GATES OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

This is going to be my last post about my trip. This was probably the most exciting part.  We took an excursion on a tour boat named Sacajawea.
  The trip was about 2 hours along the Missouri River and through the Gates of the Rocky Mountains.

"Gates of the Rocky Mountains" was named by Lewis and Clark.

Captain Lewis Clark wrote in his journal on July 19, 1805----"this evening we entered much the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen.  These clifts rise from the water's edge on either side perpendicularly to the height of 1200 ft.----the river appears to have forced its way through this immense body of solid rock for the distance of 5 3/4 miles----I called it the "Gates of the Rocky Mountains"

Here are some pictures of this amazing site. 

The Sacajawea is on the left



The cliffs are Shale and almost impossible to climb.



Gates closed

Gates beginning to open

Gates opening

Years ago I read some of the journals by Lewis and Clark.  Taking this trip peaked my interest again.  I put some books on my Kindle about the Lewis and Clark expedition and also about Sacajawea.  Three of the books were free because they are classics.  I have so much reading to do, I don't know if I will ever catch up.  I also put on a true story called "The Boys in the Boat" sometime back. The story is of the University of Washington 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic Gold medal.  The story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager from Sequim, WA who was abandoned by his parents when he was 15.  I had to finish the Book Club book of the month and now I am going to read "The Boys in the Boat" before I start the Lewis and Clark journals.





MADISON VALLEY, MONTANA

Main street of Virginia City, Montana

Beautiful country!

I cannot describe how beautiful the Madison Valley is.  These pictures just don't describe how it is.  You have to be standing there and seeing it for yourself. After seeing this valley, I can understand why my father loved Montana.  If it had not been for his Asthma he would have stayed there.

We enjoyed seeing Virginia City so much.  This city has been kept as close to how it originally was.  It is on the National Historical register also.  We were there on the 4th of July.  There were so many people visiting that day.

Virginia City, Montana

Overlooking the Madison Valley

HELENA, MONTANA--CITY OF MY BIRTH

Old Governor's Mansion

Downtown Helena

Capitol Building in Helena

Standing in front of the shop where my Father's shoe shop was

Finally getting around to a few more pictures.  It was so great to finally visit Helena.  Off and on through the years I always thought it would be nice to see it.  Thanks to Debbie I got the opportunity. I did not realize until we got to Helena that Helena is on the National register for Historic places.
     It was so wonderful that I could walk on the street by the house where I lived and see the place where my father had his shoe shop.  He was a shoemaker and made shoes and boots for the governor and many people in the government offices.  He also made boots for the Gary Cooper family.  The shoe shop is within walking distance of the Capitol building.  Also the shop was within walking distance from where our house was.  I can imagine that my mother took my sister and I there sometimes, maybe bringing him a lunch or something.
 
    The old Governor's mansion is so impressive.  I just love looking at old buildings.  We took the trolley and saw more of Helena and some other very nice mansions.  We also went to the Museum where you catch the trolley.  It is a small museum but has so much history. Tomorrow I will put on some pictures of the Madison Valley and Virginia City, Montana.  That should do it for my trip. Debbie says I need to think of where I want to go on my next trip.  I actually haven't a clue to what I want to see.  Any ideas?

Trolley leaves several times a day
We had gone to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.  It is a large museum and has a large display of Dinosaur fossils and other interesting things about Montana.  Actually I was much more impressed with the small museum in Helena.

MORE ABOUT MY TRIP

Wild Horse Museum

The first thing I want to say is that the very best part of the trip was being with Debbie.  I talk to her all the time but it was just wonderful to spend time with her.

The picture above is the Wild Horse Museum.  Debbie and I did not know about this.  We had spent the night in Moses Lake and were continuing on our trip. It was 108 degrees in Moses Lake the day were there. Anyway, we pulled into a viewing area outside of Vantage and saw all these sculptures of horses.

I read about this monument when I got back home.  The monument is actually a series of wild horses cut from 1" thick steel that is entitled "Grandfather cuts loose the ponies" and was created by David Govedare.  The sculptures symbolically re-creates the Great Spirit turning loose a herd of wild horses above the Columbia River's Wanapum Lake.  The whole monument actually stretches for 200 ft. across the top of the hill overlooking the river and the town of Vantage.  The tempered steel ponies were put on the bluff in 1989 for Washington State's Centennial Celebration.

Debbie and I were so impressed with this site.

TO HELENA AND BACK (in five days)

House that my family lived in when my sister and I were small.

House is on a nice tree-lined street

I found the address of our house from the Census on Ancestry.com. On that Census, I was three and my sister was one. I have other pictures I want to put on but need to decide which ones.  In the meantime this is the one I wanted to post.  I had no idea that the same house would be there.  It is so exciting to realize that my sister and I walked down that street. This street has many old houses and all seem to be well kept up.  It is a street of old houses and large trees.  The house has been made into a duplex .  The left side is the newer side.  It is a large house and has a basement.  One memory I have is the coal furnace in the basement.  A couple of girls were coming out and we talked to them briefly.  They said that old coal furnace is still there.