On the Lewis and Clark Trail

The past week we meandered from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota through Montana and Idaho into Washington state.  Our intention was to visit Glacier National Park, but these two Minnesota “weenies” decided a forecast of snow and colder weather was not to our liking.  After spending two wonderful days at Fort Peck Dam (no, I’d never heard of it either) we headed south and west, linking up again with good old Highway 12 (that would be 395 for you twin city folks).  We’ve seen a moose, hundreds of bison, lots of deer and plenty of snakes in the road; those yellow and black warning signs about curvy roads.  You know you’re in for a thrill when a sign tells you “Winding Road next 99 miles”.  Not lying, it’s right there by the Visitor Center at the top of Lolo Pass on the Montana / Idaho border.  We stayed in a National Forest campground along a wonderful, bubbling stream in a rain (but NOT snow).  We met a trucker stuck at a rest stop with no cell service (and the rest area had no emergency phone).  His rig had blown a rear tire and torn up a bit of the frame of the trailer carrying a 40,000 pound girder for a road project.  I noticed his truck cab was from a company in St Cloud, MN; he said he’d never been there but was hoping to make it eventually, as a bridge being built somewhere in northern Minnesota needed this girder.  He refused a ride offer and said he’d wait until a Highway Patrol or someone else showed up.  Ed from Louisiana, I hope you packed winter clothes; you’ll need them by the time you get there…

While we’re driving, Diane and I are listening to an audio book entitled “Undaunted Courage”; it’s the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1805.  The route we’re taking (Highway 12) is nearly identical to their own, except we have paved roads, a heated trailer and 350 horses pulling it.  I’d recommend the book to anyone who thinks traveling is a struggle.  Once you get off the road here, it’s easier to visualize the trek they made through the Bitterroot Mountains; several of the men on the expedition called this the most scenic and worst terrain they’d ever known.  Steep hills soar above you, covered with thick pines a hundred feet tall.  Rushing streams, filled with boulders make the valleys no less hazardous.  Each time you get past one mountain, three more rise up in front.  This area is the densest forest we’ve ever experienced.  It’s a beautiful drive with the windows open, smelling the wonderful aroma of cedars; don’t think I’d ever enjoy it as much on foot, except, perhaps, for a half mile hike to a hot spring.  Roughing it these days, for us, is dropping a phone call or not having internet access to check Facebook.  Oh yeah, we’ve had one bigger problem… our shower handle drips whenever the water pump runs (but it’s under warranty and can wait until we reach Portland).  We live in an amazing country, blessed with beauty and timelessness.

Our stay in Idaho, along the Lolo River, brought one other exciting moment; twice during the night we had a bear try to get in the front of our trailer (though we thought it was raccoons at first).  Flashlights through the window and a few shouts, in my loudest and gruffest voice (as Diane says) and he was gone.  Now our tiny home “bears” a few claw marks.  We cannot believe how much beauty we’ve witnessed in the miles covered since we began.