On to Missoula

Ted. On leaving Yellowstone National Park, Judy and I staggered into Bozeman, Montana to crash for the night. The next morning, our first objective was Missouri Headwaters State Park.

Missouri headwaters

This is where the longest river in America begins its 2,300 mile journey to St Louis, Missouri. When we arrived, I was thrilled to stand at the exact spot where my heroes, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stood 214 years earlier.

My interest in the greatest American adventure story began in 2012 when Judy and I toured Washington and Oregon with our friends Terry and Sue. We followed the route of Lewis and Clark down the Columbia River valley and visited Fort Clatsop on the Pacific where the Corps of Discovery had wintered in 1805.  I later read their journals (yep – all  2,700 pages).

Our next stop was the famous mining town of Butte, Montana. The mines are all closed now and it is the nation’s largest Superfund site but back at the turn of the last century it was the largest city between Chicago and San Francisco. Former nicknames for Butte include “The Richest Hill on Earth” and “The Gibraltar of Unionism” so you just know there must be lots of interesting stories.

Just one of the pits in Butte

After a fine lunch, we hit the road one last time. Late in the day, we pulled into Missoula. Having driven over 3,000 miles in 12 days, we were ready to just settle down and live for a while.