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Amy's Journal
Day 14, Saturday, September 19, 2009,
Missoula, Mt. -- Lewiston ID - 225 miles, total 2609
On the bus, Tom showed us an amazing DVD titled The Great Ice Age Floods
describing catastrophic transformation of the West. I never could have
imagined such an occurrence.
Our first
stop today was Travelers' Rest State Park. Loren, the Park Mgr.
explained the long history of this rest stop located at the confluence
of Lolo Creek and the Bitterroot River. He then took us on a short walk
and began to explain the physical evidence that L & C's group camped
here. Thanks to a Missoula archeologist, Dan Hall, who took
measurements and suggested further study, to metal detectors locating a
pewter button like soldiers used in L & C's time, to magnetometers
finding evidence of fires in this location, and finally evidence of a
latrine with a layer of grey organic matter (we can all guess what
that means) plus mercury (evidence of Dr. Rush's Thunderbolts) The
National Park Service moved their site (first time ever) to this
location which opened in 2002.
Ritchie,
our Step On Guide, re-enacting Capt. William Clark, was very informative
and humorous. We saw Fort Fizzle where the US Army tried unsuccessfully
to barricade the Nez Perce. Further on, we walked into a mountain trail
a short distance up the mountain at an angle. If one were to go
STRAIGHT UP, it would challenge the fittest athlete! We drove on to the
Lolo Hot Springs where Capt. Clark had soaked in warm water.
We then
walked through Packer Meadows a short distance to Glade Creek, which
joins Crooked Creek, then Lochsa River, eventually flowing into the
great Columbia River. We stopped at Lolo Pass. And we saw where Bernard
DeVoto's ashes were scattered - in a Cedar Grove--a beautiful Fir and
Spruce tree shaded walk to the clear splashing creek.
Our
lunch was a delicious soup and sandwich plate in the attractive Lochsa
Log Cabin Lodge.
With the
steep, powerful and awesomely beautiful Bitterroot Mountains
surrounding us, we drove on, following the beautiful, wild and scenic
Lochsa River for hours. We were slowed down due to road work, so we did
not stop at the Canoe Camp, but drove on to the Nez Perce Museum for
30mins. Shortly afterward we reached Lewiston, ID and our hotel, the
Red Lion Inn. They were waiting for us. We could tell it would be a
comfortable evening and night. Dinner was FIRST CLASS!! Our after
dinner Presenter was EXCELLENT!! He was Aaron Miles, Natural Resources
Mgr. for the Nez Perce. He gave us history of his tribe and what is
being done to save the salmon industry hurt by the Columbia River dams.
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