SUMMARY

7,025 miles.  27 days.

The USA in 1804.   (courtesy of NOAA)

Was a great way to get a "hands-on" experience with a piece of our nation's history and to see much of the northern tier of Western states.     The USA is a huge, beautiful land.

Team Turtle spent a huge amount of time gazing at the landscape from the cab of a Ford F150!   We did the outbound Western leg much more slowly, usually driving only 200-250 miles/day.   This allowed us to stop and see sites, either with the trailer in tow, or after we'd set up a campsite.  We visited most of the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Centers on the route.   Did not count statues, but there were many!     Lot of excellent information.

SUPERLATIVES:

•  Favorite museum/Interpretive Center:   The BoatHouse in St. Charles, Missouri.
•  Highest/most dramatic mountain pass: Granite Pass, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming.
•  Best Campground:  KOA Nashville (also most expensive).
•  Wildest Weather Day: Tossup between squall in Seaside, Oregon, snow on Granite Pass, and cold winds in eastern South Dakota.
•  Best Sunrise:  Great Falls, Montana.
•  Best Sunset: Miles City, Oregon.
•  Prettiest farms: North Dakota.
•  Best Event:  Linking up with brother Joe in Oregon for a few days.
•  2d Best Event:  Making it to Fort Clatsop.

About the Corp of Discovery:   The Corps was tasked to explore the Louisiana Purchase, which was defined as the watershed of the Missouri River plus some lands to the southwest.  Their second task was to find a route to the Pacific Ocean.  To repeat a little of what we wrote earlier, we gained even more respect for this group of rare men and woman.     They slept "rough" for 2 1/2 years and ate mostly the game that the hunters found along the way.    Once they made it to the Dakotas of today, they were well-bonded as a unit and shared a serious determination to make it to the Pacific and return.

Later outcomes for the leaders of the expedition:


Captain Meriwether Lewis.   Lewis' contributions to science were very significant.    He documented a number of new species of plants and animals.   A genus of wildflowers is named Lewisia.   Many of the specimins are now in the Smithsonian Institute and other major collection.     After the expedition, he was appointed Governor of the territory of Louisiana by President Jefferson.   He served at St. Louis from 1807-1809.   He had difficulties in this position, not being a natural politician.    He was killed on the Natchez Trace in the fall of 1809, either by his own hand or by murder.

Captain William Clark.    Clark is best remembered for his excellent charting of the Expedition's location and route.    His records are remarkably accurate.   His journals of the trip are much more complete and detailed than those of Lewis.   After the Expedition, Pres. Jefferson appointed him Brigadier of Militia of the Louisiana Territory and US Agent for Indian Affairs.     Clark was well-liked by almost all people, including most tribes.   He was known as Chief Red Hair.  Clark served as Governor of the Missouri Territory (previously Louisiana Territory) from 1813-1820, being appointed first by Pres. Madison and again by Pres. Monroe.  It should be noted that Governor Clark received advice from an attorney named George Shannon, previously Private Shannon of the Corps of Discovery.  William Clark served as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for many years.    He married twice and has many descendants living today.

The Non-Commissioned Officers played a very significant role in the success of the Expedition.   .    The NCOs of the Corps of Discovery provided the day-to-day supervision of the many tasks that were needed for the safe and secure passage of the Expedition in unknown lands, some hostile tribes, and many dangerous animals.   It is notable that the NCOs were tasked to keep journals during the Expedition.

Sergeant Charles Floyd.  Kentuckian.   He and his family were friends of William Clark and was one of the first men chosen by Clark to be in the Corps of Discovery.   Died early in the expedition near what is now Sioux City.    He was given full military honors and lies under a large monument on a bluff above the Missouri.

Sergeant Patrick Gass.   A Pennsylvanian.  Skilled carpenter.   Well-experienced in several earlier military campaigns including service in an early Virginia Ranger Company.   Appointed by the Captains as Sergeant after a vote by the Corps.   Filled the position left by the death of Sergeant Floyd.  Was literate and kept a detailed Journal, the first published after the Expedition.     After the Expedition, remained in the Army and fought in the War of 1812, where he lost an eye.   Married at age 60 and had 7 children.  Attempted to enlist in the US Army during the Civil War.  Lived to be 98.

Sergeant John Ordway.   New Hampshireman.   One of the best educated members of the Expedition.  His Journal of the Expedition has an entry for every one of the 863 days.   After the Expedition, Sergeant Ordway accompanied CPT Lewis and the Mandan Chief Sheheke to Washington, D.C.   He married twice, had no children, settled in Missouri near what is now New Madrid.   His holdings were wiped out by the immense earthquakes in the winter of 1811-1812.   He is believed to have died in 1817.

Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor.   Born in Virginia, raised in Kentucky.  Cousin of Sergeant Charles Floyd.  After the Expedition, left the Army and did some fur trading.   Rejoined the Army for the War of 1812.   Served as a Captain at the Battle of New Orleans.  Returned to the fur trade, married an Osage woman, and served as a US Indian Agent with the Osage in the Oklahoma area.  Died in 1831.

Doing the Trip with an RV.

We chose to use our travel trailer for a number of reasons.

     a. We could take Stella, the Wonder Dog.
     b. We could sleep in our own bed, in familiar surroundings at night.   Our little trailer is our second home, with pictures of family, etc.
     c. Eating convenience.   We always had breakfast in the trailer and almost always lunch.   We could pull into a rest stop, have lunch inexpensively from our supplies, and be on the road in less than 30 minutes.  2/3 of dinners were cooked and eaten at the campsite.  (Only cooked outside on the grill one time due to lack of time and high winds.)  We both have unique food needs and having our own refrigerator, etc., simplified meals.
     d. We like the RV life style and generally like RV people.   Most RV parks are very secure.  

But...   Was pulling a trailer for most of 7000 miles easy or relaxing.   No.   Was it cheaper than motels?   Hard to say.   The extra cost for fuel probably offset motel costs.    RV Park sites cost an average of $40/night.     We paid as little as $30 and as much as $72 (premium site in Nashville).

One lesson learned:  a half-ton pickup truck is not completely adequate to pull a 5500 lb trailer across the USA.   You need a 3/4 ton truck (think: F250 Ford), preferably with a diesel engine, for torque on hills.   We spent a lot of miles at only 55 mph because we could go no faster against the wind without making the engine scream.   We could not keep up with tractor-trailers, which is a pain while driving.  The Interstate speed limit in most prairie states is 75 mph, 80 mph in Idaho and Wyoming. 

An RV is best for a destination vacation.   I.e., drive or pull it to a location, set it up, and enjoy the destination from your base camp.

The easiest way to see the sights of the West is probably to get a larger car or van (for riding comfort) and use motels.   Adults can do 500 miles per day, if necessary.   A car or van is easier to maneuver & park and much more economical for fuel.    We had to avoid some impromptu stops because we had the trailer in tow.   Motorhomes are no better.    The only RVs that are easy to park are the standard size van conversions, but they have no real toilet or shower.       If you want to do it cheaply, take a subcompact, a cooler, a Coleman stove, and a tent, or use the little Kamping Kabins at KOAs.   

Day 27

October 6, 2014


HOME!


Drove across Tennessee, mostly in the rain, to arrive in Knoxville to visit Katie, Brandon, and the grandgirls.     Fantastic to see them in their new home!    


After lunch, left Knoxville and could see the mountains of home at about Sevierville.   They still look great!


Arrived home just before dark.   Stella sure knew where she was as we turned into the neighborhood.    She was whining and running around the back seat!    


Great trip and wonderful to be home.   Will write some more tomorrow when I've had a chance to think about this a little.


The first stanza of a great poem about home, by Edgar Guest:




It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home,
A heap o' sun an' shadder, an' ye sometimes have t' roam
Afore ye really 'preciate the things ye lef' behind,
An' hunger fer 'em somehow, with 'em allus on yer mind.
It don't make any differunce how rich ye get t' be,
How much yer chairs an' tables cost, how great yer luxury;
It ain't home t' ye, though it be the palace of a king,
Until somehow yer soul is sort o' wrapped round everything.


_________________________________________________________

Day 26

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Rolled across the rest of Missouri, a little of Illinois, Kentucky, and part of Tennessee.

Had some mild excitement this morning.   Stowed everything.   Went through the normal full walk-around with checklist.   All OK.   Put truck into gear.   Would not move!   Hmmm.  Walked around trailer and made sure nothing was under it or in front of the wheels.   Nothing.   Put truck back into gear and applied more gas.   Trailer slid 3 inches in the gravel.  Wheels would not turn.   Looked down at electronic brake control.   It was on but I was not pressing the brake.   Bad stuff!  Why?   Linda said, "Maybe something is unplugged..."   Double-checked electric pigtail.   Fully engaged and locked in.   Rats and &^^^$@!    Her comment made me think, though.   Breakaway cable!   Laid on my back and looked at the rear end of the breakaway cable that initiates the electric trailer brakes in case it breaks away from the truck.    It was pulled out!    How?   Dunno.   Maybe I did it when I removed the safety chains the night before.    Plugged the little gizmo back in and everything was "Happy, Happy".   Good for the blood pressure and prayer life....

Left the Missouri behind today, as we left the plains behind yesterday.     Will miss the big old river!   It was the "highway" for the Corps of Expedition for 2/3 of their trip.  Today, there is almost zero commercial use of the Missouri river and very little recreational use in the lower regions.    It is too treacherous for most recreational boaters and railroads replaced the old steamboats for hauling bulk cargo well over 150 years ago.    The Ohio and Mississippi have a lot of barge traffic but the Missouri just isn't suited for it.

The Interstate highways have changed driving East of Mississippi.   Much more traffic, but the roadways are usually smoother in the East.   The West uses a lot of concrete (probably for durability).   Seams in the concrete create slight bumps and vertical oscillations for heavier vehicles like us.    Of course, the foliage is now right by the road, not 50 miles away on a hillside or mountainside.

Spending the night in Nashville.    There are some incredible RV setups in this RV Park!   About 15 sites have major size truck/tractors pulling 5th wheels.   Kenworth/Peterbilt/Freightliner.     2 of them mounted SmartCars behind the cab on the tractor and one has a large ATV.    These things have to cost over 10 times what we have in our little setup!

 Nashville is uniquely American.    Country music is one of the few kinds of music that truly has a home in one city.     I've always liked most country music and appreciate that the stars feel they owe much to their fans.

Linda Adds:  As we are on our last leg home, I am thinking about those brave men, woman and dog that made the long trip west by boat, horse and foot.  A short list of their names and life can be found at this web site:  http://www.elizabethboro.com/html/LC_roster_list.htm.  Capt. Lewis also kept track of the participants in his recommendations for compensation.  Most received land.  Sacajawea and York were not recommended for compensation as she was not hired as an interpreter...her husband was, and York was a slave.  Capt. Lewis did not care for her husband and recommended no additional payment.  Capt. Clark cared a great deal for Jean Baptiste Charbonneau or Pompy, the baby, and adopted him.  He went on to live in Europe for six years before returning to the west.

Off tomorrow to reconnect with grandchildren and then home to Fletcher.  Like the Corp of Discovery, the trip East is quicker than the one West.

Day 25

Saturday, October 4

Following the Missouri River back to the Southeast.    Did a little over 400 miles again today.   Seems to be what we can manage comfortably and safely.

We're now in Columbia, Missouri.   We crossed all of Iowa heading south and then about half of Missouri.   The compass card swung from south to east in Missouri.

Wind was still at our backs all day and is still strong, cold, and out of the Northwest.   But, Missouri is somewhat warmer than South Dakota.   Again, the tailwind helped.

Lewis, Clark, and all the Corps also traveled much more quickly downstream in the Missouri than they had going up.    They had a pirogue which they'd successfully cached and a number of canoes.   Game was plentiful.    Once they passed the Mandan villages, they began to encounter traders and trappers heading upriver.    They learned that the Corps of Discovery was believed to be dead...lost in the wilderness.   They had been gone from St. Louis for almost 2 1/2 years!     The Commanders traded with the trappers for whiskey, so the men could celebrate being alive.

Volleys were fired in celebration as they approached the first small villages.   The first item on most of their lists was clothing.   By now, they were all in poorly tanned leather.    Lewis put together a quick summary report that was dispatched to Washington, D.C.    He and Clark traveled East fairly soon, while almost all the NCOs and soldiers remained in the St. Louis area for a while.   The success of the Expedition was huge news throughout the young nation.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Linda Adds:  We retraced our earlier path through Sioux City and paid our respects in passing to Sgt. Floyd, who was the only man to die on the trip west, of suspected appendicitis.
                             
  As we traveled, I feel amazed at the changes these men made in the development of our country.  We have traveled through 13 states...North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.  Of these, geographically, 10 fall in the upper half in size while 5 fall in the lower half for population.  Oregon is 10th in size and last in population.  Kentucky, my home state is the smallest in size and 26th in population.  We are a proud country with flags flying everywhere, from homes to businesses.

 The flag carried by Lewis and Clark

Note there are 15 states with each represented by a star and a stripe.  It wasn't until April, 1818 that Congress passed a resolution to change the flag to what it has become today...a star for each state and a stripe for each of the original 13 colonies.

I have been reminded of the words from "America the Beautiful"..

America the Beautiful

Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward

O beautiful for spacious skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 
For purple mountain majesties 
Above the fruited plain! 
America! America! 
God shed his grace on thee 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea! 

Day 24

Friday, October 3

Traveled across South Dakota on I90 today.    Not a lot to report.  Traveled a little over 400 miles.

The jet stream has dipped down into central USA so there was a great amount of cold wind from the NW in the Dakotas.   Steady over 30 mph with gusts over 45 mph.   It was generally behind us while driving but pushed the trailer around a lot, especially when tractor-trailers passed.    Not fun.

There was light snow and sleet in Sioux Falls, SD.

Spending night in North Sioux City, SD, on the Iowa border.    Iowa and Missouri tomorrow.   May freeze tonight.


Linda Adds:  South Dakota pushes tourism in a big way with museums of some sort at every exit.  Popular themes:  Western movement, dinosaurs, antique cars.

One interesting billboard with a story behind it is Wall Drugs in, of course, Wall County.

___________________________________________________________________________
Ala Burma Shave signage, it is an interesting story of salesmanship.  For their story read the history at this web site:  https://www.walldrug.com/t-history.aspx

I am reading an biography about Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose family finally settled after many moves in the South  Dakota town of De Smet, where Pa, Ma, and Mary lived out their lives, and where Laura met Almonzo.  Of course, there is an appropriate museum there.

The wind was strong today...and cold, making it difficult for even the birds.  I did see a lovely owl perched on a fence post and a coyote.

Day 23

Thursday, October 2

Woke to a beautiful morning.   Cold, crisp, clear, windy. Very nice change!

Drove out to Mount Rushmore.    The Black Hills are beautiful.

Thankfully, the US Park Service has a fairly large area of land around the Memorial so the approach is fittingly serene and beautiful.    Dogs are not allowed inside the pedestrian gates so I remained with Stella while Linda entered, visited the museum, and took photos.  I'd been inside a number of years ago.

Link to Mount Rushmore wiki page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore

Did you know the original 4 figures on the mountain were planned to be Lewis, Clark, Chief Red Cloud, and Buffalo Bill?     Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, changed the subjects to get more support.

Those who love old movies will remember the chase across the faces in Hitchcock's North by Northwest.      Completely fabricated and was not filmed at the Memorial.   But...memorable.

While leaving, we headed north toward the Crazy Horse Memorial and took this photo of George Washington in profile.

As all know, the Crazy Horse Memorial is a work in progress and is totally private....no government involvement.    It is 3 things:  a huge monument to a man and tribal people, a museum of North American tribal culture, and a school.  

Look closely and you'll see the horse's head painted on the rock in the lower right.   Ears sticking up, head tilted very far forward past vertical.    It will require many more years of work to complete.

The nonprofit has an extensive web site at:

http://crazyhorsememorial.org/frequently-asked-questions/

We headed back to Rapid City for a 2d night and will make tracks east tomorrow.   Is good that we did our sightseeing in the morning because a distinct cold front has arrived with cold, wind, and rain.  Looks like it will be with us most of the way home.    Should be a tailwind, a blessing!

Linda Adds:  It was a lovely morning visiting two sights I have always wanted to see.  Mount Rushmore was all I expected, very beautiful, with a nice museum area.  Visiting children, especially the little boys, very quite taken with the explosion simulator which allowed them to hit the "plunger" and on the screen, old footage of demolition coincided with a nice boom!

The Crazy Horse monument is a project under construction.  The original sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, had worked on Mount Rushmore with it's sculptor, Gutzon Borglum.  He worked alone for several years and then was assisted by his ten children, seven of which still run the private foundation and everything from the site and continued sculpting to the gift shop.  The museum of indian materials is quite interesting and also worth the visit.

The afternoon weather blew in with a vengance, making both Stan and I very happy to be in our little camper.  Watched an interesting program put on the South Dakota tourism.  Did you know that Rapid City is home to a lovely replica of Independence Hall complete with Liberty Bell out front?  It was closed when we went by but houses a replica of the signers of the Constitution with information about each of these men.  Downtown, interspersed on several business streets are life size statues of all U.S. Presidents to date.

Martin Van Buren, 8th President

Day 22

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

OK, a new month!    The huge front that is effecting the weather in most of the USA was still with us all day.   Rain and low clouds.

We left Cody, WY, and pressed on across the high prairie on US 14 toward the Big Horn Mountains.  They are one of my favorite ranges in the world.  

The clouds were very low as we approached the mountains.   We knew we'd be climbing in the clouds.   But...the road was open and we were meeting a few cars coming down.

So, we started slowly climbing.   The truck was in a lower gear and we climbed at between 20 and 30 mph.    A superbike type motorcycle passed us about halfway up.

The steep gorges and sheer rock faces were unusually stark and beautiful, even in the reduced visibility.  We were in the clouds.    It began to snow lightly but the air temperature was still in the 40s and the snow was not sticking to the road.   We stopped a couple of times to check for ice on the road.   None so far.

Climbed some more and then met the superbike headed downhill!   He'd had enough.   We pressed on up, foolishly perhaps.  

Then, we met a most unusual sight on a rare flat area.   A man with a large unicycle with 2 huge saddlebags was peddling along toward us.   We were too stunned to take a photo.   It seems almost impossible that he could get down the mountain on a unicycle....I don't think they have brakes.

As we approached the top, everything except the road was covered in snow.   We were well above 8000 feet.

Finally made Granite Pass after about 2 hours of climbing at slow speed.   Slightly over 9000 feet.   The trailer had about 1/16 inch of ice on it.

The fools pressed on.    Oddly, the terrain is somewhat level for a while after the pass and we began to see a few hunters with typical Wyoming rifle setups.   Am not sure what game is in season...
We also saw some nice mule deer.

Descended the steep winding road after the plateau in 2d gear and kept speed low.    Flashing sign said 14 trucks have crashed on this road so far this year.   Stopped and took photo of Wyoming stretching to the east once we were below the clouds.  You can vaguely see the hogback ridges.   Lots of ranches below.

Decided to take a few photos of the crew...Navigator and Chief of Security.

Finally, the mechanical part of the team...

As we reached the ranches at the bottom, we observed 4 real cowboys working a herd of Angus.   Only one had a cowboy hat, the rest had wool caps pulled low over ballcaps!

Drove US 14 over to Interstate 90, traveled east and then decided to visit Devils Tower, north from I90.      A really nice area of NE Wyoming.   Nice ranches in ridged, partially wooded terrain.    The tower is impressive.

We looked for, but saw no flying saucers or aliens.

If you look closely at the photos above, you can see a group of climbers.   Double-click photo below for best view.

How did we get this photo?   Well,  I had an old rope in the back of the truck and quickly free-climbed to the top and rappelled down.   I then swung out and got a decent shot....     OK, OK, I used a 30x lens from the ground.

Is interesting to note the camera rig they have on the platform out from the face.   There was a large camera crew in a field about a half mile from the tower so I assume they are working together to make some sort of documentary.

On the way out of the park, we collected a photo of another denizen of the prairie.  Their holes were everywhere in a flat area.   Hundreds.

And, yet another...

Spending the night in a Rapid City, South Dakota.    To say Dakota like a local, you must emphasize the 2d syllable and say it slowly.....    duh Kohhh ta    

Linda adds:  I must admit, if I were to consider leaving North Carolina that Wyoming would be a contender.  The Big Horn Mountains are gorgeous.  ....Stan is standing behind me as I write reminding me of our conversation as we climbed through these mountains and later at Devil's Tower that this would be a good format for Dan Brown's next novel with secretive messages left by ancient cultures in the caves and crevices with a dramatic conclusion on the top of the tower.

For those of you wondering, we are no longer following Lewis and Clark but are spending the return trip enjoying the scenery and whatever comes our way...in particular all the wonderful animals.  We have seen huge numbers of mule deer with their long ears, some on the road in front of us, ..elk, pronghorns, a grey wolf, also on the road  (see yesterday), buffalo, and today hundreds of prairie dogs, some of these causing cars to move at a snail's pace.  If you add to this the many cattle and horses, sheep and goats, birds and ducks...and a bald eagle...it has been pretty amazing.

JUST FER FUN....DAN BROWN NOVEL SYNOPSIS.

Harvard professor of Symbology is on vacation and is amazed to recognize Native American symbols on the rock faces of Devil's Tower.    Appropriate symbols for the cardinal directions are faintly visible on all four sides when viewed at dawn.   He meets a beautiful brunette geologist from Cheyenne, Wyoming.  

They are beginning to unravel some more of the mystery when she is abducted by oil company agents.   It turns out that she is also a Shoshoni princess and her father was a very respected shaman who disappered when she was a child.    Our professor, who looks somewhat like Tom Hanks in tweed, then learns that a silenced black helicopter flies once a month from Omaha and lands on top the tower.   He figures that only a billionaire could afford this.  

He meets a burned out Native American artist who has a theory that the Devil's Tower is not natural but was built secretly in the 1890s by crooked railroad executives using labor they obtained from a Chinese tong and strange powers they stole from the victors of Little Big Horn.       The truth comes out as our professor bravely faces his fears of heights and elevators, decyphers the symbols, and confronts the billionaire on top the tower.

No drinking involved in above synopsis.   But it is late and fatigue creates goofy ideas....