Day 8 Sat 5/24/08 Across South Dakota
It felt a little strange pulling out of the campground on Saturday morning while most folks were settling in for Memorial Day Weekend. We drove 400 miles across South Dakota, mostly in a cross wind although it was not as bad as in 2003. Once again we resisted the temptation to visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD (a large building made out of corn cobs). Once across SD, we drove about 20 miles into Wyoming to Sundance. We are at Mountain View Campground and this one lives up to its name with green and blue mountains off in the distance. Just an overnight stop though we have some extra time since we are now in the Mountain Time Zone. Perhaps we’ll have time to find out the connection with the Sundance Kid.
Day 9 Sun 5/25/08 Into Montana
Ginger woke us up early today with much meowing and running around. We finally went back to sleep and when we awoke, Sandy had a theory. Ginger does not know about time zones so she thought we were sleeping an hour later than usual. As we were getting ready to leave, a pair of Mountain Bluebirds landed right in front of the coach. Once on the highway we drove into a 20 MPH headwind. There were sections of flat road when the transmission would not shift into high gear due to the extra wind loading. Thankfully, the wind died down a bit and as our route turned towards the north, it became a crosswind, easier on the engine though tougher on the driver. We pulled in to Billings at about 4 PM. After getting set up, we went for a little walk-run to loosen up after the day traveling. Along the way we flushed a Sharp Tailed Grouse and saw a white tailed deer. We had cable TV for the first time this trip so we watched some TV after supper.
Day 10 Mon 5/26/08 Doing Billings
Billings is the largest city in Montana with a population of 100,000. We stayed an extra day here to take a break from driving. Surely we can find a days worth of stuff to do. We started at the city Visitor center and got lots of goods ideas. The weather was cold and raw so indoor sights were in order. We first visited the Yellowstone Art Museum (http://yellowstone.artmuseum.org/art/) a diverse and interesting collection ranging from very abstract art pieces (Elliot would have loved this) to Indian beaded clothing and cowboy artist exhibits.
For lunch we went to a local brew pub and after eating we discovered they had a small casino next door. Knowing that Sandy’s Mom would be proud, we went in and played the poker machines for a while. We then visited the Moss Mansion, built by a wealthy banker in 1903, lived in until 1984 then turned over in its entirety to the city and state as a museum. The house was designed by the architect who designed the Waldorf in NYC and the Copley Place Hotel in Boston.
One hallmark of the building is the technology. Cold and hot running water, indoor plumbing and electric lights were scarce in 1903, especially in Billings. Each bathroom has and electrically heated curling iron mounted on the wall and there was even a dial telephone, the first in the city. Preston and Mattie Moss raised six children in this home yet only one grandchild lived to adulthood and she was the one who donated the house as a museum. Very interesting. For more info, check out http://www.mossmansion.org/index.html.
Day 11 Tue 5/27/08 Next Stop Great Falls, MT
A short drive (250 mi) brought us to Great Falls, MT. After setting up at the campground and having lunch, we drove to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center along the Missouri River north of town. It was in this area that Lewis & Clark spent a grueling month portaging their boats and supplies around the five sets of waterfalls here. The center has a fabulous self guiding exhibit and an above average introductory video. It was time well spent. We then hiked along the river for a while, spotting violet-green and cliff swallows, bullock’s orioles and great views across the river.
Diorama of Portage around Falls
Day 12 Wed 5/28/08 Exploring More of Great Falls, MT
Another fabulous day on the road to Alaska with the sun out for the first time in almost a week. First stop was the Benton Lake NWR. This is a short grass prairie site with water impoundments for migrating and nesting waterfowl. We saw many birds in breeding plumage like wilson’s phalarope and white faced ibis as well as a life bird, the chestnut collared longspur. Singing meadowlarks were on nearly every fence and sign post.
Western Meadowlark Marbled Godwit Eared Grebes
We had our picnic lunch overlooking the prairie. Next stop was the Great Falls for which the city is named. When Lewis & Clark got here they were pleased to find a waterfall since the Indians had told them that the correct route was past the waterfall. Only later did they find not one but five waterfalls, requiring a portage that took a month. This area has gotten a lot of rain in the last weeks and the falls were roaring. It was a powerful sight although the dam and powerhouse built at the top of the falls were a bit of a distraction.
After the falls we went to Native Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park. A buffalo jump is a cliff with a gradual rise on the other side. Before guns and horses made it easy to kill bison, Indians would stampede them over the cliff to kill or injure enough bison to feed their people for the winter and get enough hides for blankets and tipis. The visitor center was very informative and the view from atop the cliff was awesome, especially with the long line of thunderstorms in the distance. Behind the cliff was a prairie dog town with hundreds of adorable little critters sitting atop their burrows. We also spotted a few new birds to add to our list for the day. The 58th and last was a swainsons hawk perched on a fence post. We capped off the day with pizza and beer at a local place.
View from top of Buffalo Jump cliff-Visitor Center in foreground; Lots of rain in the distance
Day 13 Thu 5/29/08 Into Canada
Carl started the day with a two and a half hour tech support call to get our satellite internet system working. Not working yet but hopefully getting close. The drive to Calgary was less than 300 miles and uneventful, though it took about half an hour to clear Canadian Customs. Actually it only took about two minutes to clear customs. The other 28 minutes were for the people in line ahead of us! We have come to Calgary to visit Al & Tena deJong, a dear couple we met during our Pomona Habitat build who subsequently visited us at Okefenokee NWR. Carl missed the turn towards the campground and next thing we got a phone call from Tena. “We are right behind you; let us past and we’ll lead you back. They had driven to the campground to meet us and noticed us miss the turn so they gave chase. What great hospitality. We went out to dinner and spent the evening with them. Tomorrow they will take us to see the sights of Calgary.
Day 14 Fri 5/30/08 The Sights of Calgary
Al and Tena set a new standard for hospitality. They picked us up at the campground and took us back to their condo. They have a lovely unit with a view of the Calgary skyline to the north. After coffee and reminiscing, we went to Heritage Park where they have recreated a small turn of the century town with many original buildings that have been moved here from their original locations as well as some reproductions. We had lunch in the old Wainwright Hotel then toured the town with shops, train station, an old print shop with a hot lead typesetting machine and a hand fed press, several private homes, an RCMP station and a cottage hospital (a private residence converted to a small medical facility.
There were many railroad exhibits including an old steam locomotive circling the grounds. In another section was a recreated Hudson Bay Trading company Fort where trappers came to trade beaver and other furs for food, blankets and all the other necessities of life in the frontier. The price list was given in numbers of beaver pelts with a conversion table for other animal furs. Notice the four black bars on the red blanket. That's the price in beaver pelts! Very interesting.
Back at their condo for a glass of wine before we went to a wonderful Indian restaurant followed by a driving tour of downtown Calgary. The city is huge (1.1 million people), attractive, clean and growing rapidly with office and condominium buildings going up everywhere.
After the tour, we were back at the condo for pie and coffee and more conversation before they drove us back to the campground. It was a wonderful day with wonderful friends.