Tuesday, June 20, 2006: Lewis and Clark seek the Great Falls. On June 3rd, 1805, the L&C expedition came to the confluence of two large rivers. Which river was the Missouri? The Indians had not told them about these two large rivers. However, Captain Lewis knew from the Hidatsas Indians, that the Missouri had a Great Falls as it came out of the mountains.
Everybody in the party believed that the north fork was the Missouri River. Everybody but Captains Lewis and Clark who both agreed that the south fork was the way to go. The Captains proved to be right!
From the Lewis journal, June 13, 1805:“I overlooked a most beatifull and level plain of great extent or at least 50 or sixty miles; in this there were infinitely more buffaloe than I had ever witnessed at a view. [Lewis headed toward the river.] I had proceded on this course about two miles...whin my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water and advancing a little further I saw the spray arrise above the plain like a collumn of smoke...[It] soon began to make a roaring too tremendious to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri.”
5AM - The Team seeks the Great Falls too. Everybody on The Team feels that only by going to the first of the great falls, that we may experience something of what Meriwether Lewis felt. So, we headed out for the Great Falls.
5:30AM - Early sunrise. As we traveled toward the Moroney Dam, we saw the sun making an early appearance. It seemed that even the Sun was excited by today's adventure, and wanted to have a look-see.
5:45AM - Zillion acres of wheat. MsTioga came to the Maroney Dam road, and turned west toward the Missouri River. We were soon surrounded by glorious fields of green wheat. As far as we were able to see, only wheat could be seen.
Nobody on The Team is able to understand how all of the bread for the World could come from the tiny kernels of wheat. Yes, there are a zillion acres of wheat, but the kernels are soooooo small! We picked a stalk of wheat to carry with us.
Endless wheat.
6AM - Morony Dam. The Hidatsas Indians had told about the Great Falls, so Lewis was expecting to find a waterfall. The Indians did not mention a word about more than one waterfall. And there turned out to be five! Ryan Dam actually sits just above the Great Falls that Captain Lewis observed. We are moving our Day Camp up to Ryan Dam.
Morony Dam.
11AM - Great Falls Camp. The Team is now Camped below Ryan Dam. The Great Falls are visible directly out our computer workstation window. It is big!
Great Falls and Ryan Dam.
2PM - Ryan’s Island. Little Mavicito and George took a walk over to Ryan's Island. This is a lovely place with a large park. It is an island in the middle of the Missouri River and dedicated to John D. Ryan the president and founder of the Montana Power Company.
There is a small suspension bridge which swings in the wind as we walked across to the island. A comforting sign greeted as we stepped onto the island.
Little Mavicito, thru his magical connections to the mystical world of picture taking, is able to publish two impossible pics below. One is a pic of the Great Falls before the construction of the Ryan Dam. And the other is a pic of Meriwether Lewis viewing the Great Falls for the first time on June 13, 1805.
And finally, here is a pic of the Great Falls, mighty Ryan Dam and powerhouse from the middle of the Missouri River.
7PM - Nite Camped on industrial property. We have made a Nite Camp on a service road near an industrial company named, Bench Industries. The company is closed for the day. All around MsTioga are green fields. The sound of crickets is in the air.
To share the vagabonding life with our fellow RVers like yourself. We hope that you will try to boondock and dry camp.
We have found great joy in camping away from the RV Campground. We would like you to try our camping life style yourself.
Sharing with you our Daily Adventure is our way of encouraging you to try to camp as we do.
