Don and I played tourist today in Great Falls, and visited the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.
The magnitude of just one portion of this historic trip was portrayed by a two-story diorama depicting the portage at Great Falls. The men of the expedition thought they would have one set of waterfalls to go around; upon arrival in the area they discovered there were five sets of falls, covering 18 1/4 miles. They had to carry heavy boats and equipment over dry, desert-like prairie land covered with prickly pear cactus, wearing only moccasins. One caption says “They endured fierce heat, sudden storms, blistered hands, and lacerated feet, yet they were determined ‘to succeed in the expedition or perish in the attempt.’”
The exhibit was so large, I had to go downstairs to get it all in one picture.
The rest of the center was equally interesting, and a 30-minute Ken Burns movie was shown as well. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
Next, we drove down the Missouri River to see the Rainbow Falls.
Then we drove back up river to see the Black Eagle Falls.
We considered kayaking on the Missouri, but when we saw where we could put the boats in, and the short and relatively uninteresting portion of the river where we could paddle, we decided it wasn’t worth the effort. It might be a different story if we liked riding the rapids, but we definitely don’t!
During happy hour we toasted and congratulated the Forbes on their anniversary.
L-R: Don, Frank, Dennis (hiding behind Don’s hand), Gloria, Carol, Marilyn and Larry. We had another day of beautiful weather, too.
It occurred to me today that we’ve celebrated quite a few birthdays and anniversaries during the past few months. Starting with Dennis’ birthday in May, all 6 couples of the Last Frontier Gang had a birthday and 3 of us also had an anniversary during the trip. Here’s a chronological list, for those interested:
- May 12 – Dennis Hill
- June 1 – Jean Fradette
- June 13 – Don & Sharon Del Rosario
- June 19 – Jim Smith
- July 21 – Mary Olson
- August 4 – Don Del Rosario
- August 8 – Dennis & Carol Hill
- August 14 – Marilyn Forbes
- August 19 – Larry & Marilyn Forbes
And we got to share Gloria and Frank’s anniversary on August 14 as well!
Isn't Great Falls an interesting place? We spent two months there doing the Fun Days ads and fell in love with the area. Great L & C Museum! So much to see and do! Hot here in East Texas, so enjoy the cooler weather up there!
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Montana, we visited Great Falls and were sad that, in their wonderful judgment, our government allowed the REAL "Great Falls" to be dammed up and covered. We'll rejoice, however, that other falls remain for enjoyment, if not for kayaking over!
ReplyDeleteI loved Great Falls and the Interpative Center... One of the better ones we went to. When we were there they had the best programs throughout the day in that huge suditoriun!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had fun
Travel safe
Donna