Big, Bad and Beautiful

During our trip we’ve found that capitol tours are worthwhile; they provide a concise but meaty lesson about a state‘s history and culture. Helena, Montana’s capitol, was no exception. We learned (among other things): Montana’s name comes from the Spanish word for mountain; mining and railroads were key factors in bringing settlers here in the late 1800‘s; the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress (Jeannette Rankin, 1916) was from this state; gambling is legal here (lots of Mom-and-Pop Keno parlors, no Las Vegas Strip); the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through many places in Montana. The Lewis and Clark connection is a common claim to fame for many towns here, with statues, roadside markers and museums dotting the state to commemorate the famous duo. 


Our next stop was Missoula, prosperous, pretty and on the banks of the Clark Fork River. The University of Montana is on the edge of town; a college presence tends to make a town lively. We walked through the historic downtown area, which includes a handsome courthouse, late 1800’s railroad depot, and a small but cool contemporary art museum. Missoula is also a training center for the U.S. Forest Service Smokejumpers, brave and hardworking firefighters who parachute into an area to combat or contain wildfires. We toured the Visitor Center and learned how grueling this work can be.

Whitefish, Montana, with plenty of sophisticated shops and restaurants, also boasts access to many outdoor activities. There's a Frank Lloyd Wright office building in town, designed by Wright but built after his death, an unexpected surprise for a Wright fan like me. We also enjoyed getting together with a friend’s nephew for some drinks and a hike the next day.

 

 The crown jewel of Montana is Glacier National Park, which is huge (about a million acres), with an amazing variety of scenery and elevation. There are two magnificent lakes (each about 10 miles long) plus waterfalls, rivers, and plenty of snow (even in June) at the higher elevations. The eponymous glaciers are scattered amidst the alpine peaks, making the area looks like the movie set for the Sound of Music. Glaciers here are endangered; it’s predicted that all the glaciers in this park will be gone in 10-20 years due to climate change. We’re now among the fortunate ones who’ll remember them.

Glacier Park is also known for bears. One day we noticed a bunch of cars parked haphazardly on the side of the road, a sure sign that some wildlife has been spotted. Everyone plays monkey see-monkey do, stopping to see what‘s there. We saw a lone bear cub nibbling on some grass in the distant woods. That was OK, but not fully satisfying as a bear sighting. So, we got up at 6:00AM the next morning to search for bigger bear. Driving slowly along a remote road, our strategy was - Bob had his eyes peeled on the left side of the road, and I had my eyes glued on the right side, each of us peering into the woods (and often mistaking a stump for a possible bear). For quite a while we saw nothing, until all of a sudden Bob said “Patty, look straight ahead!” A large black bear was ambling down the middle of the road, just where we had NOT been looking. The bear was in no hurry, so we had time to snap photos. The bear then slowly walked along the edge of the road behind us; Bob backed up the car to keep parallel with the bear, who finally got tired of our gawking, and wandered into the woods. Needless to say, we were excited about our “find“.

Leaving Glacier National Park, we traveled southeast through Montana. The landscape surprised me (I guess I was expecting woodland). The terrain is mostly open, green and treeless, like a vast sea of grass. We stopped in Great Falls (which has - no surprise - several waterfalls and the requisite Lewis and Clark Center).

Our next stop was the site of Custer’s Last Stand, now renamed the Little Bighorn Battlefield to be more politically correct. Initially, I wasn’t especially interested in the battle. However, the Ranger who gave the presentation about the conflict was dynamic and brought the scene to life. He set the stage with historical context, including (for instance) the fact that the US Army in 1876 was 50% immigrants from Ireland and Germany, reflecting the thousands of people arriving on our shores (and looking for employment), which in turn reflected the economic hardships in Ireland and Germany. What an interdependent world, even then. The Ranger described the battle from both the Native American and US government perspectives. It was easy to picture the battle raging in the open, rolling fields in front of us.

On Tuesday we crossed into North Dakota, reportedly the least visited state in the union. Bob joked that there’d be people at the border jumping and cheering to welcome us. Like Montana, North Dakota has vast stretches of open green terrain. A Park Ranger told us that only 1.1% of the state is covered by trees.

 

 Our primary destination is North Dakota was the relatively uncrowded Teddy Roosevelt National Park. Serene and quiet, it’s part of the Badlands, land considered “bad” because its craggy terrain isn’t easy to traverse. The park has its “good“ features though - arty landscapes with quilt-like patterns of multi-colored rock, the meandering Little Mo (Little Missouri River), wild horses, prairie dog towns, and packs of bison wandering through our campground. Teddy Roosevelt (whose beautiful presidential home on Long Island was near our former home), was ahead of his time in working to set aside large parcels of land in its pristine, original condition.

 As I write this, we’ve just visited another capitol, Bismarck, North Dakota. One guide book called the capitol an Art Deco landmark, another said it looked like a “Stalinist dental school.” Obviously everybody has an opinion. The exterior and lobby reminded me of the quintessential Deco buildings at Rockefeller Center, a positive reaction on my part. The 19-story building, which can be seen for miles, feels like an anomaly in the middle of the prairie. Unlike most capitols, the building has no dome, so North Dakota gets points for originality.

Stats: 9 months, 18,000 miles and 29 states so far.
Enjoy the Fourth of July weekend!
 
Love from us both, Patty