Yosemite!

It's probably pretty obvious that Dad and I love the great national parks of the United States. It's hard to pick a favorite, but maybe... just maybe, it might be Yosemite.

We took a hike to Gaylor Lakes, just over 10,000 feet above sea level. They were still partially snowbound even in mid-July. Not surprising considering the winter we just had.

The ranger at Tioga Pass took some time out from directing traffic and answering visitors' questions to chat with us about our hike. He was a really cool dude, probably not much older than me. I want that job!

Mono Lake

I love Mono Lake. It's one of the most unusual places to visit in California. It has two islands (Negit and Paoha) that are important stops for migrating birds. We visited Panum Crater from which we had a great view of the lake and the Mono Craters (the youngest mountain range in North America). Oh, and did I mention that you also get the spectacular eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada to the west.

Special thanks to David Gaines (1947-1988) for all his efforts to preserve and restore the lake. We need more people like him to fight for the environment.

Golden Spike

On May 10, 1869 this place was hoppin'...

Have you guessed yet? It's the place where the transcontinental railroad was finally completed at Promontory Summit, Utah. Back in the day all kinds of dignitaries and important people showed up for the ceremony. Governor Leland Stanford of California was given the honor of driving the last railroad tie into the ground. He swung... but he missed. The National Park Service runs the site now.

There's not a whole lot of people out here in northwestern Utah, but one other thing I noticed was a super duper top secret NASA rocket development facility out in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by a six foot barbed wire fence with scary no trespassing signs everywhere. I wonder what's going on in there.

Private Idaho

Despite the name of the B-52s song, much of the land in Idaho is managed by federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. Lots of reservations for Native American nations, too. Five years ago we stayed overnight with a friend whose land is on the Nez Perce reservation.

Speaking of the Nez Perce, we have been also partly following the Nez Perce National Historic Trail on this trip. The route documents the flight of Chief Joseph and his followers from the U.S. Army in 1877. Apparently, everyone had forgotten how nice the tribe was to Lewis and Clark seventy-two years earlier. We were about 50 miles away from the Bear Paw Battlefield in Montana near the Canadian border where Chief Joseph was forced to surrender. This was where he uttered his famous words: "I will fight no more forever."

Rocky Mountain Way

If you're traveling in the area, I highly recommend that you check out the Museum of the Rockies: http://www.museumoftherockies.org/ It's located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman.

Since Montana is a place rich in dinosaur fossils, you'll find a lot of those inside (see T-Rex behind me). There was also a crocodile exhibit (those jaws can bring down 4,000 pounds of pressure, so watch out!), plus a planetarium show about stars, quasars, black holes and the like.

Nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Decisions, Decisions

The historic waterfront of Fort Benton, Montana was one of the largest inland ports in the world during the height of the steamboat era of the 19th century. It was as far up the Missouri River as you could take a large boat, more than 3,000 river miles from the mouth of the Mississippi. From all accounts it was a wild, wild west kind of place with gunslingers roaming the streets. Apparently, the madam of the local brothel once held off a whole posse that was looking for one of her customers with just an evil eye... and a Colt 45. Later on, the town declined as railroads replaced the steamboat.

Just downstream from here at the confluence of the Missouri and Marias Rivers, the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent several days in June 1805 deciding which river to go up (a very important decision because they wanted to cross the Rocky Mountains before winter). In the statue Sacagawea looks like she's thinking: "get on with it already!"

The River

Dad and I both agree that this was our favorite camping spot. It's right on the Missouri River at Judith Landing in Montana. There was a warm afternoon summer storm (typical for this time of year) that created a spectacular cloud display at sundown.

Lewis and Clark passed through this area. In fact, the Judith River was named for William Clark's future wife. There was another honoree when the expedition was here. Meriwether Lewis writes in his May 29, 1805 journal entry that his dog, Seaman, was responsible for scaring off an aggressive bison. Consequently, Lewis named a tributary "Dog Creek."

Good boy!