4 Aug
Great day! We started out about 0830 hrs with a 35 minute drive north to a marina just 3 miles off Interstate 15 in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains between Helena and Great Falls, Montana. The Gates of the Mountains tour involves a 120 minute narrated boat ride in an open-air boat on the Missouri River. For over 125 years tourists have been enjoying this scenic tour of the river and the Gates of the Mountains, following the path of Lewis and Clark.
As we exited I-15, we stopped by a roadside monument by artist Jim Dolan, paying tribute to one of the local ranchers who's land borders the Gates of the Mountains.
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| The rustic monument out in the middle of nowhere! |
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| The rancher and his dog, all made out of metal. |
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| Notice the detail of the metalwork. Amazing! |
Just a couple more miles down the road we approached the marina, but right before we arrived there our attention was drawn to a hillside and some turkey vulcher's and deer.
We found the marina, parked and then checked in with the office to claim our tickets. The boat tours sell out so Doreen made our reservations several days ago. While we waited for the report time we looked around at the displays. One of them caught our eye as it mentioned Iowa. One of the early tour boats was the Rose and it's propulsion boiler and paddle wheel assembly was made in 1886 by the Iowa Iron Works Co in Dubuque Iowa!
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| The boiler end |
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| The paddle wheel end |
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| What the Rose looked like back then |
Soon it was time to board the boat. They offer two different boats and we chose the one with the open top, hoping it would be better for pictures.
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| The covered boat |
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| The Sacajawea, the one we chose. |
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| Our boat captain and narrator. |
We departed the marina and headed up the Missouri River. The Gates of the Mountains is located between the Holter and Hauser Dams. The highlights of this cruise are the wide varieties of wildlife, scenic beauty of the sheer rock walls and Mann Gulch which was the site of the 1949 Mann Gulch forest fire which claimed the lives of 13 smokejumpers.
Here are several photos of the cruise:
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| Effects of forest fire. |
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| A gulch |
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| Bald Eagle on the rocks |
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| A pair of Bald Eagles watching for a snack. |
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| Beautiful scene looking down river |
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| Amazing rock formations with with natural caves. |
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| Peaceful! |
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| Juvenile Bald Eagle. It takes about 3-4 years for the head to turn white |
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| Indian pictographs discovered and carbon dated to the 1300's |
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| "The Crocodile" rock form. |
The Mann Gulch Fire was one of the most interesting parts of this tour, at least for me. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and went into great detail about the fire.
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| In 1949 the Mann Gulch fore claimed 13 smokejumpers. This monument was erected at the Meriwether Picnic Area to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. |
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| Mann Gulch |
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| Vertical rock formations |
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| Natural caves |
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| Back at the marina |
After finishing the boat ride we headed back to the campground to take care of Liberty and grab some lunch. While we were there Jennifer called from her deployed location and we talked with her for about 20 minutes. She indicated she is getting situated and settled into work and her billet. Her roommate is from her home unit in Battle Creek MI so that makes it nice. She indicated it s very hot and they have to drink water continuously to stay hydrated. The food is pretty good. She sent back pictures of some camels today as they had to drive to another base which she is responsible. There is not an hour goes by that our thoughts and prayers are not with her and James at home with the kids.
Later, Doreen researched the Continental Divide and discovered it is just miles from our campground. We loaded up and drove to the McDonald's Pass where the Continental Divide trail crosses Highway 12. Guess what we found?
We followed the trail to the McDonald Pass Vista for a great view of the area.
This pathway is the Continental Divide Trail as it heads south from McDonald's Pass Vista. It obviously gets quite a bit of use.
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| Looking north from the vista towards Highway 12 |
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| The Continental Divide north of Highway 12. The outline of the trail can be seen in the distance. |
After the trail we headed back towards the campground, stopping at a small vegetable stand for some locally grown cucumbers and beans, plus a glass of lemonade from a couple young ladies! We drove into the Veteran's Administration complex which is adjacent to Fort Harrison. It appears this used to be all one complex. A huge VA Hospital exists and it is obviously new. There are many old buildings, some of which are condemned awaiting demolition. We stopped to take pictures of some of the local residents!
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| The kids, |
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| Mom nearby keeping watch |
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| An authentic teepee |
Tomorrow we intend to visit the weekly farmer's market downtown and then make preparations to depart Sunday morning for Livingston MT and Yellowstone National Park.
We found the marina, parked and then checked in with the office to claim our tickets. The boat tours sell out so Doreen made our reservations several days ago. While we waited for the report time we looked around at the displays. One of them caught our eye as it mentioned Iowa. One of the early tour boats was the Rose and it's propulsion boiler and paddle wheel assembly was made in 1886 by the Iowa Iron Works Co in Dubuque Iowa!
This pathway is the Continental Divide Trail as it heads south from McDonald's Pass Vista. It obviously gets quite a bit of use.
After the trail we headed back towards the campground, stopping at a small vegetable stand for some locally grown cucumbers and beans, plus a glass of lemonade from a couple young ladies! We drove into the Veteran's Administration complex which is adjacent to Fort Harrison. It appears this used to be all one complex. A huge VA Hospital exists and it is obviously new. There are many old buildings, some of which are condemned awaiting demolition. We stopped to take pictures of some of the local residents!
Beautiful scenery. The natural rock formations and caves are neat and the wildlife is so pretty. That CD trail has had a few people along it for sure!
ReplyDeleteNeat way to see the sites, rock formations, etc on the boat tour. Was the captain/narrator good?! Not many people can say they took a picture on the continental divide!!
ReplyDeleteThe guy was unbelievable. The history he talked about. He quoted so many portions of books, etc. Lots of knowledge about the firefighters who lost theor lives.
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