Tank and I were up early as usual, and add to that, we gained another hour for the day by leaving Bismarck, North Dakota and entering the Mountain Daylight Time zone. At the end of this week, I'll be in Idaho and the Pacific Daylight Time zone, closer to my home of Sparks, Nevada.
But for today, it was 'westward ho', travelling from Bismarck to my day's destination of Glendive, Montana. Entering Montana was personally significant because now I can say that I have been in all of the United States.....except Alaska. I plan to visit Alaska next year, so for me, that will 'complete the set'.
North Dakota and Montana do not have large populations, and I don't think that many tourists are in this northern part of the country just now. Getting on the road, early on a Sunday morning, there were times where I went for miles without seeing another vehicle. North Dakota has a population of about 700,000 and Montana about 800,000.
Another piece of trivia that I learned is that North Dakota is the geographical center of North America. Not the U.S., but the entire continent. More specifically, the point is about 100 miles of Bismarck, where I spent Saturday. I don't know what value knowing this fact is, but I thought I would mention it.
Leaving Bismarck, I crossed the Missouri River for what seems like the sixth time on this trip. Earlier during the trip, as I zigzagged down the Missouri valley, visiting South Dakota, then Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri, it was during those days that I crossed the river several times. Today, the river I saw was large and peaceful. But we all know that Mother Nature has her moments and these large rivers can become man's problem with flooding. Not today however.
The temperature 'up here' in the north, has been been pretty cool. All morning, the temperature stayed in the 60s and only later did it get into the 70s.
At some of the prairie villages, I have seen 'sod huts' and as I drove along today, I think I saw some actually on people's property. Growing up in this time period, it's hard for us to imagine that the early pioneers actually did live in structures made up of dirt and grass. If you have not seen a sod house, we're talking about chunks of grass and dirt, about a foot square and maybe six inches deep, and then many of them pile on each other to form walls. The roof probably was made of logs, with more sod piled on top of that. Hmmmm, interesting!
At New Salem, we stopped and Tank took my picture with a 38 foot Holstein cow. I have to admit, it was a fiberglass statue, but a very real looking statue. The dairy industry is big here in North Dakota, and the people of New Salem thought it appropriate to erect this huge statue as sort of a tribute. I think the statue really surprises a lot of people driving through the area, who didn't know about it in advance.
All during this trip (eleven weeks, so far), as I have driven through the varied communities of this country, the one thing that seems a bit consistent has been churches and their steeples or spires. Especially, as I drive through an area with small towns and no 'high rises', the mostly likely thing to stick out above the landscape is the local church or churches.
At Dickinson, North Dakota, I stopped for a full breakfast (which I didn't like - who ever heard of a fast food omelet?). I then went in search of the local pioneer village called Outpost Park. It was still early on this Sunday morning and they didn't open until noon. It was just as well, because I could see from the road that it was not very good, but simply a collection of old 'stuff', not very good in either quality or presentation. I moved on.
Back on the highway, I thought about the comments I have heard from a number of people, about how driving through North Dakota is so monotinous, repetitious and boring. Well, .....it is! You really have to think about it, that North Dakota does have its own kind of beauty. The land seems to have a texture, and the ripple of the very low hills sort of lulls you to not seeing what you're seeing. The scenery finally did change when I got within thirty miles of the Montana state line, and the Badlands.
The term Badlands came about as early explorers and travellers found it difficult to get their wagons through the areas of North and South Dakota which had no obvious flat, straight path through the land. The badlands is what attracted people like Theodore Roosevelt to settle here and ranch or farm. I spent much of my day touring the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, stopping to view the landscape, watch the herds of buffalo and even watch with amusement the prairie dogs scoot in and out of their holes. Even Tank had fun watching, but not feeding, the prairie dogs.
Also in Medora, North Dakota is the Chateau de Mores, which is a grand name for what really is a 26 room frame house. The Marquis de Mores came to this area in the late 1800s to establish a slaughter house and packing house where the herds existed and from here, ship cut meat to market. While living here, he had the house built for his family and hunting guests. The venture failed in time because refrigeration was not then was it is today.
After leaving the National Park area, I stopped at other North Dakota locations, just to see what's what. I could not find the rock formations from which Sentinel Butte gets its name, and at Home on the Range, I saw no visible sign as to why the tiny town chose its name.
I crossed into Montana, and while I was taking my 'entry' picture, I noticed a car stop going in the opposite direction, and a guy had his picture taken with the North Dakota sign, the state he was entering. See, I'm not the only one.
I arrived at Glendive, Montana in the late afternoon. I didn't see any more huge statues, I must say. In Alexandria, Minnesota, I saw the 30 foot Viking. In Jamestown, North Dakota, I saw the 30 foot bison (buffalo). And of course today, I saw the 38 foot Holstein cow. I don't know what it is with these people and their fascination for large statues. Maybe it's the legend of Paul Bunyan.
Tomorrow I'm off to Billings, Montana, which is about midway in the state. I have plans to see sights along the way, but I must confess I'm thinking ahead to Tuesday when I'll be in the Yellowstone area, and Wednesday when I pass through the Grand Tetons. I need to stock up on more film tomorrow.
Yesterday, I did some planning for the week's activities and it became clear that I had some personal business to attend to before I could resume my touring interests. Specifically, it was time for another oil change for my Ford Explorer. I have put over 15,000 miles on the car with this trip and I want to make sure it runs well. The other chore was simply my need to do laundry.
I left last night's lodging in Glendive, Montana and drove about 75 miles to Miles City. There, I found a Ford dealer and got my oil change right away. My motel of last night did not have guest laundry nor does the motel I'm in tonight, so I took another approach. I've stayed at a lot of Motel 6's this trip and I know how they're laid out. So while in Miles City, I stopped at its Motel 6, which had guest laundry, and did my wash while I ate a full breakfast next door. Shhhhhh!
Eastern Montana seems to be flatter than the central part of the state. Here in the Billings area, it is quite hilly (almost mountainous) and there are more trees than in the east. All day long, I saw thousand acre ranches, flat as a board and not many trees in sight. Montana ranches seem to run more cattle than in North Dakota.
I like the names of roads and such around here. I saw signs for Cracker Box Road, Whoopup Creek Road, Bad Route Road and Two Leggins Canal. Here in the Big Sky country, I can see how Montana got that nickname. As you look out across miles of ranchland, when you get to the horizon, you don't see mountains or anything, but just the big sky. In Nevada, you might look across miles of desert but at the horizon you will see mountains rise up to touch the sky.
The road from Glendive to Billings follows the Yellowstone River. I crisscrossed the river about ten times it seems. The river is fairly wide but it doesn't look as 'powerful' as say the Missouri or the Mississippi.
Before leaving Miles City, I visited the Range Riders Museum. It is run by local folks and some volunteers and they're very proud of what they have put together over the years. They started with an idea and no money, but have built up quite a collection of memorabilia and artifacts. The museum emphasizes Montana and the west. They have a 'rogues gallery' (my words) with pictures of many people who contributed to settling the west.
The museum has a number of good collections (guns, saddles, oil lamps, barbed wire, pioneer ladies attire, etc). They have a good collection of wagons, such as chuck wagons, mail wagons, hearses and so on. All and all, I thought it was a good museum to tour.
I was then headed to Billings directly, maybe stopping at a place called Pompeys Pillar, but I 'hung a left'. I pride myself in the planning I have done for this trip, but then I didn't think of everything before the fact. Today, I saw a sign reminding me that the famous battle of Little Bighorn occurred right here in south central Montana.
So, off I went to see the battlefield. And hundreds of other tourists were there as well. A monument marks the spot where Sitting Bull and his warriors wiped out Lt.Colonel George Custer and his 7th Cavalry troop of 210 men. Gravestones mark where the soldiers fell. Any Indians killed in the battle were removed at the time. Park Rangers give a variery of tours and lectures to tell the story of this site.
The old saying has it that in our old age, we wished we paid more attention to things in our younger days. Ah, to go through school again and this time pay attention to all the things that our teachers were trying to tell us. The battle of Little Bighorn was fought in June 1876, by the way. Before leaving Bighorn, I stopped at Sitting Bull's tent (Sitting Bull the sixth, that is). He was in, so I gave him several of my business cards.
When I got to Billings, I checked into my motel for the night, but I immediately left to go shopping for a final batch of slide film for the remainder of my trip. I should reach 90-100 rolls by the time trip ends two weeks from now. Not all will be 'keepers' but I'm hoping that many will help me remember the details of the trip, and also enable me to tell the story to anyone who would be interested.
After my film shopping I had one more sightseeing attraction that I wanted to fit into my day. I read about a place called "Oscar's Dreamland" which supposedly has the world's largest collection of self-propelled farm equipment. And, by golly, Oscar has it!
If you're not interested in tractors and such, you would not be interested in this place. But Oscar has the giants as well as the tiny tractors. He has old ones and new ones, and some really weird ones (like who would built such a crazy looking thing?). To round out his unique collection, his museum does have some more conventional collections, such as old cars, one plane, and a few buggies.
So, another busy day for this traveller. I have already looked at my ideas for tomorrow and the day's destination of Yellowstone is cleary going to be the highlight. I will try to fit in things like the computer museum in Bozeman, and some other things along the way, but I do want to spend the majority of my time at the national park. I'll keep you posted.
Yellowstone National Park is a very big place. Just look at my odometer! I put on a total of 290 miles today and 100 of those miles was just inside the park. I think I saw all the major attractions, and it takes driving around to get to those places.
I began the morning around 5:30AM, with a full breakfast, and then a straight drive to the northern entrance of Yellowstone. Ordinarily, I don't like to drive anywhere straight through, but I wanted to have as much time in the park today as I could manage.
Rain drops greeted me as I got on the highway leaving Billings, Montana, and the pesky sprinkles persisted all day until after 6:00PM. The sun tried to peek through, but it remained cloudy and overcast most of the day, with a cool 60 degree temperature.
Eastern Montana was quite flat, and when I got into the Billings area, it started to get a bit hillier. But west of Billings this morning, all I saw were mountains, wide rivers and trees. It was almost like being in a different state.
When I entered Montana on its eastern state line, I began to parallel the Yellowstone River and it has followed me, or I followed it all the way to the national park. I began to think of it as an old friend, so I asked Tank to take my photo by the river. What you won't see in the photo, by the way, are the mosquitos. It must be that time of year.
It was great to get back into the mountains again. I live on the doorstep of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and of course on this trip, I have been in, on and over all kinds of mountains, mostly west of the Mississippi. But mountains give you something grand to look at, and the road winds in and out, up and down. It's just fun to drive through a mountainous area.
I drove due west from Billings to Livingstone, Montana, and then south on US89. As I approached Yellowstone, the highest mountain peaks I could see were around 11,000 feet above sea level. A number of the peaks still have last winter's snow on them.
Highway 89 immediately brought other changes in the scenery. No more thousand acre ranches but instead smaller ranches and farms. Many of them have their ranch name emblazoned across their entry drive. The double this or that. I began to see lumber trucks and lumber mills again, also.
The Yellowstone River in eastern Montana is wide but almost placid. As I climbed into the higher elevations, nearing the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the pace of the river picked up considerably. Now it was rushing, moving tons of water, gurgling and bubbling as it went. Don't mess with Mother Nature and big rivers!
The northern part of the park is the Gallatin National Forest, and the mountains are covered with trees. Inside the park, however, it's unfortunate that the forest fires of 1988 have still left their mark. There is a lot of dead wood, standing or on the ground, and according to the park ranger I talked to, the regrowth has been unusually slow.
Another thing that took some enjoyment out of my visit to the park were the roads. There are many potholes and rough road caused, I guess, by the harsh winters they have here in the park. Add to that, there were some major road construction areas where there was no pavement at all. Just a teeth-jarring dirt road with its kind of holes and washboard surface. No fun!
But, putting those things aside, there was much to be enjoyed today. No sooner had I entered the park than I saw antelope nearby. Naturally, I got out both the video and 35mm cameras to record what I saw. Still later, I was able to get quite close to an elk, with his horns covered with velvet, and I got some pretty good photos of it as well.
Having entered the park from Montana on the northern side, the first attraction I encountered inside the Wyoming park was the Mammoth Hot Springs. Yellowstone is just full of hot springs and geysers. Steam seems to be coming out of everywhere. And the warm air doesn't always smell too good. But anyway, I climbed around the Mammoth Hot Springs and got my quota of pictures.
There are a lot of places to pull off the two lane road which takes you through the park. Some are designated picnic areas and have tables and trash bins. But what the park really lacks are toilet facilities. Everywhere I stopped, you could see lines of people hoping that it soon would be their turn.
There are many small rivers within the park and they converge with each other, or split off, whichever way you want to look at it. I enjoyed the Gibbon River and the Gibbon Falls. I saw quite a few fly fisherman enjoying the day, and I thought maybe one day I should try that.
I took pictures at the Midway Geyser Basin, but the highlight of my day certainly was seeing Old Faithful blow its top. The ranger told me 1:52PM and by golly it was 1:52PM when it erupted its steaming vapor into clouds. Hundreds and hundreds of people lined up to see the event, and that happens maybe 20 times during the day (I assume no one comes in the middle of the night).
I stopped to photograph the Kepler Cascades also. If you like to look and listen to rushing water, you would enjoy Yellowstone. Rivers, rapids, and falls all over the park. I stopped to take pictures as I crossed the Continental Divide at 8262 feet above sea level. I was puzzled when just a short time later, I crossed an unnamed peak at 8391 and it also had a sign for the Continental Divide. It works out that I had crisscrossed two mountain tops.
I stopped to watch other game, but felt I had enough photos for the time being. I found my way to the Lake Lodge and got checked into my $90.00 room, which has no TV or telephone. There goes my budget! My cabin is on Yellowstone Lake which is absolutely huge. I plan to be up early tomorrow morning, looking at the morning sun as it puts a glow on the lake.
Tomorrow I have a short drive south to the Grand Tetons. The two parks abut one another. It was tough to find a place to stay, but I found a place at Signal Mountain. I'll find out tomorrow whether this turns out to be a good place from which to see the park and the famous mountain range. I don't think the Grand Tetons have much in the way of attractions, compared to other national parks, so I may put on hiking boots and walk for few miles. I'll keep you posted.
Well, I'm sorry if it offends anyone who really likes Yellowstone National Park, but based on my experience with the current trip, I have decided that I enjoyed the Grand Teton National Park more.
It's unfortunate for Yellowstone that is has been scarred by the 1988 fires, probably caused by lightning, not humans, and the heavy frost and winter weather has really taken its toll on the roads. There are dead trees all over Yellowstone, either standing or fallen. I found myself getting depressed. There was nothing I could do about fires that happened nine years ago, and I don't mean to be selfish, but it didn't make for a pleasant sightseeing experience.
I say all of this when comparing yesterday's visit to Yellowstone, to today's visit to the Grand Tetons. I saw virtually no stand of trees destroyed by fire or disease. Sure, you're going to see the one off tree here or there, but today the Grand Teton National Park was in its glory. Attested to by hundreds and hundreds of tourists simply loving every bit of it.
I left Yellowstone around 8:00AM, after having a full breakfast and getting gas and some snacks to take in the car. I was up at dawn, looking for photo opportunities along the shores of Yellowstone Lake, but while I was there with cameras in hand, I didn't see the sunrise shot I wanted or some animal foraging for its morning feed.
Heading south out of the Yellowstone park, I stopped to take pictures at Lewis Falls and the Lewis River. I'm a pushover when it comes to waterfalls, and the canyon carved by Mother Nature for the Lewis River is quite deep. A sad part about the striking canyon is the many, many dead trees on both the hillsides of the canyon.
I crossed the Continental Divide for a third time this morning. I crossed twice yesterday and now a third time today. I guess I have this image that the Divide should be a perfectly straight line running north and south. Well, it's not. The mountain peaks that make up the Divide could be staggered miles from each other.
At Moose Falls, I stopped again to take pictures at Crawfish Creek, after which I entered the Grand Teton National Park. As is my custom, I stopped for a picture at the entrance, and Tank obliged. He's starting to complain for equal time again, so I said 'later'.
There are several roads to take you through the Grand Teton NP, so I first chose the one which would take me by the place I'm staying at, and then more importantly, I wanted to get close to the Grand Teton mountain range for the best photo opportunities.
I'm staying at the Signal Mountain Lodge, which for $95.00 is a gem compared to the cabin I had last night at Yellowstone. Why is it that the government has difficulty providing services? Last night I did not have a telephone in my room, so my daily diary posting to the Internet was delayed until today.
So, I stopped at my hotel and then continued with my touring. I stopped at the Jackson Lake Dam, where river rafters were on the downside and Lake Jackson on the upside. The Lake, together with Jenny Lake, a bit further south, make for beautiful 'drop cloths' for the mountains in the background. I have already looked at some of my video and it came out great!
Along the road, I also stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, which is a modest log building, and open to the public at all times. There was nothing of value visible, but then I did not see any grafitti or vandalism as so often is the case these days.
The Grand Teton mountain range is.....well, grand! For those that have never seen huge mountains like these, I'm sure the impression will last for a very long time. But, I have to say I'm torn between picking a mountain range which I would call the grandest. I live on the doorstep of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and I can look at it every day. We have peaks that go above 10,000 feet and they're covered with pine trees. Our winter snow can still be seen on some of the peaks, just as it is here.
But, I like Yosemite, and the June Lakes which are on the eastern side of the Sierras, opposite Yosemite (which few people know how good the June Lakes really are!). And I like Mount Ranier, which I will revist next week. Add to this the Badlands, Zion and more. So, I won't pick a favorite, but boy can I make recommendations.
I have been watching and sometimes competing with a group of people who I will simply call 'the tourists'. These are people on summer vacation or whatever, but I have seen them for twelve weeks now. They travel by all sorts of means (cars, pickup trucks, pickups with campers, sport utility vehicles, RVs (not be confused with motorhomes and motor coaches, heaven forbid). There are the little trailers and the big 'fifth wheel' 30-40 footers that people seem to enjoy hauling all over the country. And I have seen serious travelers on bicycle, and of course, motorcycles.
Well, they were all here at Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Almost everyone has a camera, from expensive and complicated 35mm, to the simple point and shoot kind, including the throw-away kind. And I'm not the only one shooting video. And who can blame all these tourists. These national parks are a treasure, and we all want to take pictures home with us.
Yesterday, I was able to take pictures of game (antelope and elk). I passed on the buffalo opportunities and was hoping to see a moose or two. Well, I got that opportunity today and it was great. I got within 40 yards of the moose and shot both video and 35mm as he moved through the trees eating his share of the grass.
Around Jenny Lake was a very scenic road and it allow people to drive very close to the Grand Teton mountain range. I don't mean right on top of it, but close enough to get good shots and still fit much of the string of mountains into their viewfinders. I know I'm happy with the shots I took.
After driving south along what I'll call the base of the mountain range, I did a U-turn, so to speak, at Moose Junction and came back north to my hotel, using a different road. Going south I was in and out of the tree line, but going north, the road was pretty much in the center of the valley, called Antelope Flats. Also in the valley is the Snake River. The canyon carved out for the river back in the glacier days is much deeper than today's river, but boy today's river gets pretty wild as you follow it south into Idaho. I watched people river rafting on the rather serene river and they seemed to be having fun, just floating along.
My last touring stop for the day was to vist a historic site in the valley. The so-called Cunningham ranch house was built back in 1888, and it would shock most of us today to suggest that we live in such a thing. Logs for the four walls, and logs underneath the sod roof. That was it! With those primitive living conditions and the severe winters they have here, it's a wonder this area was ever settled.
Well, I'm back in my modern cabin at the Signal Mountain Lodge, which overlooks Jackson Lake. I could rent a boat but I'll pass on that. The mosquitos are still around, so I don't think I'll sit on my porch tonight. How about a good meal, something to read, a hot bath, and get a good night's rest for tomorrow. Idaho, here I come.
Last night, after I entered my diary for the day, I went out for supper and while there, boy, did it pour. The gal at the reception desk called it the monsoon season! It was drizzling when I came out and returned to my cabin at the Signal Mountain Lodge, but I was optimistic that maybe today the skies would clear and the rain, of any form, would finally stop. No such luck.
Happy anniversary to me, anyway. Today would have been my 43rd wedding anniversary but my wife, Shirley, passed away in 1993. I celebrated today with memories of our 40 years of marriage. Shirley would not have had the endurance for this extended trip, but given the choice I'd rather have her than the memories of this trip. Ah, but such is life and death.
Before leaving the Grand Teton area, I did have one more sightseeing objective and that was to go to the top of Signal Mountain this morning in hopes of getting some good sunlight cast on the mountain range. The tour guides overstated concern for the narrow road going up to the summit. At 6:00AM, there were only about a half dozen of us at the summit, so I encountered no difficulty with the ten mile trip up and back.
I had conversations with the other photography buffs that were on the summit, and there seemed to be a consensus that the park should cut down a few trees to enable better views, and hence photographs, of the mountain range. As it was, I hiked down a path or two until I found an outcropping, clear of trees that might obstruct my view, and when the sun seemed high enough, I shot both video and 35mm pictures.
Going up to the summit, I had hopes of seeing wild game at that hour but I didn't see any on the upward trek. Coming down, I did see a number of female elk, but no other game.
After the summit, I went back to the lodge for a second cup of complementary coffee, with which I ate some of my cereal bars. Calling that breakfast, Tank and I took off, headed south before going west into Idaho. Tank hemmed and hawed and finally I got the message. I said I would take his picture, so we pulled off the highway, I got out all the trappings and there you have it - a picture of "Tank - the Ace Cameraman (cameradillo?)", sitting atop his video camera, with his front paws ready to capture the action (of what I don't know). Now that he has his picture, maybe I can get by with just one more before the trip is over.
At Jackson Hole, south of the Grand Tetons, is a major airport. I guess the amount of people flying in and out to visit the two national parks can justify American, Delta and a few other carriers flying here, and the existence of an airport to enable them to do it.
South of the airport is the town of Jackson, and by golly, it looks like a neat town. In addition to the summer park visitors, the town also has the winter skiing season to sustain their local economy. Lots of shops, restuarants and all the things you would want in a tourist town.
South of Jackson, I thought would be a pleasant drive, but initially it was just low hanging clouds that acted like fog for those of us driving along US89. The cloud/fog mixture finally cleared about 20 miles down the road, and from there, the scenery was terrific.
I had the option of heading west on a state highway, but my map said that US26 was a more scenic route, and that it was. The Snake River flows out of the Tetons and through a canyon carved by nature over the centuries. The cliffs or mountains on each side of the river are very steep, right down to the water's edge, and there are lush pine trees all over the place. Talk about an enjoyable, scenic drive, this was it.
But as I turned west on US26, headed into the state of Idaho, the scenery changed to where I was looking along my left at the Palisades Reservoir. This is a big piece of real estate to hold all this water. Huge, really huge! So, instead of a river, I had this huge lake-like body of water to look at as I drove along. Boaters were out on the water, but with temperatures in the high 50s, I didn't see any skiiers or swimmers.
Whereas the Snake River was larger than in the park, it now was getting wider and gaining strength as it flowed. The reservoir, on the other hand, was placid and almost mirrored the mountains on the far side. The place where I turned west, by the way, is called Alpine Junction, and it is appropriately named, because of the large meadow-like setting and then the abrupt change in scenery from the Snake River to the Palisades Reservoir. Enjoyable, either way, any way.
The Palisades Reservoir is about twenty miles long, in a NW/SE direction. On the northwest end, there is a dam, and then it becomes a quiet river flowing through farmland country, where most of the farms seemed to be very large, thousands of acres each. Wow! Once I got to Idaho Falls and turned south, the countryside changed to much smaller farms (spreads).
The large farms along the river are lush green, with crops in the field and large numbers of cattle crazing on the hills. One of the major towns along the way was Swan Valley.
The road along side the Palisades Reservoir was quite mountainous, with five and six percent grades being common, so it was up/down and curving this way and that. But by now the sun was out, so it was a pleasureable drive. Once I got to Idaho Falls, the terrain flattened out and there went most of the scenic views. I did stop at the falls, for which the town is named, and now it was Tank's turn to take my photo. Just to get even, he said I needed a hair cut, so I obliged when I saw a barber shop directly across the street from the riverside park.
When I first started out this morning, it was early and my Ford Explorer had difficulty keeping the windows clear of mist and dew. I put the defroster on high, and that helped me get up the summit. What I forgot to do, however, was to put the vents back on normal. The Ford has climate control, and it keeps the car at whatever temperature you set (70 degress for me).
I mention this, because as I drove along this morning, I kept noticing my temperature gauge going up, then down, then up, then down. I had a thermostat go bad for me on my 300ZX and I thought this might be happening on the Ford. Well, finally it dawned on me that the climate control and thermostat were working extra hard because all along I had been driving with it on defrost. Once I put it back to normal, the temperature gauge behaved what I call normal, and now I don't have to worry about a stop at the nearest Ford dealer.
The time spent at the riverside park in Idaho Falls, and the haircut, made for a pleasant noon hour. I had not had a deli lunch for a while, so I when I spotted a supermarket with its deli sign, that's when I decided to stop for a bite to eat (the cereal bars won't last forever). And I'm glad I chose a deli lunch. Most supermarket delis that I have been to on this trip are really 'price performers'. You get a lot of good food for a very reasonable price. Today I had a complete Chinese dinner, with coffee for $4.00, and it was good.
One of the things I noticed while driving today that I have never seen before were long, triangular sod huts on many of the farms. I assume they're used to store reaped crops or maybe farm equipment. These huts have no walls, but the roof lines come right down to the ground, and the roof cover is plain old dirt and grass (sod). Somebody will have to tell me why this is popular here and not elsewhere.
At Pocatello, my destination for the day, I went in search of the Bannock County Museum, which has pioneer-oriented displays that are very well done. I gather they change exhibits, like many museums do, because at present, they have a theme of pioneer arts and crafts and some of the staff were demonstrating those to the visitors.
On the same property, Pocatello has established the beginning of its Pioneer Village. I hate to say it, but just now it looks like a very modern-built set of 'old' buildings. None of it is furnished yet, but I assume they plan to placed appropriate artifacts in each one (barber stuff in the barber shop, and so on). I liked some of what I saw but I'm still left with the impression that pioneer villages should be old, including the buildings. How does one build an old building?
As for the weather, clouds filled the sky and thunder roared its angry voice. Not much rain has actually fallen, but enough to make a nuisance of itself. It's been a different day, but it's time to relax. There are restuarants in the immediate area, a newspaper to read, and some television to watch after two days with none.
Tomorrow I will be touring southern Idaho and northeastern Utah before getting to my day's destination of Salt Lake City. I do have some old friends nearby, so I plan to work in a visit to Gene and Linda Barlow. Stay tuned...
Today was a diverse and interesting day. The drive from last night's location of Pocatello into Utah was not particularly enjoyable though. It rained in bright morning sunshine, if you can imagine that. Talk about pesky rain, it doesn't seem to give up around here.
The terrain in southeastern Idaho, I thought was very similar to my home state of Nevada with one very notable exception. They have more water in Idaho and consequently you see more farms and ranches. The terrain is much the same with respect to large valleys, sagebrush, mountains on the horizon, etc. The farms are fairly large, like those of eastern Idaho. In addition to farms, I saw orchards, which I have not seen for a while.
Ogden, Utah was my first sightseeing stop for the morning, and it proved to be interesting. At Union Station, visitors can tour the recently restored railroad terminal building which now houses shops and an assortment of small museums.
The Union Pacific musuem of real trains is temporarily closed due to a law suit filed by parents of a child who climbed on one of the trains and fell off, hurting himself. I think the United States has become sue-crazy at the expense of the general public.
The model train museum was open, but I more enjoyed touring the Browning fire arms museum which had an excellent historical display illustrating the evolution of fire arms, Browning, in particular. I also enjoyed the Kimball-Browning museum of antique cars. While not a large museum, what they had was absolutely excellent. Mint condition, early 1900 automobiles.
I toured the historical museum, which I thought was inappropriately named because the featured displays dealt with gem stones. Other areas to be explored were the station's restored lobby, the train restoration shop, and of course, the gift shop.
On the south side of Ogden is Hill Air Force Base. A portion of the base is devoted to the Hill Aerospace Museum, and it is excellent. Admittedly, you have to like touring such places, and I certainly have on this trip. The museum has about 40 large aircraft on display outdoors, and another 40 smaller aircraft on display indoors. My favorites continue to by planes such as the B29, B25, A26, P51, B17 and the P38. If you recognize these numbers, you too are an airplane buff!
From the Hill museum, I drove south and then west into the Great Salt Lake. Well, not 'into' the lake, but using a six mile causeway, I drove over to Antelope Island. My primary interest was to take a dip into the very salty water and test the claims of flotation. By golly, everything they say is true, you can't sink.
The beach is pretty nice, with bright, while sand, but a little uncomfortable because it is a bit rocky. The sand is also very, very soft and one has difficulty walking in it, especially uphill. The entry into the Great Salt Lake is quite shallow, so you have to wade out a ways before you can swim, or just float. I gave it a try and it was fun and interesting. Look ma, no hands or feet to stay afloat, just lay there!
The state park provides showers which are very much needed to get rid of the salt residue on your body, and the sand on your feet. My Ford Explorer has running boards and those came in handy putting my shoes back on, and trying to leave as much sand there at the beach.
From Antelope Island, I drove into Salt Lake City because I wanted to revisit certain attractions since I have multiple cameras with me. Like many other U.S. cities, I have been here before on business, but not with cameras in hand.
I began with the state capitol, and it was a gorgeous day for photographs. I took both video and 35mm and I'm sure both came out well. I called on the governor, he was in, but I just left my card and said I had to dash off. I really did, because I wanted to get checked into my evening's motel, freshen up a bit and drive 25 miles south to spend an evening with old friends, Gene and Linda Barlow. We went to dinner at Robert Redford's Sundance resort area (skiing in the winter and summer theater, eg). It was a great evening, my apologies to the governor.
Tomorrow I leave for Twin Falls, Idaho after which I will head northwest to places like Boise, Pendleton, Mount Ranier and Seattle. After that, I head south through Oregon, a bit of California and then on August 12th, I should pull into my driveway in Sparks, Nevada. Come follow the Yelavich Road.
I had an enjoyable time yesterday, visiting Ogden, going swimming in the Great Salt Lake, taking pictures in downtown Salt Lake City and certainly seeing old friends, Linda and Gene Barlow. But today, I turned around and headed north, by northwest.
This is the end of week 12 and what remains of my trip plans is to visit more of Idaho, go up to Washington state, and then come down through Oregon and California before then heading southeast to my home in Sparks, Nevada.
So, this morning I was up early to deal with the absolute mess that Salt Lake City streets and freeways are in. There are multiple freeway interchanges closed, and even a major stretch of Interstate 15 closed! Can you imagine that? When is the last time you saw an Interstate highway closed and detoured on a city street? Add to that, a lot of SLC's city streets are having construction as well. What a mess!
But patience is the byword and I made it out of SLC safely. Once I got to the north side of town, construction pretty much ended, so I had an easy drive up to the Brigham City area, where I turned off and headed west to a place called the Golden Spike National Historic Site, located in Promontory, Utah. Many have not heard of this place but it has significance in American history and the affect of the railroad.
Leading up to a historic day in May of 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad had been laying track from California east, while the Union Pacific was laying track from Omaha, Nebraska west. The connection of these two efforts completed the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
The Golden Spike Natl. Hist. Site is 'in the middle of nowhere', literally out in the middle of the Utah desert where this historic event occurred. There are the usual Park Service displays and rangers to answer questions and give lectures, but the real highlight of my visit there was to see a fully operating replica of the engines used back in 1869.
At 10:00AM, the steam engine Jupiter sounded its whistle and I went out to the track with the other 25 visitors who gathered this morning. The engine chugged by and then reversed to come back to the viewing area. This was done to allow people like me to photograph the train going in both directions, as well as standing still. It was a great experience to watch this old engine, albeit a replica.
After my visit to Promontory, I went to a rocket display not ten miles away. Thiokol is a U.S. defense contractor and has provided rockets for NASA as well as the U.S. military. Their display does not have many rockets, but what was on display was quite interesting.
Having made the decision to sightsee in the middle of the desert in north central Utah, I then had to get back 'on track' and headed to my day's destination of Twin Falls, Idaho. North central Utah is sparsely populated. There are some large farms, many growing wheat, but then there is a lot of wasteland, with typical desert scenes of sage brush and not much more. That kind of ride is boring, to say the least. But, I had to put on those miles to get into the area I wanted to be in.
In the Twin Falls, Idaho area, I had three sightseeing objectives. One was the Perrine arch bridge which spans the Snake River Gorge. I don't know exactly how deep the gorge is but it's hundreds of feet to be sure. The bridge is an impressive piece of engineering and construction. I got good pictures from both ends of the bridge, as well as the valley floor, with the Snake River just 'snaking' along.
After checking into my night's motel, I stopped by the visitors center to pick some local maps. While there, I took pictures of a team of really big oxen hitched up to a covered wagon, and getting ready for some weekend show. The map I wanted told me how to get to two water falls in the area.
The first waterfall I visited were the Shoshone Falls. Idaho Power has multiple dams along the Snake River and this one has created a pretty sight to see, with major amounts of water spilling out of the dam and then spilling over some very rocky cliffs.
Further east of the city of Twin Falls are the twin falls for which the city was name. An odd thing though is that today only one of the falls remains. This area is not as large and dramatic as the Shoshone Falls, but scenic in any case.
So, today was a mixed bag of very old trains, very new rockets, a big bridge and some waterfalls. Tomorrow I'm headed northwest to Boise but along the way I want to see sand dunes and some rugged terrain. At Boise, there is an old jail I want to see. This trip has had a lot of variety for me and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
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