Tuesday, June 25, 2013

June 24, 2013

Back to Montana

Saturday we drove east to Idaho Falls to do some shopping.  Sams Club for gas and Hancock Fabrics for cord to restring a blind.  Leaving the high plateau of southern Idaho we headed north up the eastern side of the state.  Gaining elevation potato fields and ranches gave way to evergreens and hills.  We took a scenic side loop that climbed to the top of a ridge paralleling a river that has two large waterfalls.  Lower and Upper Mesa Falls.  Upper Mesa Falls is the highest in the state.
Lower Mesa Falls

 North some more to a fishing/hunting/back country 4 wheeling resort.  RV campground was quite nice and pretty full with back country type campers.

Sunday we went a few miles north to Montana and then north through some "Big Sky" mountain bordred valleys to the town of Three Forks and Missouri Headwaters State Park.  At this point three rivers come together to form the Missouri River.  Lewis and Clark named the rivers (Jefferson, Madison, and Gallantin) when they reached this point on their journey to find the headwaters and then on to the Pacific.  From here they went up the Jefferson and then by foot over the Divide and down to the valley of the Salmon.  Very nice park.  Quiet, secluded sites several miles from the freeway.  No facilities but the carbus is self contained if needed. 
Charge given Lewis and Clark by President Jefferson

Maddison River on left, Jefferson River upper right, Missouri River exiting lower right.
 
Fishing the Missouri
 

A friend whom we went to college with purchased a second home with her husband east of Bozeman.  We were parked about 20 miles west of Bozeman.  On a whim Sue tried calling her.  They were in Montana (home base - Merced, CA) and invited us to dinner.  We did some sight seeing in the state park and headed east.  Stopped in Bozeman to buy some wine at Costco and then kept east following her directions.  Fifteen more miles we left the freeway and headed up a graded gravel mountain road.  Up and up and up and..... never going down for four or five miles.  Their house is not on the top of the ridge/mountain but is not far below.  Fantastic view.  Twentyfive acre lots with lots of trees so each house is alone.  I had not seen her for 50 years and had not met her husband.  Sue had seen them 20 years ago on a trip south to Ventura.  It was like there had never been any time lapse.  We had a great evening with them and some friends of theirs (the wife grew up with Vanda in Merced).

Monday (today) was a layover day.  We went to Wheat, MT which is basically just the location of a large bakery.  They have a store and deli associated with the bakery.  The store sells a large variety of breads and yummy baked goods. There is seating to enjoy your pastry and beverage. Also sells large sacks of many types of flour.  The bakery is just off the interstate and is so popular that in addition to parking for cars (lot 3/4 full) there is parking for RVs and big rigs.

 
From the bakery we went south to Lewis and Clark Caverns. The cave is located in a bluff overlooking the Jefferson River up which the party traveled after leaving the headwaters. They did not find the caverns but they were named for them.
Jefferson River in distant valley.  Taken from trail to cave entrance.


 The tour starts with a 3/4 mile hike along the side of the bluff up to the entrance of the cave. After entering the cave the whole tour is down. More than 600 steps down during the tour. Then out through a tunnel and a half mile walk back to the parking lot.

Portion of trail to cave entrance

At entrance to cave
 


 
 

Cave stuff

 

Amanda, this one's for you.  They call it 'Mary Poppins'.

Exit tunnel has heavy doors at each end to control air flow in/out of cave at unnatural opening.




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