Geology, Climatology and History
As usualthe photo upload is not as I had planned but.....Hoover got to swim at the headwaters of the Missouri.
The wheat fields of Big Sky country as we cross MT.
The Dry Falls from the Ice Age floods.We have now survived just over a week on the road and have had a wonderful round of geology lessons complete with geographic examples. It was good to get into the Yakima Valley of WA just as the pears and apples were being harvested. At the Bella Terra Organic Farms they actually went out into the orchard to pick a doz. Pears for us. So we loaded up on fresh fruit and headed for Electric City and Steamboat Rock SP, WA for an adventure at the Grand Coulee Dam and some swim time for Hoover. It was fascinating to see all we had read about ice age floods laid out before us in the landscape of the region. The Visitors Center at the Dam was quite the education on the use of the dam and the use and reuse of the water as it runs through the lands of the Columbia Basin Project. I am not a big Dam fan but this was enlightening. It seems to have been a good use of “Bail Out” money during the depression and then post war completion. I will stay non political at this point but do suggest a visit to the link for some interesting information. http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?proj_Name=Columbia+Basin+Project
and check out the Other Highlights at the bottom of this page.
The Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area was interesting. While searching for entertainment in Spokane we were always referred into Coeur d’Alene and there only found signs that the Californians had come and were busy removing money from the pockets or well-heeled tourists. The landscape is beautiful and it was well worth a drive around the lake to the south end to see how the real folk and Native Cultures live.
On to Glacier NP where the glaciers are rapidly melting and the kids and Europeans were enjoying their last weekend of vacation. (Poor timing on our part.) The scenery is really beautiful and I can only imagine (with help of the old time pictures in the visitors center) how spectacular it was a half century ago. The Prince of Whales Hotel in Waterton Park, Alberta is a marvel, and a testament to the elegance of the turn of the century resort hotel done Canadian (with much British influence) style. Flathead Lake and the area south of Kalispell is also a reminder of how fine Mother Nature’s handiwork can be, and a reminder too that northern CA didn’t get all the good stuff.
Now we have made it to Yellowstone after traveling yesterday and part of today through BIG SKY country. We ended up dry camping last night outside of Three Forks, MT so that we could visit the Headwaters of the Missouri SP this morning. (We had assured Hoover he would get his almost daily swim.) Our choice of dry lots turned out to be most fortunate as after we filled with fuel we discovered that we were at the Wheat Montana Bakery. http://www.wheatmontana.com/history.php As you may imagine the smell was overpowering and the meal I had planned went by the wayside as we were drawn, by the nose, into the adjoining deli. The only drawback to the whole experience was the fact that they bake all night (You should see the huge sticky buns.) with a gigantic high powered exhaust fan running. The white noise of the fan drowned out the highway noise but the all consuming smell of fresh baked goods was hard to sleep through. We were on the road early so as not to partake!
The Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area was interesting. While searching for entertainment in Spokane we were always referred into Coeur d’Alene and there only found signs that the Californians had come and were busy removing money from the pockets or well-heeled tourists. The landscape is beautiful and it was well worth a drive around the lake to the south end to see how the real folk and Native Cultures live.
On to Glacier NP where the glaciers are rapidly melting and the kids and Europeans were enjoying their last weekend of vacation. (Poor timing on our part.) The scenery is really beautiful and I can only imagine (with help of the old time pictures in the visitors center) how spectacular it was a half century ago. The Prince of Whales Hotel in Waterton Park, Alberta is a marvel, and a testament to the elegance of the turn of the century resort hotel done Canadian (with much British influence) style. Flathead Lake and the area south of Kalispell is also a reminder of how fine Mother Nature’s handiwork can be, and a reminder too that northern CA didn’t get all the good stuff.
Now we have made it to Yellowstone after traveling yesterday and part of today through BIG SKY country. We ended up dry camping last night outside of Three Forks, MT so that we could visit the Headwaters of the Missouri SP this morning. (We had assured Hoover he would get his almost daily swim.) Our choice of dry lots turned out to be most fortunate as after we filled with fuel we discovered that we were at the Wheat Montana Bakery. http://www.wheatmontana.com/history.php As you may imagine the smell was overpowering and the meal I had planned went by the wayside as we were drawn, by the nose, into the adjoining deli. The only drawback to the whole experience was the fact that they bake all night (You should see the huge sticky buns.) with a gigantic high powered exhaust fan running. The white noise of the fan drowned out the highway noise but the all consuming smell of fresh baked goods was hard to sleep through. We were on the road early so as not to partake!
posted by Weins on the Road @ 6:27 PM
2 Comments:
oh! sleeping next to the exhaust fan of a fantastic bakery must have produced some fabulous dreams... big boule mountains, challah highlands and sticky bun reservoirs! you are brave, indeed to leave without buying the place out. haha
The exhaust fan of the bakery does sound nice, but the geological samples sound even more amazing. Plus, being able to see the Montana wheat fields and pears and apples of Yakima all in one trip must have been a stunning experience. Thanks for sharing news of your travels!
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