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Amy's Journal
Day 9, Monday Sept. 14, Medora, ND to Billings,
MT 287 Miles, total 1791
After our Chuckwagon breakfast in Medora we boarded our bus and
drove by a beautiful large piece of petrified wood being used as a large
outdoor flower planter. Dick Gelfond gave us a brief explanation of the
interesting petrifying process to produce this lovely art piece.
Our first rest stop was in Glendive, MT. Our driver
followed the Yellowstone River, which was the route Capt. Wm. Clark and
his crew followed on their return journey from July 15 to August 6,
1806. Lewis and Clark‘s plan to separate at Traveler’s Rest on the
return trip to explore the Yellowstone Country was a bold, risky plan.
Clark took 49 horses, 19 men, Sacagawea, Pomp, and York overland from
the Three Forks to the Yellowstone River. They finally found cottonwood
trees to build two narrow canoes and lashed them together like a
catamaran.
Four men were dispatched to bring the horses by
land back to the Mandan villages. One night while they slept the Crow
Indians silently made off with half the horses “as a toll for passing
this way.” The next day the remaining horses were also gone, so they
built bull boats and followed Clark on the river a few days later.
During this time the expedition was split 5 ways.
We enjoyed a sack lunch with a beautiful view
overlooking the Yellowstone River, and then had a surprise Dairy Queen
stop for dessert at Forsyth, MT.Our afternoon stop was at Pompey’s
Pillar. Ranger Jeff Sherman gave us an orientation to this site. We then
climbed the perpendicular sandstone tower that juts 127 feet above the
Yellowstone. Clark carved his name and date on it and recorded the fact
in his journal. At the top we had a group picture taken with our flag.
We then rode 26 more miles to our hotel in
billings, the Best Western Clock Tower Inn. On the bus this afternoon we
enjoyed the Harry Truman video. Our hotel is very comfortable. Dinner
was delicious lasagna. After dinner professor Keith Edgerton told the
story of Clark and the Yellowstone with an interesting and short
PowerPoint presentation.
I will close with a Teddy Roosevelt quote: “The joy
of living is his who has the heart to demand it.”
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