Great Falls, Friends & Canada

We left Billings and headed to Great Falls where we planned to fill our cabinets with items that we knew would be more expensive in Canada. It was also one last chance to touch base with Mark and Renita who were there doing the same before heading to Alaska. Plan A had been to meet them Up North but we decided to limit our Northern adventure to the Canadian Rockies because of all the money we have spnt on RV repairs. We will be following them closely on their blog, Doing It On the Road  (PartII), which I highly recommend.

One part of the Up North adventure that we were not sorry we would be missing was the bad roads. Apparently the Montana Highway Department wanted us to have that experience anyway. We had to travel through three sections that were really more highway replacement than highway repair. Oh well, onto every RV a little mud will be splattered.

After we got to Great Falls Mark and Renita had decided to spend one more day in the USA soof we all went to the local museum dedicated to the works of Charles M. Russell. Here they are outside the museum under a very appropriate sign for full timers, “The Journey”.

The C. M. Russell Museum exhibits the work of this cowboy artist who was a Great Falls resident along with other art related to the old West. Russell was from the East, but came west as an adventure and to work as a cowboy in the late 1800's. The museum has an extensive collection of Western art, Indian artifacts and a special exhibit on Bison and their affect on the Plains Indian Culture. No pictures were allowed inside. Above is the museum entrance and a statue of Russell.


These sculptures are on the grounds of the museum. The Bison, Grizzlies and Big Horn Sheep are often the theme of many Western artist.



  This is Russell's studio that, along with his home is part of the museum complex. The log studio, which was originally smaller, was a throw back to another time when it was built next to Russell's home in a neighborhood of modern houses.

The interior of the studio has been restored and contains more than 1000 artifacts. Here is a work in progress and some of the small models he used. I sure would not want to encounter the Diamond Back that the snake skin come off of.

A few of the Indian artifacts that are on display in the studio where pictures are allowed.

For those of you who think driving across the plains is all flat or small rolling hills, think again. When we left Great Falls on Monday we encountered this very short, but very, very steep hill as we drove through the Marias River Valley. You do need to be aware of these kind of hills when driving a 15 ton vehicle.

This is the fourth time we have crossed into Canada with the motorhome and each one has been different. On our first experience when heading to Vancouver, RV “friends” told us to use the truck lane, WRONG!!!! The Customs agent was not happy, but he let us in even though we were in the commercial lane and not planning to sell the motorhome. Next we did a two hour visit to Campobello Island, where the Roosevelt summer home is located and we were thoroughly searched by Canadian Customs going in and American Customs coming out. We later learned that the tiny island is often used by smugglers. The day after that we entered on our way to Newfoundland and it was by far the most uneventful crossing. This time it was a few minutes of the routine questions about food, money, length of stay and our intended destination, then we were on our way to the Canadian Rockies.

Billings and Friends

We moved on to Billings and spent two days with '07 mates, Leland and Cathy Schliep, at their summer place where they have an extra RV hookup. How very nice for us! They served as our personal tour guides and gave us an up close look at their home town.

Leland, Cathy and Cinnamon. Notice their rig out of the window behind Cathy? It is housed in a HUGE pole barn the other half of which you can see behind Leland. It is a beautiful summer place in a lovely setting and we hope Leland enjoys cutting all that grass. 

Leland and Nanc at Petrograph Cave State Park and a few of the petrographs. These drawings range from some that are prehistoric to others that where done in the 1800's 

 There are two caves at the park. On the right is Petrograph Cave where most of the drawings are located. Ghost Cave, on the left, had these huge round concretions that create a ghost like appearance. The concretions protrude from the rock all along the cliff and eventually fall to the ground below as the surrounding rock erodes away.

 Part of our tour was along the rim that overlooks Billing and the Yellowstone River Valley below. What a great view. Amazing, no guardrails in sight.

Just down the road (and river) from Leland's and Cathy's is a famous Lewis and Clark Expedition landmark, Pompeys Pillar National Monument. Cathy and Nanc at a contemporary Teepee at the new Interpretative Center that was opened for the bicentennial of the expedition 2004 to 2006.

 The center has excellent exhibits telling the story of the trip. The map shows the area of the Louisiana Purchase and the routes Lewis and Clark traveled. The flag is a replica of the 15 star, 15 stripe flag they carried. (This is the same kind of flag that flew at Ft. McHenry when the Star Spangled Banner was written.) The bull boat was made of buffalo hide tied over a frame. The Mandan taught them how to makes these boats. Part of the party had to make a bull boat to float down the Yellowstone when their horses were stolen. The compass is a replica of the one Lewis and Clark carried.

 Pompeys pillar rises 150 feet above the surrounding land. Clark named it for the infant son of Sacagawea whom Clark called Pomp, which means Little Chief.

 The thing that makes this landmark so significant is that it is one of a very, very few places where there is proof positive that the expedition passed this way. Clark recorded in his journal that he carved his name in the rock and you can still see that he was here over 200 years ago. He passed this way on the return from the Pacific when he and Lewis split the expedition to explore the Yellowstone River. I like the direct ties to historical events these kind of things give us. It is like seeing the original signatures of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at the National Archives.

The tradition of carving your name on the pillar continued into the middle 1900's. Of course, doing that today would result in a hefty fine and maybe even some jail time. I always wonder when graffiti or vandalism becomes historically significant. When I questioned the ranger, he said for this site anything prior to 1950. Interesting since 1950 doesn't really seem like that long ago. Heck, that is when Nanc was born and I don't consider her that old, she isn't even old enough to collect Social Security!!! 

From the top you can see many of the same vistas Clark saw including three mountain ranges in the distant. We have been to several expedition sites on our travels and this one is one of the best.

It was great spending a couple of days with Leland and Cathy and a special thanks to them for being such great hosts and tour guides. Another visit made extra special seeing it through a native's eyes.

 

Heading North

If we were going to get to the Canadian Rockies before the high season, it was time to start heading north.  The only problem was the weather, with high afternoon winds in the forecast every day.  So we did something we rarely do, we were on the road before 8AM and putting more than 200 of the 300 plus mile days behind us before noon.  That may not sound like a lot to a non RVer, but last year our average day of travel was only 185 miles and we usually leave at the crack of 10AM.  Normally we follow the 2-2-2 rule, drive no more than 2 hours, travel no more than 200 miles and stop by 2 PM.  But we have a lot of miles to cover to get to Canada. 

Our first stop was in Colorado Springs where we had this great view of Pikes Peak for the Elks campground.  We stayed two days because of threatening weather and did a day trip to Manitou Springs, a neat old town with many shops and restaurants.  We did have a negative experience in Colorado Springs as some fine patriot, who does not believe in free speech, tore our 08 OBAMA sticker off the car.  We were not deterred and had a replacement attached within minutes of discovering the vandalism.

The next big driving day took us across the High Plains to Alliance, NE where the Sunset Motel and RV park accepted the half price Passport America rate for Memorial Day weekend.  The plains do have their own unique beauty with the windmills, old abandon homesteads and fields of green and brown crops.

One discovery was the Nebraska panhandle does not have a lot of highways and you can often save many miles of travel if you use the unpaved roads (in the CRV, not the RV).  On this five mile stretch we met many cows, birds, pronghorns, two trees but NO vehicles.  On our return trip we did encounter a strange plains phenomenon, a fog bank like we have only seen in Labrador and on the Pacific coast.

You know you are in America's breadbasket when you see a junkyard that has only combine and tractor parts.  I was surprised to know they scrapped old equipment, from what I had seen I thought they just let it rust away behind the barn.

The goal of this drive was to add Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, the site of a huge collection of prehistoric but post dinosaur fossils, to our list.  The two hills, University and Carnegie, are where the digs took place.  There is a Pittsburgh connection here as the dig on Carnegie Hill was conducted in 1904 by O. A. Peterson from the city's Carnegie Museum.  Without realizing it I have probably seen displays of his work there on my many visits. 

The scientists believe there is such a large concentration of fossils here because during a drought the animals ate all the surrounding vegetation then gathered near the comfort of the waterhole only to die in large numbers.  These are a few of the remains of prehistoric animals like the Daphoenodon, beardog; the Monoceras, a rhino, and a Moropus, a relative of the horse.

One thing that stumped early scientists was these spiral fossils. They first thought they were a tap root of an ancient plant but later learned they were underground shelters of large, dry-land beavers, Palaeocastors, that lived in large colonies like today's prairie dogs on the High Plains.

Agate Fossil Beds also has an extensive collection of Indian artifacts that land owner James H. Cook, who first discovered the fossils, received as gifts.  Cook was friends with many Indians including Red Cloud, an Oglala Lakota (Sioux) chief.   Top are beaded moccasins.  Bottom is a buffalo hide with the story of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the red whetstone that was carried by Crazy Horse when he was killed and Red Cloud's buffalo shirt.  This little out of the way park service site is a worthwhile stop. 

Another stop in the Sandhills of Nebraska that was on our list was Carhenge, a full size replica of the real thing that we saw in England.  We also saw a small scale replica in Texas (and you thought that everything in Texas was bigger), but this one is truly unique.  It was built in 1982 using 38 1950's and 1960's junked cars.  They are placed just like the stones in England down to the ones that have fallen and others that are half buried.  It even duplicates the real function of Stonehenge as the shadows align for the solstice and equinox. 

More recently other works of 'car art' have been added.  This one is the Fourd Seasons, that represent the four stages of the wheat crops grown in the area. 

After Memorial Day weekend it was back on the road with a stop at Fort Laramie National Historical Site in Wyoming.  The site of the fort was originally a trading post that became a military fort to supply and protect travellers on the trail used by emigrants heading to Utah, California and Oregon.  This is the old Calvary barracks.

One thing I have noticed in visiting these old frontier forts is that the barracks of the late 1800's were not that different from the ones I lived in during the 1960's.  A big room with lines of beds, no privacy and a large open mess hall.  I hope that has improved for today's soldiers.

The stones mark the foundation of an old infantry barracks and the buildings are the post commander's home and what we called the PX (post exchange).

The ruins are the officers quarters and the white building is the BOQ, Bachelor Officers Quarter, which was know as Old Bedlam.  I'm sure that is appropriate for a building housing a bunch of young officers far from civilization. It is believed to be the oldest building in Wyoming.

These are the homes of the married officers.  A great family setting for the frontier and sure a lot nicer than the enlisted barracks.  As they say in the military, RHIP! 

 

One thing the post had back then that they had when I was in, was the beer hall that had a pool table.  All the wooden cases are from Anheuser Busch.  It is great that the government has done such a good job of preserving these little traces of our past.

After leaving Fort Laramie it was on to a night at Wally World in Casper, Wyoming where we had some of the worst winds we have experienced since we hit the road.  We were glad we were parked and not out on the Interstate as a micro burst rocked us like never before.  As we continue north we are hoping for calmer winds.

Santa Fe & Puye Cliff Dwellings

After several attempts to get to Santa Fe that we had to change because of weather or repairs, we finally made it to this beautiful little city.  Driving in from the north you immediately notice that this place is different from other cities as there are no tall buildings, thus preserving the look of the oldest capital city in the United States.  The city is famous not only for its Southwest adobe style architecture but also as one of the country's largest art centers.  There are many, many galleries and several museums.  We checked out a few galleries and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, a small museum that features her works and those of other contemporary American artists. Her art work shows the special connection she had with the natural beauty of the Southwestern landscape. (No Pics allowed) Santa Fe was built at the end of the Santa Fe Trail.  We have crossed the trail in several places during our travels and are still in awe that people travelled it in wagons.  We did a day trip to Los Alamos, the home of the WWII Manhattan project that built the atomic bombs that ended the war.  Today it is the home of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the world's top scientific institutions dedicated to national security.  

The Plaza in Santa Fe is the site of the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continuously occupied public buildings in the US.  The sidewalk in front of the palace is a market where Native Americans sell their jewelry and crafts.   

 The San Miguel Mission, built between 1600 and 1646, is considered by many to be the oldest church in the country.

The Barrio de Analco house, built in 1612, is the oldest in the city and possibly the oldest structure in the US.

 Loretto Chapel is famous for its "miraculous staircase," a spiral stairway that does two 360 degree turns and was built with wooden pegs and no center support.  The original stairs did not have a railing and was only attached to the floor and the choir loft. 

When we were in Taos, Flower Basket recommended we visit the Puye Cliff Dwellings, the ancestral home of the Santa Clara Pueblo people. These dwellings are different because they were constructed with stones carved from the soft volcanic material of the hillside. Above are the ruins of a reconstruction from the early 1900's. 

The back rooms of the dwelling were carved into the soft stone on the side of the cliff.  The large holes are the doors and the small holes are where the roof rafters would have been inserted.

At the end of our tour we learned that it was our guide Mike Moquino's last tour as he was leaving to spend more time making pottery with his wife Jennifer.  Their work is in great demand and has been displayed in several museums including the Smithsonian. Here is a link to see their work.   

Mike explained that one way to determine the age of pottery shards is by the type of clay used during a certain period of time.  He made the arrowhead. A lizard along the trail.  The circle on the wall was part of a celestial clock that showed when the seasons changed.

Looking into a room of an old home. You can still see the plaster on the walls. The back areas were used for storage. Sometimes these small areas were filled with emergency supplies and plastered over. Recently one was discovered intact, which has lead to vandals drilling into the walls of unexplored dwellings looking for treasures.

On the top of the mesa are the ruins of the pueblo that was reconstructed after it was excavated by an archaeologist in the early 1900's  This area has been used more recently as a movie set.  Mike and Jennifer have had cameo roles in a couple of movies that were shot here.

Nanc climbing out of a kiva.  The kiva was used by the Puebloans for religious ceremonies.  When the Spanish controlled this area and worked to convert them to Catholicism they often built their churches over the kivas so they could not be used.  The Puebloans responded by building new kivas and furnishing them as homes to fool the fools.  

We were in Santa Fe for the annular eclipse and I got this lucky shot with the suns double reflection.  We were just a bit off the center line to get the full ring of fire. 

New Mexico not only has the nation's oldest capitol building, but also the newest which was built in 1966.  To fit into the cities low profile the capitol is only three stories high.  We have visited a few capitol buildings in our travels and find each has unique aspects.  The unique aspect of this building is its extensive collection of works from contemporary artists who live and work in New Mexico. 

While walking around the capitol we went to the governors office and after talking with the receptionist about the building and our travels we got a surprising inside look.  She took us into the the New Mexico government's Cabinet Room to show us the governor's view of the city.  It shows the low profile of the city with St. Francis Cathedral being the highest building.  

The building is built in the shape of the Zia sun symbol that is also on the state flag.  The circle represents the sun and the four lines on four sides represent the points of the compass, the seasons, the periods of each day, the seasons of life and the four sacred obligations of life.  Also shown here are a couple works of art that are displayed at the capitol. 

On our last day in Santa Fe there was a wonderful sunset over the city.  It took us a while to get to Santa Fe.  The area sure lived up to our expectations and is well worth a visit.