pend Oreille at Sandpoint, ID

Sandpoint, ID

City Beach at Sandpoint, ID

Day 1: On the Road!

After months of planning, I finally embarked on my journey today (Monday, Sept. 1, 2014). After loading my rig and saying goodbyes, I picked up a friend who is joining me on the first leg of my trip. We headed east to Central Oregon, enjoying the beautiful late summer weather -- and the fact that nearly all the Labor Day traffic was headed the other direction! Redmond's patriotism was on full display, as the streets were lined with hundreds of flags to commemorate Labor Day. In Madras, we stopped briefly for a bon voyage from my parents and a surprise sendoff from my daughter and granddaughter who traveled from Bend for the occasion.

Labor Day flags in Redmond, OR

Enjoying time with my beautiful granddaughter!

Heading north, we made a short stop to photograph the small town of Maupin on the Deschutes River. Located on the Columbia Plateau and perched on a basalt bench above the river, this hamlet caters to the throngs of whitewater rafters who come to experience the thrill of running the nearby rapids.

Sagebrush steppe and Deschutes River at Maupin, OR on the Columbia Plateau.

Basalt bluffs at Maupin, OR

We had dinner in The Dalles at the home of my friend's parents. The menu consisted of grilled steak and fresh produce from their garden: lemon cucumbers, tomatoes, cooked carrot slices with butter and herbs, corn on the cob, and fried potatoes. After dinner we turned east and eventually arrived in Walla Walla, WA. 413 miles traveled today, and we barely made it out of Oregon! Washington is state number two of about 30 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces I expect to visit on this 12,000-14,000 mile journey.