On the Road Again (Again)

One, two, a one, two, three, four

🎶

On the road again

Just can't wait to get on the road again

The life I love is making music with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Goin' places that I've never been

Seein' things that I may never see again

And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

We're the best of friends

Insisting that the world keep turning our way

And our way

Is on the road again

I just can't wait to get on the road again

The life I love is makin' music with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

We're the best of friends

Insisting that the world keep turning our way

And our way

Is on the road again

Just can't wait to get on the road again

The life I love is makin' music with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again

And I can't wait to get on the road again

💕

Going-to-the-Sun Road

Our drive yesterday through the backyard of the west was for one purpose - today's drive! If you already know where we are headed, hang on! Let's see where the journey started. 

We spent the night in Havre. Havre was founded as a railroad town for the Great Northern Railroad, as were many towns we rolled through in Montana.  The trains honk, or howl, or toot (whatever!!), ALL the ding-dang time. If we weren't so tired, and if there weren't ear plugs, that would have been a real issue last  night. I imagine if you lived there, you wouldn't even hear it anymore. As you may know, I hear everything. E V E R Y T H I N G. I think it's my teaching superpower. 

If you find yourself in Havre, stop at 406 Brewing! Caffeine saves lives. 😉

Highway 2 from Havre is largely uneventful, though very beautiful in spots. 

We stopped at every historical marker along the way. More than anything we learned there was very little writing objectivity.  If you need a head scratching linguistic giggle, please enjoy our favorite from Shelby. Isn't that the way you would use "cauterize"?

And then we were there!! Our plan today was to drive through Glacier National Park on our way home. This summer, you need a pass, in addition to your Park Pass, to drive the Going-to-the-Sun road. Last summer saw heavy traffic/crowding in Glacier as people fled to parks for safe(r) covid travel, so the driving passes are meant to limit the intense crowding. I'm a HUGE proponent of tickets, shuttles, permits and lotteries in National Parks, even if they are a giant inconvenience. One of our best experiences was a hike we took in Redwood Nat'l Park that required a permit. It took us to some of the oldest trees in the park, and we were there largely alone. In Zion, they are considering permitting (or limiting in some fashion) the Narrows hike. Yes, yes!!! I hope to do that hike again one day, and I hope to do it with less people. I love seeing people enjoy our wild places, but it's so important to me to keep them wild! 

All that said, we got into Glacier today on a technicality...  You only need the pass until 5pm, so we snuck in at 5:15. I know. 

We spent all the hours left in the day seeing as much as possible on this one road. Did we "do" the park? No. If you've been to Glacier, you know there is so much more to explore. But on a trip when this wasn't the park we were aimed at, these extra few hours of awesome beauty felt like such a lucky bonus. 

As mentioned before, we have been reading Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams.  It's a collection of stories that string together as a personal memoir as well as a call to conservation and social justice. In the chapter about the Grand Tetons, she talks about a key conservation decision of the Rockefeller family that contributed to the park. Laurance S Rockefeller, great-grandson to John D Rockefeller, said this in regards to wild places, which is a great place to end today. 

"In the midst of the complexities of modern life, with all it pressures, the spirit of man needs to refresh itself by communion with unspoiled nature. In such surroundings -- occasional  as our visits may be -- we can achieve that kind of physical and spiritual renewal that come alone from the wonder of the natural world. "

💚💚

Rediscover the West

"Back Country Byways open doors to new experiences. Following a Byway can take you back in time, allow you glimpses of things you've never seen, and provide you with a variety of recreational opportunities. Each Byway has exceptional values whether scenic, recreational or historical, and provides a unique encounter with the land." 

~ Interpretive Sign, Circle, MT

Today we encountered thousands of hay bales,  hundreds of miles of rail track, and dinosaurs of concrete and fossilized properties. We drove by where Chief Joseph surrendered to the American army, and where Butch Cassidy et al pulled off the most expensive rail heist in Montana history. We went to Glasgow, Malta,  Havre and ate at an Irish Pub. 

In Lindsay we saw hundreds of rail cars, seemingly abandoned on an overgrown railroad. Approximately 1300 cars have been stuck here since a decline in grain export in 2017.  Miles and miles. 

In Circle, we stopped at a historical monument where we found the info about the Back Country Byway. We also read one of the most confusing signs of the trip that may have had something to do with cattle and  the BNSF. The concrete dinosaur display was an unexplained, and thoroughly amusing bonus. 

Definitely my favorite pic of the trip!

When we turned off on 13, 24, 47...I have no idea (thank you Siri), we switched drivers because it was bumpy, and one of us is...sensitive. ;) And then that same driver got B O R E D ! ! !

And she turned down a road of questionable signage. She thought it said there was a creek. But as you can see below, there has not been a real water source here for a while.  But it was a dirt road, where the best of adventures are made. This driver turned around after a good amount of standing gravel. Apparently that's not a common phrase, but I thought it explained the experience well. Perhaps "deep standing gravel". ;) Anyway, we ended up having a car picnic in this delightful spot. 

And then for the actual stop of the day. This one was a real gem. The Fort Peck Interpretative Center is amazing.  One part is about the building of the Fort Peck Dam (Missouri River), which opened in 1940. Fun fact, its spillway was on the first cover of Life! 

The second part of the exhibit was about Peck's Rex and all his buddies. Peck's Rex is a T-Rex found here (Hell Creek Formation) in 1997. I think it's one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons. And maybe the first to feature the 3rd "finger"? Sorry - my dino knowledge is even sparser than my Lewis & Clark knowledge, so I started at basically ground zero at the beginning of the exhibit. Even so, this exhibit is seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and such a fun stop!

The Fort Peck Reservoir provided a much needed sight of water, complete with seagulls and pelicans! 

And then, obviously, we watched the Opening Ceremonies. You know I love me some Olympics! In the Parade of Nations, I loved the women's Serbian dress with the asymmetrical hemline. Doesn't everyone have a favorite outfit? And during the actual ceremony part, my favorite was when the pictograms came to life. Will be excited to watch what happens over the next two weeks!