Travelers' Rest

When you camp out in Montana, expect any kind of weather and you won't be surprised. A torrential rain storm kept us holed up in our tent for a few hours, followed by sunshine the next morning.

We're continuing to follow both the Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark over Lolo Pass. In early July 1806, the Corps of Discovery rested here for a few days before splitting up their group for the eastbound journey home. How do we know exactly where they camped? Well, historians have long known that the soldiers were supplied with "thunderbolts," a cure-all laxative laced with mercury, by Dr. Benjamin Rush (a signer of the Declaration of Independence thirty years earlier). Within the past few years archeologists discovered evidence of a latrine with high levels of... mercury. So they put two and two together. I never knew that being a historian meant digging around in 200 year-old poop.

I know that by today's standards Dr. Rush must seem like a quack, given his "cures." But just consider that 200 years from now Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the starship Enterprise will be saying the same thing about our modern medical methods.

A River Runs Through It

Idaho has lots of rivers that we've had the good fortune to follow: the Payette, the Salmon, the Clearwater. Fishing seems to be very popular in these parts.

I'm standing in front of the confluence of the Lochsa and Selway Rivers, which come together to form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater. Back in the 1960s a huge dam was proposed for this area which would have rendered the spot where I'm standing underwater. Luckily, Congress put the kabosh on that hare brained idea with the passage of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. (I've been told that back in the mists of time, before I was born, Congress actually did useful work.)

Thanks to the efforts of previous generations I can experience this area much as Lewis and Clark did when they passed through in 1805 and 1806.

White Bird

Part of our trip involves following the Nez Perce National Historic Trail as it winds through several states. The White Bird battlefield in Idaho is set in a meadow in a spectacular canyon. On June 17, 1877 the U.S. Army, still smarting from its defeat at the Battle of Little Bighorn less than a year earlier, failed to stop the Nez Perce in their flight into Montana due to their having refused to move to a reservation.

I've always admired the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) tribe because they prefered peace over warfare, but they were tough when forced to fight. Chief Joseph showed not only military, but moral leadership.

Oh, Why He?

O.K., O.K., that was the best bad pun I could come up with...

We camped at the same spot we chose on a trip four years ago, at the Rome crossing of the Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon. Even though the Owyhee is considered to be one of best (and most remote) rafting and kayaking rivers in America, its waters are calm and placid here.

It's the longest day of the year so we have plenty of daylight hours to use for adventuring.

Behind The Jefferson Curtain

As anyone who has spent time traveling in far Northern California knows, there is a secessionist movement afoot up here. From roughly Tehama County up through (possibly) southern Oregon many folks seem to like the idea of breaking away and forming the 51st state of Jefferson (named after our 3rd president). They even have a flag with the same colors as my Oakland A's baseball cap.

Now California is a prosperous state, but not all regions are faring equally well. Life can be tough in far flung rural areas and many residents here feel ripped off and not listened to by Sacramento.

Though the notion of snagging two new U.S. Senators might be tempting, would a new state government (seated in Redding?) really be able to make a go of it? What effects would statehood have on the local economy (who would pay for roads and schools, etc.)? I dunno... we'll see.

I'm Full Of Surprises

We are definitely taking the slow scenic route on our journey northward this summer. After camping at pretty Blue Lake in the Warner Mountains we took the Forest Service road down into Surprise Valley in far northeastern California. (Fun fact: so far we have logged more miles on gravel roads than on freeways.) The photo doesn't quite capture this, but as we descended there was a stunning view of Lower Alkali Lake with clouds perfectly reflected in its still waters.

We had a nice second breakfast in Cedarville.

Back To The River

It's Day #1 of our road trip and Dad and I have had a very chill day indeed. We decided to camp in the early afternoon on the banks of the North Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada. Nothing much to report here except that it was super relaxing with a refreshing light rain in the afternoon.