Day 8, Monday, August 22, Billings, Bozeman, Three Forks, Helena, Kalispell

We checked out of our Billings hotel and were on the road by 9:15 am. We took I-90 west through Bozeman and got off at Three Forks, MT. Just  north of Three Forks is the Missouri Headwaters State Park. This is where the Jefferson River and the Madison River join to create the Missouri River. Just a mile downstream, the Gallatin River joins them. The Gallatin River named in July 1805 by Meriwether Lewis for Albert Gallatin, the U.S. Treasury Secretary from 1801–14. Probably, Lewis owed Albert some money.

These were all three beautiful mountain streams with significant flow. There really was not much to the State Park itself, just a place to drop off your "entry" fee (honors system) and a little shelter with some maps and posters.

The theme used in the movie "The Naked Prey" with Cornel Wilde

Birth of the Missouri River. Madison River coming in from the left, Jefferson River from above.

Madison River

Jefferson River

Missouri River headwater, at the confluence of the Madison and Jefferson Rivers

We left the site of the convergence and drove about a mile down to where the Gallatin River joins. Here is where Fort Rock once was located. There were no remnants of any structures. This was also the high point from which Lewis and Clark made their maps of the area.

Missouri heading toward the confluence with the Gallatin

Gallatin River heading toward the confluence with the Missouri

T standing at the high point between the Missouri and the Gallatin. Site used by Lewis and Clark

We did not stop again until we reached Kalispell, MT. We took the "scenic" route north on State Highways through Helena instead of using I-90 through Butte. In hindsight, there is not much scenic in this part of Montana and the two lane driving really wears you down. About 40 miles south of Kalispell, we ran into some smoke from nearby forest fires. Not too bad but you could not see very far.

We checked in to our hotel around 5:30 pm. We have driven roughly 2,200 miles so far. Not half way yet. Tomorrow we will start our exploration of Glacier National Park.

Day 7, Sunday, August 21, Deadwood, Devil's Tower, Little Big Horn Battlefield, Pictographich Cave State Park, Billings

We passed through three states today, starting in South Dakota, passing through Wyoming and ending up in Billings, MT.

We checked out of the Hickok Hotel and departed Deadwood at 9:00 am. On the way out of town, we stopped to take a photo of the Adams House Museum we visited upon our arrival in town two days ago. A Victorian era Queen Ann. Much like many we had in Salt Lake City.

The drive up into Wyoming was pleasant with a clear blue sky. It was only 75 miles from Deadwood to the Devil's Tower. This is the first US National Monument. Wyoming has both the first National Monument and the first National Park (Yellowstone). We took the path around the entire monument, only 1.3 miles and photographic it from all sides. The monument was very impressive, but what really impressed me is that, while the current monument is 867 feet above the current surface, when it was formed, the magma forming it never made it to the surface which was another 1.5 miles above it. Erosion has since exposed it.

The monument 14 miles away

Close to the park entrance

Buffalo and Long Horns in pasture around the monument

Native American Prayer "bundles"

Looking out on the Belle Fourche River valley

There were numerous climbers scaling the tower. It is hard to see them in the photos, but we actually met a group which had just come back down. They said it was an incredible view.

Two climbers in the center of the photo, about 2/3 the way up the tower

On the way out of the park, we stopped at the prairie dog town. They were everywhere.

Instead of heading back south to I-90, we continued north on Wyoming State Highway 112. Over the next 90 miles, we did not see a single vehicle (except for one ATM which should not have been on the highway anyway). It was a fun and scenic drive. Then we got on US 212 which ultimately brought us back to I-90.

Just before reaching I-90, we stumbled upon the site of the Little Big Horn Monument National Monument (Custer's Last Stand). Using our senior pass, we drove through the monument. They had placed cemetery markers at the known locations where soldiers had fallen. I was amazed at the distance over which the battle had taken place, over one mile. The National Monument also includes the Custer National Cemetery.

Upon departure from the Little Big Horn, we got back on I-90 and proceeded to Billings. Once there, we diverted to the prehistoric Pictographic Cave State Park, just outside Billings. This site has cave drawings dating back 12,000 years. They were hard to see and are fading with time, but it was interesting.

We then went on to our hotel. Tomorrow we head to Kalispell, MT and start our three-day adventure in Glacier National Park. We plan to stop by the Missouri Headwaters State Park to experience the excitement of where the Missouri River originates. It is between Billings and Butte.

T tells me that today we walked 3.5 miles and climbed the equivalent of 41 flights of stairs. Not nearly equivalent to what we did on our Mediterranean cruise this past spring, but we are at an elevation of ~4,000 feet.

Day 6, Saturday, August 20, Deadwood, Lead, Spearfish

We arose this morning to a bright, clear and cool morning. Temperature was in the upper 50's. As the morning progressed, the few clouds dissipated and we had a nice day. The high got up into the lower 70's.

We ate breakfast at the Lee Street Station in Deadwood. It was a converted Phillips 66 gas station and it was good food. It also took awhile to get served due to its obvious popularity.

After breakfast, we visited the Adams Museum. This is a museum dedicated to Deadwood and the Badlands.

We then strolled down Main Street Deadwood and visited some of the shops we missed yesterday. It was around 10:00 am, but the streets were mostly deserted.

Our Hotel Room. Building on left, second floor, corner room with shade mostly closed

The Hickok Hotel front

The current No 10 Saloon

The original location of the No 10 Saloon where Wild Bill was shot

We then got the car and drove off to Leads (pronounced "leeds"). This is the home of George Hearst's Homestead Mine. It is only about 3 miles west of Deadwood, but about 1,000 feet higher.

Upon arrival in Leads, we stopped at the Black Hills Mining Museum and took the tour. In their basement, they have an extensive reproduction of the Homestead Mine. This was built back in the 1980's when liability concerns forced them to stop tours through the actual mine. Before ending mining operations in 2001, the mine had reached a depth of over 8,000 feet with shafts and drifts totally over 400 miles. Between 1876 and 2001, over 41 million ounces of gold had been recovered from 167 million tons of rock. On average, it took over 4 tons of extracted rock to generate one ounce of gold.

Then we went to the site of the Homestead Mine open pit. Surprising to me was the fact that the majority of the surface mining was done in the last twenty years of the mines operation, i.e., between 1983 and 2001. Between 1880 and 1983, the mining operations were all below ground.

After the mine was shut down, the Sanford laboratory was given the opportunity to use the extensive facilities to build their neutrino collection system. This research facility continues to operate today.

When finished in Lead, it was only about 1:00 pm, so we decided to drive off to Spearfish taking the scenic route over the Terry Peak Summit (6,200 feet) and down through the Spearfish canyon. It was a beautiful drive. Spearfish is at an elevation about 1,000 feet below Deadwood (~3,500 feet). Once there, we drove through town and decided to visit the D. C. Booth Historical Fish Hatchery. It was very interesting and the only historical hatchery in the country.

Trout are not native to the Black Hills and were imported from eggs gathered from trout in Yellowstone National Park.

Trout

The Booth Home

Replica of the No 3 Fish Train 

The boat used to harvest trout eggs in Yellowstone

Lots of BIG trout (Brown, Rainbow, Cutthroat, Brook) 

We got back to Deadwood around 4:00 pm. We went to the hotel and relaxed for a bit before going across the street to the Legend Steakhouse in the Franklin Hotel. T had a 24 oz bone-in prime rib plus a salad plus a 6 oz lobster tail plus a loaded baked potato. I had a 14 oz rib eye plus salad plus loaded baked potato. We split a platter of bang-bang shrimp as a starter. Needless to say, neither of us were able to eat it all. T brought part of her prime rib to the room.

Tomorrow we check out of the Hickok Hotel and head toward Billings, MT. On the way, we plan to swing by the Devil's Tower in Wyoming and then the Montana Pictograph Cave State Park outside of Billings.