Tuesday, September 4, 2018

September 4. From Sidney, MT, we planned to visit Pompey's Pillar (aka Tower) and Little Big Horn Battlefield and Cemetery. We were off this AM at 7:20, 50degrees cool and breezy. 

My Dilemma:

I struggled how to plan our westward from Minot, ND since the Corps of Discovery followed the northern route along the Missouri River, down the Great Falls, and over the Continental Divide at Lolo Pass, down the Snake and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific.  BUT, and this is a huge BUT, on the eastward trip back to Fort Mandan, they split up at Three Forks (where Gallitan, Jefferson and Madison Rivers meet near Missoula, MT) with Lewis and some men heading up the Missouri to Great Falls again, then up the Marias River. 
Clark took some men and followed the lower route along the Yellowstone River in Montana, named Pompey's Pillar after planning to   

meet near Williston, ND, which they did a month later.  He left evidence that he was there by carving his signature into the rock face on July 25, 1806 naming the rock after "Pomp" or Jean Baptiste Charbanneau, Sagagawea's son.

So we took Clark's route west (which he took east) and plan to hit some of Lewis' major sites when we head up to Glacier National Park.



We drove 250+ miles from Sidney, MT following the L&C Trail SW along the Yellowstone River.  South of us was the Roosevelt National Park where another one of my "great men idols", Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher in 1883-1887 at his Elkhorn Ranch in MT and his time here influenced him as President (1901-1909) to establish the National Forest Service, National Parks and National Monuments as well as preserving millions of acres for the generations to come to enjoy. 

On the way up to the signature.

Wilma at the bank of the Yellowstone River.

We traveled by more and more buttes and mesas now heading west into MT, with fields of steer and large round and square hay bales. Bill saw a mule deer lying down along the highway fence. Montana speed limit is 80mph, but we don't do more than 66mph with trailer.   





















Pompey's Tower (Pillar) National Monument

Toured Montana's L&C Interpretive Center, then took their two walks;  one to the Yellowstone River (where we saw a Bald Eagle soaring) and two, a walk up to the top of the Pillar (Tower), 200 feet above the Yellowstone River to view the entire landscape.  Stunning on such a beautiful day. We then walked down to the actual sandstone carving of William Clark's signature, real proof of his 1806 presence!




We got to Grandview camp at 3:00 with 70degree temps and plans to visit Little Big Horn tomorrow.