I-94 Billings and Beyond

We stayed three nights in Billings, Montana, and then took the I-94 branch to North Dakota. We saw a lot of rolling hills and grassland and stopped at some interesting sites along the way.

 

Pompeys Pillar National Monument

Pompeys Pillar is a massive sandstone outcrop that rises from an almost two-acre base on the banks of the Yellowstone River, east of Billings. For many years people used this as a landmark and left inscriptions along their way. One of the most notable visitors, Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, arrived at Pompeys Pillar on July 25, 1806. Captain Clark named the pillar after Sacagawea's son, whom he had nicknamed "Pomp". 

Brand New Visitor's Center

The sandstone pillar stands 150 feet
above the Yellowstone River.

A boardwalk staircase takes you to the top.

This is the only remaining evidence of Captain Clark's
visit to the area.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We stayed two nights in Medora North Dakota, conveniently located a mile from the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit. Theodore Roosevelt first visited the Dakota Territory in 1883 to hunt Bison. The following year his wife, Alice, and his mother both died on the same day, February 14, 1884. Overcome with grief, Theodore returned to North Dakota to heal in solitude. He invested in the Maltese Cross Ranch and later started the Elkhorn Ranch.  This remote 70,447 acre national park has a 36 mile Scenic Drive in the South Unit and a 14 mile Scenic Drive in the North Unit. We visited only the South Unit, but may return another time to see the rest of the Park.

Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin

Up to 700 bison are maintained in the herd.

We saw lots and lots of prairie dogs.

The red color of the rock comes from the oxidation of iron
released from an underlying coal layer that burned.

Some of the scenery reminded us of
Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

A local labor force built this old entrance station in 1938.
It was closed in 1968 when I-94 was completed.

Someone made a good find on this old propane truck.

We had a herd of 30 bison join us on a side road.

We seemed to have hit peak fall color.

The Little Missouri River runs through the park.

A Day in Helena, Montana

We stopped for a couple of days at the Riverfront RV Park in Garrison, about 30 miles west of the state capitol, Helena. Helena is a smaller city with a population of about 28,000 but there is much to do here. We left our home early to spend the entire day taking in the sites in this historic city.

Our first stop was Montana's Museum. This museum has an extensive collection of Charles M. Russell's paintings, sculptures and drawings as well as numerous exhibits and artifacts documenting Montana's history.

Montana's Historical Museum

"Big Medicine", a White Bull Bison,
was born and lived on the National Bison Range
from 1933 until his death in 1959.

Late 19th Century Parlor Display

When the Land Belonged to God
by Charles M. Russell

The Roundup
by Charles M. Russell

The State Capitol building is right across the street from the museum. Guided tours are offered every hour, but we opted to tour it on our own. The Capitol building was built in 1899 out of sandstone and Montana granite and topped with Montana copper.

Montana became the 41st state in 1889.

The colorful Rotunda was decorated in the
French Renaissance style.

The Ten Commandments monument stands
on the front lawn.

We took an afternoon tour of the Original Governor's Mansion. This Victorian mansion was home to nine Montana governors from 1914 to 1959.

Built in 1888 by a prominent citizen of Helena

Last Chance Tour Train
We took the very last city tour of the
season.

Cathedral of St. Helena,
completed in 1914

The remarkable stained glass windows were made
in Munich, Germany.

Visiting the Spokane Area

SPOKANE

Spokane was the location of the 1974 World's Fair Expo. Most of the Expo centered around the Riverfront Park, which has flowered and tree lined bike and walking paths. The park is well known for the Riverfront Park Carousel, the clock tower, and The Skyride Over the Falls. While we were at the park, they were setting up for next weeks Chinese Lantern Festival.

Clock Tower Built for Expo '74

 Skyride Over the Falls

Spokane Falls

Flower for the Chinese Lantern Festival

All the exhibits glow at night.

The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
Built in 1925
Reminds us of the great cathedrals of Europe.

The organ has over 4,000 pipes.
We wished we could have heard it.

KOOTENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

One day we visited Kootenai NWR just west of Bonners Ferry, Idaho. This small, but very beautiful refuge is only about 3,000 acres. We took the five mile auto tour loop and took a hike to Myrtle Creek Falls.

The Kootenay River was like glass
the day we were there.

Trail to the Myrtle Creek Falls

FARRAGUT STATE PARK

We spent a day exploring Farragut State Park located 25 miles north of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This entire park was originally a U.S. Navy Training Base. Farragut Park is very focused on visitor activities. There are several campgrounds as well as four disc golf courses, a beach and boating on Lake Pend Oreille. There is also a military museum which was originally a U.S. Navy Brig from 1942 - 1946.

Lake Pend Oreille is Idaho's larges lake
and the 4th deepest in the Pacific northwest.

Sailor Statue in front of the Navy Museum at the Brig

Wenatchee, Washington, Apple Capital of the World

We decided to spend the week prior to the Labor Day holiday on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range. We checked into Wenatchee River County Park on September 30 for a week. This well maintained and peaceful park is very RV friendly with full hookups and 50 amp service at each paved site. This area is in the rain shadow of the mountains and receives very little rain. The Wenatchee River converges with the mighty Columbia River providing plenty of water for irrigation of orchards as well as hydro-electric power.

Our site at Wenatchee River County Park

Leavenworth, a German Town

Fifteen miles west of the RV Park is the quaint German town of Leavenworth. This popular tourist town is full of restaurants with authentic German cuisine, beer gardens, bakeries and interesting gift stores. We partook at a couple of the establishments, eating brauts, sauerkraut, sauerbraten, weinersnitzel, spatzle and apple strudel and other assorted things we can't pronounce and don't remember their name.

ALL the buildings in the town are
Bavarian style, even McDonalds.

The streets were dressed in beautiful flowers.

LIBERTY ORCHARDS MAKERS OF APLETS & COTLETS, Cashmere, Washington

We love taking tours, especially of candy factories. Liberty Orchards, produces Washington's take on Turkish Delight, since 1920. Aplets & Cotlets are small, gelatin-like confections baked in powdered-sugar around walnuts.

Donning hairnets for our tour after checking out the samples.

Packing for the Christmas Rush

STUTZMAN RANCH

We found this pick your own orchard, just one mile from our home. The fruit was fresh and extremely well priced. We picked two buckets of Gala apples along with Bartlett pears and Hale peaches. Couldn't help but go there twice.

This orchard had at least four different kinds of apples.

Didn't take long to fill our buckets.

We fed a reject to the goats.

Orondo Cider Works
We had fresh pressed cider and homemade apple
cider donuts for lunch one day.

As Carl Sagen would say, there are billions and billions
of apples along the Columbia River Valley.

Virginia's Homemade Apple Pie and Apple Sauce

DAMS ALONG THE COLUMBIA

If there is one thing the Columbia River Valley has, besides fruit orchards, its hydro-electric dams. We visited three of the biggest and took two tours.

Chief Joseph Dam, near Chelan
Second Largest Hydro-Electric Producing Dam
in North America

Grand Coulee Dam
Largest Hydro-Electric Producing Dam
in North America 

Rocky Reach Dam
A "Z" Shaped Hydro-Electric Dam
had the best tour of the three.

Rocky Reach Fish Ladder

Salmon Viewing Windows

Turbine Power Generators

DRY FALLS STATE PARK, COULEE CITY

Dry Falls, a long-extinct cascade would have dwarfed Niagara Falls. One especially large lake that covered a portion of northwest Montana broke through an ice dam in prehistoric times, unleashing a tremendous volume of water that rushed along forming the Grand Coulee and leaving behind the skeleton of the greatest waterfall in history. This three and a half mile wide falls that dropped 400 feet is now referred to as Dry Falls.