Road Trip - Day 38

Left the Tri-Cities for home this morning. We really enjoyed the Columbia gorge...matches anything we have seen on our journey. Then...wait...got to stop here!!!

Don't you just love it...Multnomah Falls...we are blessed here in Oregon.

Nancy is getting into taking pictures with the camera Shane loaned her...she really loved the falls, getting in to this photography thing.  What better place?

We enjoyed this as much as anything we have seen. God has given us so many beautiful things...no man can come anywhere near what he has given us in nature! We have seen so many things on our trip to emphasize this...THANK YOU LORD! Our sermon for this Sunday...no doubts of a creator! Praise Him!

We thot we would eat here...$24.95 ea for the buffet....we can wait...and enjoyed lunch in old Troutdale.

Stopped to see Steve Tow, Nancy's brother in law at the rehab place he is working at. He really looks great and had a good visit. Got home (at last) about 5pm and this picture gives you a feeling of how it feels after all this travel...peaceful

I kind of hate to say this is it. We have totally enjoyed this trip of a lifetime. Each person we have seen along the way has gone out of their way to help us enjoy their locale....THANK YOU, EACH ONE OF YOU. We could never repay you for all you did to make us feel welcome, showing us such great hospitality and encouraged us along our way. Every one of you, we wish we could spend much more time with you. We hope each of you will let us host you here in Salem, and show you God's treasures here.
For now....thanks for traveling with us on this blog...and good night Mrs Callahan, wherever you are. (Jimmy Durante)

Road Trip - Day 37

oving closer to home we landed in Cord'elaine for lunch...found a great restaurant on the lake.

I have always wanted to see this lake. We were just around a bend from the golf course with the floating hole #14 and could not see it. You have to hit the ball on to the hole, then take a boat out to the green and back. Sorry, didn't have time to play.

From there we traveled to Pasco, the Tri-City area. Nancy wanted to find the Park where they have a museum for Sacajawea. It is in the Sacajawea State Park.

Here are some long boats they used on the river (replica's)

This monument is placed in the camp spot where the L&C Expedition camped...

at the place where the Snake river (left) and the Columbia river (right) join forces

These guys were showing us where the two rivers meet.

Nancy is a student of L&C and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We are nestled down in Pasco after a great Dinner at Bob's Burgers...an awesome "sports bar" with a patio overlooking the whole valley.  HOME TOMORROW!!!

Road Trip - Day 36

We stayed at the Lewis and Clark last night. The lady there helped us with a little history of Three Forks. This Motel was the old Train station, moved here to become the  motel it is today. She has a post card with the train station dated...wait for it....1918...the year my mother was born here.

She told us that the old hospital is still in town, moved to a location to be an apartment bldg. Here it is! The lady at the museum verified that this is the hospital which was there in 1918...has to be the one mother was born in. 

Here is the museum...no record was to be found of my grandparents...they took my information and will contact me if they find any record of them...nice people...and they are proud of their little town. 

Fred, we took your advice...this was a great place for a delicious brunch....had to take with us to snack on later. About the name...Montana Wheat Bakery??? Still, I highly agree with you...a must stop!

After brunch we backtracked...Nancy wanted to see this "Buffalo Jump park. The location of the bluff the Indians used for years to harvest meat for the winters. They used almost every part of the Buffalo, bones and all, using the fur and hide for clothing and tents, etc.

This was a warning at the beginning of the trail to the observation place. I HATE snakes, so Nancy said I could wait here while she went up...sheesh...I had to protect her!

This is the bluff, and the bare land below is where the buffalo landed and were "prepared". (no snakes yet)

We made it back from the observation place (no snakes!) to a table with these two furs...a wolf and a young buffalo hides.

"Ranger Ann Ore" explained how the Indians would put the wolf, or other smaller animal hide over themselves, taunt the lead buffalo to chase them, they would run, leading the buffalo to the bluff. They had an area they could jump down to. The buffalo would follow and...you can guess the rest.

Thanks, Ranger Ann.

The rest of the day spent on the hiway all the way to Missoula, MT where we will spend the night...getting an earlier time than we have...should get a good night sleep and head the Tri City area.  "night.

Road Trip - Day 35

I am excited....got the blog back up...I missed you guys. Anyway, we left Cody to head to Yellowstone. I had no idea what to expect. We drove into the mountains and headed back down. Here is the first view of Yellowstone Lake .

I thot we were going to drive right into the lake...we stopped at this bay

                                     

but Nancy was more enthralled by the little flowers.

Then we began to run into stopped cars along the road...animals!  Bison!

Elk

And looking around...their newborn fawn.

The elk were right by this field of pools

You could look right into them.

Yes, proof that I was really there.

We finally arrived at Old Faithful...the new visitors center.

When we arrived, we saw it was blowing, so we had to wait over an hour to see it again, so we had lunch in the restaurant. When it got close to time, this is the crowd we found around the site!

Then...wait...gurgle...wait...

gurgle....wait...

and THEN IT CAME!!!

Awesome...worth the wait!

Then down the hill to ... wait, what is this???Mammoth Springs..no one told me about this. H

This appeared as we rounded a turn and came out of the woods. This is the front view

Pulling in the lot, this is the side view.

The colors are vibrant...

the water is hot. Pictures cannot begin to describe this site!

As we left the park, we had lunch at Gardner and headed for Montana...

and ended up in Three Forks...site of my and Alan's mothers birth. We are staying here and will visit the museum in the morning...what do you think of that, Alan?
See you tomorrow.

Road Trip - Day 34

We are back up thanks to Bill...had to put the Road trip file into a separate drive (over 1800 pictures). That fixed it! Anyway, yesterday we left Custer, SD for Wyoming...going to be a long drive! Half way thru we had to cross the mountain...big climb.

On the way  down we needed a rest stop...surprise! It was Shell Falls. WOW,  beautiful rock formations caused by the water!

You've heard of the little engine that could...how about the little rock that is (Holding up this huge rock!)

We arrived in the town of Cody, WY and looking for a place to eat we ran into this crowd. What were they all sitting out there for? We joined the crowd and...

the locals put on a little show of the history of Cody. Wild Bill, Buffalo Bill and other famous people who frequented Cody ended up in a gun fight...it was really corny, so we found a place to eat.

It seemed like everything in town and along the road including the dam was named "Buffalo Bill..." We even passed a little road that had an arrow sign saying "Buffalo Bills Ranch"
Heading for Yellowstone in the morning...see ya.

Road Trip - Day 33

We decided to start the day with brkfst at a restaurant on the boardwalk. Since the cafe at Wall Drug was a buffet we went across the street to the "Cactus Cafe...hmmm...not bad food and they repaired the door to the kitchen "Chad style"...DUCK TAPE!

After brkfst wetoured the Wounded Knee museum...a sad story in our history...a clash of cultures

Then we drove to ...can you guess?

We decided to grab lunch before seeing the sights...wow, a LOT of people here with us...

so we ate outside.

and finished after our tour with. yes, Thomas Jefferson vanilla ice cream...did you know he had the first ice cream recipe?

We were ready for the long walk and history  of the monument...I had no idea what a marvelous dream...fulfilled!  

Getting the close-ups shows the artistry...this was done with dynamite and power air hammers and chisels!

This is a must for those who have never been here. We then went on to the Wild Horse monument and were disappointed...the artist started this in 1948 and died after getting the face and a bit more done and there it sits. Nancy saw it 4 yrs ago and nothing has changed. It is a wonderful idea and I hope they can find a way to fulfill the dream. We settled at the little town of Custer for the night. God has really been with us as we have missed a flooding and were a day ahead of 2 tornado's. Pray He continues to protect us as we head for Yellowstone tomorrow...a long drive...thanks