After saying goodbye to our Missouri Breaks group, we drove to Bonner, Montana for a rest. Palmer brought out her fly fishing supplies before we walked down to the Blackfoot River.Palmer gave me instructions and I tried to learn the moves necessary to get the line out into the river. Sadly, we caught no fish but had a good time trying. Pat decided to chill out in the river! To complete my Lewis and Clark journey, I made my way to Three Forks. This town sits at the junction of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers to create the Missouri River. Sakakawea is featured here in front of the Sakakawea Hotel. She was critical to the success of the Corps of Discovery. She served as a resource and interpreter. She received no payment for her services. She was a HERO! The Headwaters Heritage Museum was a surprise! Here are Whiskey Bottles filled with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. They were created for the Lewis and Clark Esploration Commemorative Series. The designs on the labels by CM Russell. I made my way to the Missouri River Headwaters State Park. I hiked to all of the areas to view the confluence of the rivers. It was a treat to arrive at the Headwaters of the Missouri.Leaving Montana, I stopped at Ayres Natural Bridge Park. I wandered into a biker lunch. Feeling out of place in my van, I left ! Scott’s Bluff in Nebraska was a landmark for those moving west. The bluff was a familiar sight for the Native Americans, fur traders and emigrants moving along what would be knowns as the Oregon and California trails. i hiked to the top but the view was obscured by the smoke from the wildfires in Idaho. The depiction of the wagon train and the bluff helps in a small way describe what these people experienced moving west.The smoke obscured the view of Chimney Rock until I was right up to it. This sandstone structure has only survived natural erosion because of the sandstone layers near the top.I stopped briefly in Kellogg, Iowa to enjoy a hike through a nature preserve and then headed to Chicago. I unloaded the van and made it to Andy and Molly’s house. Declan and I washed the van and the next morning I drove to Indiana to store it for the winter. It was sad to leave Meander but I have Nana responsibilities to attend to. The red pushpins represent all the places I visited in Meander this year.
