Western Trails 2
Fo!owing Lew" & Clark and Beyond
Journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip to the western United States from September 23October 12, 2013. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, copyright 2013.
Western Trails 2 Fo!owing Lew" & Clark and Beyond September 23 – October 12, 2013
A continuation of our trip west, following Lewis and Clark and returning following other famous trails east, touching parts of the Santa Fe, California, Oregon, Mormon, and Nez Perce Trails as we made our way home.
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Friday, October 4
% Salem, OR
After breakfast, we drove north over the Astoria-Megler Bridge and continued along the Long Beach Peninsula, where we noticed oyster beds in the shallow water. Arrived at Cape Disappointment State Park at 9:00, precisely one hour before the Discovery Center opened. Since we had the time, I persuaded Jake to take the trail through the forest to see the 1856 lighthouse, the oldest on the West Coast. The steep and narrow path, slippery from recent rains, was literally uphill both ways, taking us through a forest of towering Sitka spruce and
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lush mosses and ferns. Halfway along the trail, Jake looked up at the path above him and decided to meet me at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. I continued to the lighthouse and was rewarded by a beautiful view of the Cape, with the Discovery Center on the bluff opposite and the Pacific Ocean beyond. I retraced the path to a cutoff to the Center and met Jake; we went through an excellent overview of the Corps of Discovery’s journey, particularly their experiences along the Columbia River and their overland expedition to the Pacific.
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The Oldest Working Lighthouse ( ) West Coast 7
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“Oci* + View! O! , Joy!”
- Wi!iam Clark, November 7, 1805
Returned to Astoria in time to line up at the Bowpicker for perfect fish and chips. No wonder this vintage boat, now docked in a gravel lot, is the number one rated restaurant in Astoria. There are only two choices on the menu: whole or half order. Canned drinks are offered in coolers under a nearby tree, reminiscent of a backyard cookout. The few tilted picnic tables could not accommodate the crowd that had assembled before noon; most customers just stood in the parking lot and indulged. We shared a table with a foursome who had motored in from Nevada.
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Drove up steep 16th Street to the 1926 Astoria Column at the summit of Coxcomb Hill for a panoramic view of the Pacific, the Columbia, and the Lewis and Clark Rivers below the coastal mountains. We were fortunate indeed to have such perfect weather. 13
A half hour from town brought us to Fort Clatsop, a replica of the winter encampment of the Corps of Discovery from December 1805 to March 1806. As it is a National Park, we were not surprised to find a barrier across the road, indicating that the park was closed. No one was around, and we decided to have our own private visit. We left the car and walked around the barrier; when I spotted a log structure hiding in the trees, we climbed over a split rail fence and crept like Indians through underbrush and fallen logs to the fort. I could imagine that the men had just gone down to the water to fish and would be back at any moment. 14
At 1 P.M. left Fort Clatsop ( our homeward bound journey. At . place we had wintered and remained 0om ) 1 2 Decr. 1805 % . day and have lived 3 we! 3 we had any right % expect ... Meriwether Lewis, March 23, 1806
Back on the road, we followed US 101 south along the Oregon Coast. We passed Seaside, where L&C established a salt cairn, and stopped at Ecola State Park, where we walked down to the beach and took photos of Haystack Rock, the most photographed site in Oregon. Turned southeast onto OR 22 and followed it to Salem, arriving just in time to catch the sun on the Capitol dome but a minute too late to go inside. After finding a room at the Hampton Inn, returned to town for seafood and beer at a high boy at Jonathan’s Oyster Bar. 16
Oregon State Capitol Eugene
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Saturday, October 5 to Ontario, OR
Departed at 8:30 under a brilliant sun that quickly turned to a dense fog as we headed south on I-5. Fortunately it burned off by the time we reached Sweet Home on US 20, the highway we followed for the remainder of the day. The road wound through the Cascades with fall colors ablaze and over Tombstone (4,240 ft.) and Santiam (4,817 ft.) passes. Saw evidence of forest fires in several areas. Stopped for a view of snow covered Mt. Washington (7,794 ft.) Noticed signs for “ELK” and “DEER” before we entered Sisters, an attractive tourist town that obviously caters to the affluent: shops selling alpaca coats and antique maps and prints, and Sotheby-listed real estate.
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Bypassed Bend and continued on US 20 to Burns, crossing high desert plains; an area of barren rolling hills, low vegetation, and dramatic rock formations. We worked to take photos but found it was really difficult to find a place to stop at the same time that there was a view that worked photographically.
As we neared Ontario, in the “Treasure Valley,� passed fields of potatoes, onions, and sugar beets. Saw a sign that one billion pounds of onions are shipped from the area each year. As we passed the fields of crops, I realized how much I enjoy driving though agricultural areas; I get a great deal of pleasure identifying the crops in the field. Like a bar trick, I think it is a neat talent to recognize your crops. After this trip, I will always know the difference between a field of corn and a field of sorghum. 23
Decided to stay in Ontario, “Where Oregon Begins.” Drove by an 1870 Victorian bed and breakfast; found it the only multi-story house on a street of very modest homes. Decided to play it safe by choosing the new Holiday Inn Express, right off I-84, and experience the local culture by going to dinner at Mackey’s Steak House and Pub. Local color, indeed. We sat in the lower level where the bar and the pool table were located and enjoyed our steaks and Idaho potatoes while watching liaisons developing at the bar. A sign on the wall reminded, “Friends are family one finds along the way.”
Sunday, October 6
% Price, UT
Had to scrape ice off the windshield; the morning was crisp and clear. Took I-84 to Boise; the last 35 miles into town were on an eight-lane highway that we practically had to ourselves. Visited the Idaho State Capitol, a beautifully classic building that was completed in 1920. I loved the fact that the lower part of the exterior is carved to resemble the logs used by the pioneers to build their homes. The marble interior is stark white. It was a little eerie that there was no one in sight. I hope that there was some kind of security somewhere.
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Idaho State Capitol Boise
Back on the Interstate toward Salt Lake City, passed through the “Magic Valley” area around Twin Falls, one of the nation’s more abundant crop-producing regions. Saw trucks hauling onions and trucks loading potatoes, and onions and potatoes piled in the fields. After gassing up in Burley, drove past a huge, illuminated sign exhorting, “Get the US out of the UN: Don’t Tread on Me.” I don’t know how many times we crossed the Snake River, but we saw it as a thin trickle and as wide as a lake. The area was wide and flat and had a barren, lunar look. Signs along the road warned, “Frequent
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High Winds,” “Blinding Dust Storms,” and “Severe Storm Area.” Although the day was bright and sunny, I could imagine what it would be like in bad weather. Entering Utah, the speed limit increased to 80. Headed over Rattlesnake Pass and my iPhone altimeter registered 5,329 feet. North of Salt Lake City, the Wasatch Mountains became more precipitous and were closer to the road; we saw more trees and vegetation. Visited the Utah State Capitol building, high on a hill overlooking the city. We found an impressive number of visitors, and even a couple of busses.
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Utah State Capitol Salt Lake City
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By 3:00 we were on US 6 for the two-hour drive from Spanish Fort, over Soldier Pass on the Wasatch Plateau, to Price. The curving, heavily trafficked road through narrow canyons made me nervous; I learned later that the road is one of the deadliest stretches of highway in the country. Arrived in Price at about 5:30 and were pleased to find a very nice Holiday Inn. Stopped for a beer and shared part of a soggy pizza at Groggs, a roadside diner a couple of miles out of town, before settling in for the night.
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Monday, October 7
% La Junta, CO
Another beautiful morning as we continued through the Utah mountains. Caught I-70 for 100 miles or so and then exited at the high desert of Grand Junction, Colorado on US 50, heading east, through vast canyons. The excellent four-lane road eventually shrank to two lanes as we curved our way through remote and desolate areas in the Rockies, with no services available for stretches of up to 60 miles. Passed Black Canyon National Park, noting the sign posted on the road that it too was closed, another casualty of the government shutdown. The road ascended and descended as we passed golden aspens contrasting against dark spruce-covered mountains. Encountered significant road construction that resulted in delays of up to half an hour at a time, especially around Monarch Pass (11,312 feet). Fortunately, any snow we saw was on the distant peaks. From Salida, we descended to the canyons and followed a road that
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hugged huge jagged rock formations. It leveled out as we neared Pueblo and followed the Arkansas River sixty miles further until we stopped for the night at a Hampton Inn in La Junta, located at the heart of the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. I read that the great era of the Trail began in 1821, when Mexican independence from Spain opened up new trade opportunities for American and Mexican merchants. Pulled by oxen or mules, commercial freight wagon trains crossed the plains until the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1880. Since we had left Lewis and Clark for a while, we looked for Santa Fe Trail signs to lead us across Colorado and Kansas. On our evening in La Junta, we had steaks and “chicken bottoms” (jalapeno stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon) in a booth at Boss Hogg’s Saloon; plenty of big trucks in the parking lot and plenty of young red-blooded guys in ball caps in the restaurant.
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Tuesday, October 8 The sky was a hazy overcast as we pulled out a little later than usual; after gassing up we resumed our way east on US 50 by 9:00. Passed the huge Winter Live Stock Auction complex just outside of La Junta. Briefly stopped in Las Animas, home of frontiersman Kit Carson and county seat of Bent County. Its impressive Victorian courthouse, dating from 1889 and still in use, towers over surrounding buildings in the town. Turned off to see Boggsville, once a stagecoach station on the Purgatory Branch of the Santa Fe Trail and one of the first white communities on the prairies of southeastern Colorado. However, there was not much left to see other than a couple of information plaques, so we returned to the highway. We had wanted to see Bent’s Fort, a trading post for mountain trappers and Indians on the Santa Fe Trail, but were once again precluded from doing so because of the Federal closings. 36
% Abilene, KS
In Lemar, we paused just long enough for me to jump out and take a photo of a strange little building in the middle of a parking lot. The faded sign above the front window declared that it was made out of petrified wood that is 150,000,000 years old. I learned later that it was built in 1932 by a local lumber dealer. Just west of Granada, saw a sign for Camp Amache, a Japanese American internment camp, that now is an overgrown reminder of a lamentable time in our nation’s history. We passed through a series of small, dilapidated towns, separated by fields of winter wheat and milo (sorghum). Huge irrigation systems lined the fields, some of them impossibly long.
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At 11:00, we crossed into Kansas. Livestock, natural gas pumps, and waving fields of grain showed us a country at work. At Garden City, we saw piles of windmill components at a production facility. It was incredible just how large these things are when seen close up. It is not surprising that the area is interested in wind power, for it is considered the windiest area in the United States. Since US 50 follows the Arkansas River, we continued to trace the Santa Fe Trail. We pulled into Dodge City, famous for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. It was so touristy that we soon moved on. The road turned north and joined US 56 at Kinsley. There is a sign at Kinsley that says that it is exactly 1,561 miles from New York and 1,561 miles from San Francisco. At that point, we had followed US 50 for 623 miles, all the way from Grand Junction, Colorado. 38
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Just past Kinsley, we spotted two old grain elevators standing together next to a railroad crossing. They looked rather amazing and Jake turned around so that I could get out and take some pictures. One, “Gano� faintly painted on the side, was built next to the railroad tracks in 1915. The other stands in lonely anonymity a couple of hundred feet away.
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At Larned, US 56 doubles as Broadway through the town; Jake stopped for me to photograph an interesting neon sign hanging from a partially boarded-up brick hotel. Since Fort Larned is a National Historic Site, it unfortunately was closed, but we did visit the Santa Fe Trail Historical Museum, two miles north of town. Galleries illustrated the influences that the American and European cultures had on each other. At Great Bend, we took KS 156 up to the Interstate for the last 40 miles to Abilene, home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. I had promised Em that we would visit the Presidential Library and check on my father’s papers that she had donated to their collection. We toasted our 34th president with half price draft beers and enjoyed $5 taco dinners at Ike’s Place, a mile down the road from our Holiday Inn.
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Wednesday, October 9
% Lawrence, KS
Drove out to the Eisenhower Library and Museum on the edge of Abilene. Although we were pretty sure that it would be closed, I wanted to be certain for Em’s sake. She had been so in hopes that we would be able to see how my father’s papers had been handled. I stood on the steps of the Library and thought about how preposterous it was to have gotten all the way to Abilene and not be able to do this for her. Still, it was very pleasant to be there in that peaceful setting, absolutely alone. Ike’s simple white clapboard boyhood home stood off to the side, under a big, shady tree. I could see why he always considered Abilene to be a special place.
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Took a series of back roads, through fields of milo, finally picking up US 56 to Council Grove, one of the last stops on the Santa Fe Trail heading west. The town was named after an agreement between European Americans and the Osage Indians allowing settlers’ wagon trains to pass through the area. With a population of only 2,000, the town has 13 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Jake drove me around so that I could take pictures of most of them, including the Hays House, established in 1857 and the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi. Main Street boasts many interesting historic buildings and the residents seem genuinely proud of their town; one man came up and told us that there are only three truly historic towns in the US: Santa Fe, St. Augustine, and Council Grove. I have not tried to verify this, but it is indeed an interesting place. On the way out of town I took a picture of Frank Baum’s Tin Man, standing in a parking lot, complete with oilcan and heart.
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Council Grove, KS 46
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Continued on US 56 until we got on the Kansas Tollway to Topeka to see the Capitol. We have found it extremely interesting to visit the state buildings on this trip; there are similarities among them but each represents its state in a unique way. What we found today was a classically beautiful building with a shining copper dome, completely encased in scaffolding. The grounds were also torn up. It seems that the renovation is no phased-in project: everything is going on at once. It took a while for us to find the temporary entrance, but we were truly impressed with the building. Appealing murals by Topeka artist David H. Overmyer depicted important moments in Kansas’s history, including Lewis and Clark, and on the second floor, the huge John Brown mural, Tragic Prelude, by John Stewart Curry, left a powerful impression.
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Kans3 State Capitol Topeka
Returned to the tollway for the short drive to Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas. As we approached the campus, I was surprised by how hilly it was and pleased by the beautiful architecture of many of the buildings. Jake dropped me off at the Spencer Research Library so that I could look at the Wilkie Collins materials I had located online. He parked quite a way off and walked back to meet me. What I found was a scrapbook from 1935, kept by Professor Clyde K. Hyder of the University, containing nineteen letters and several photographs and clippings. When I opened the book and saw his bookplate, I was moved. It was his two-page article, “Wilkie Collins in America,” published in 1940, that first inspired me to write my book, Wilkie Collins’s American Tour. Fortunately, the librarian, Karen Cook, allowed me to take photos of each page. I am anxious to see if these letters have been published before.
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We arrived at the Eldridge Hotel on Massachusetts Street just at the proper check in time of 4:00. We have a large, comfortable, and quirky suite in this National Register historic hotel. Strolled down several blocks on both sides of the street, noticing how many bars, bookshops, and sports clothing stores vied for customers. After checking out the places that looked most interesting, stopped for a beer at Merchants’, formerly Merchants’ National Bank, newly opened as a gastropub. Moved on to Lawrence’s own Free State Brewing Company where we had another round and something to eat, sitting by the glass partition with a view of the conditioning tanks.
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Thursday, October 10
% B4nvi!e, MO As we departed Lawrence, were startled to find hundreds of colorful bras lining the guardrail of the Kansas River Bridge, apparently to raise awareness of breast cancer. Joined I-70 for the thirty-minute drive to Kansas City, to visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and particularly its renowned collection of Asian Art. Entered through the light and angular new Bloch Wing and explored all the galleries in the original building. Were impressed by the stunning collection of American Indian Art, organized by geographic area, as well as the beautifully appointed Asian galleries. But what we found particularly interesting was the Burnap Collection of British Pottery, containing pieces from the medieval period to the early 19th century. It was an encyclopedia of the varied styles of earthenware and stoneware; we particularly loved the whimsical slipware by master Ralph Toft.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum 2 Art Kans3 City, MO 56
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As we were walking past the museum shop, we noticed a display of traditional 17th century slipware plates by local artist Irma Starr. The woman in the shop explained that the artist makes custom designed plates using traditional techniques. I left my telephone number so that we could get more information about her commissions. In less than five minutes, my cell phone rang with a call from Irma, inviting us to come to her studio to talk about a plate. She told me that she lives only a few miles from the museum, so fifteen minutes later, we were standing in her crowded studio at the back of her house. Irma greeted us, wearing bright blue eye shadow and an apron printed all over with hearts, and introduced us to her husband and assistant, Fernando Bozzoli, who was busy painting a slipware pot. Before we knew it, we were discussing ideas for our own plate. She traced a circle on a large sheet of paper, using a giant compass (the kind used for chalk on a blackboard). After sharing a few ideas, she suggested that we continue to collaborate via Skype. When I Googled her later, I realized that this unassuming lady is a world-renowned potter who has made commissions for the White House and the Smithsonian. 59
We had originally hoped to go to Fort Leavenworth, but did not learn whether it was open until it was too late. Instead we drove into Independence and visited the National Frontier Trails Center, a museum that presented the history of the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails, emphasizing Independence as the “jumping off� point for all three. Covered wagons, diaries, letters, and artifacts told the moving stories of those who followed Lewis and Clark West, seeking the promise of fortune.
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It was a short distance from Independence through rich farmland to Fort Osage, the second U.S. outpost built following the Louisiana Purchase. The site, overlooking the Missouri River, was first observed by William Clark on June 23, 1804, during the Voyage of Discovery, as a promising spot for a fort. Although the site was closed, we were able to see the reconstructed fort in the distance, on the shore of the Missouri. Nearby, we wandered through a small cemetery that began as a military cemetery for the fort; the oldest known graves date from 1810-1820. 62
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As we headed back to the main road, we passed harvested fields and apple orchards; roadside farm stands were open for business every few miles. When we passed an interesting old barn with a rusted tin roof with the words “CocaCola in Bottles” barely visible, I persuaded Jake to turn around so that I could take a picture. It was no easy feat to make a U-turn on that narrow country road, but we carefully managed it. He dropped me off and tried to move the car far enough off the road to avoid being hammered by a rig. I was afraid to walk down the side of the road and instead started making my way through thick underbrush and the residue of a harvested cornfield. The thought of snakes made me step gingerly, but the hope of a good picture kept me moving. After getting what I hoped would be prize-winning shots, I crept back toward the car, thoroughly uncomfortable about where I was walking. Just as I was nearing the car, what should I see but a
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shed snakeskin! If I had seen it going in, there would not have been any barn pictures. It was getting dark and the lowfuel indicator had sounded as we continued on to the town of Marshall. Although we gassed up there, there were no non-smoking rooms available at the single acceptable motel in town. That meant driving 30 miles on to Boonville, where we found a nice room at the Holiday Inn, but no restaurant. Instead we picked up a couple of beers at the Pilot Truck Stop, got carry-out burgers at the adjacent Wendy’s and had a picnic in our room. Very satisfactory, but I keep thinking about that snake.
Friday, October 11
% St. Charles, MO
On the road at 9:00; another cloudless morning. We seem to have caught a wave of perfect weather and ridden it all the way from Astoria. Headed west to Arrow Rock State Historic Site. In 1829 the town was an important trading center but today its population is 56. The Visitor’s Center was not yet open but we saw lots of activity in preparation for the Heritage Crafts Fair tomorrow. I regret that we have not run into any fairs or markets on this entire trip. Decided not to wait around and instead drove to nearby Blackwater, three miles down a winding county road. With 160 residents, it qualifies as the big city in the Boone’s Lick area of the state, so named for the numerous saltwater springs that L&C found there. The town was founded in 1887 near one of the many
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coal and water stops for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and almost became a ghost town after steam engines came into use. However, the residents banded together and in the 1990s, the town was completely renovated from sewers to rooftops. I walked around Main Street and took pictures of the Bucksnort Saloon and the numerous crafts and antiques shops that now occupy the attractive old buildings. Returned to Boonville since we had not had a chance to see it yesterday, but were disappointed that the town had no sense of history; the architectural elements of the old buildings had been covered over by generic storefronts. We did see some gracious homes on the bluff overlooking the river, several with National Register plaques.
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Twenty-three miles along I-70 brought us to Columbia, where we drove through the campus of the University of Missouri. The iconic columns have become the traditional symbol of the University. They are all that remain of Academic Hall when it burned in 1892. 69
We drove south to Jefferson City to see the 1917 Missouri State Capitol. In addition to the beauty of the building itself, the interior is covered with paintings that capture the state’s history and legends. A special room displays A Social History of the State of Missouri, the 1936 murals by Thomas Hart Benton that cover all four walls. I was so engrossed in them that I left my purse on the floor and poor Jake had to drive his nervous wife back to retrieve it after we’d driven ten miles out of town. Once again, I was lucky and found it right where I’d left it. 70
Missouri State Capitol Jeerson City
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US 94 took us to Hermann, an immaculate little town established by German immigrants in 1842, in an area of vineyards and wineries. It would have been nice to pause a while, but we wanted to get to Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis before it closed. A harrowing 70 miles on the Interstate led us to this tranquil, tree-shaded place, founded in 1849, that contains the graves of more than 86,000 St. Louis souls, including William Clark. Having followed the Corps of Discovery all the way across the country for these past weeks, we found the sight of Clark’s resting place very moving. The striking obelisk is encircled by the graves of members of his family, including his son, General Meriwether Lewis Clark. A bust of the explorer gazes out across the Missouri. 73
We also visited the Wainwright mausoleum, designed by Louis Sullivan in 1892 for the young wife of brewery heir Ellis Wainwright. It is considered one of the most beautiful and architecturally significant tombs in the United States.
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Because of the government shutdown, we did not stay longer in St. Louis, as we knew that the Federally-operated Museum of Westward Expansion would be closed. Instead, a short drive brought us to St. Charles, the expedition’s first campsite along the Missouri River during May 1804. The Lewis and Clark Boat House is home to three remarkable replicas of the boats they used, as well as displays about the Missouri River and the Corps’ stay in St. Charles. Jake learned from a guide, who had been involved in taking these boats to Fort Mandan in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark bicentennial, that the river has radically changed since 1804 when it was much wider and shallower. While they were talking, I walked down to the edge of the Missouri, calm at that point, as the shadows were beginning to lengthen. As I looked out across the water, I thought about the extraordinary men who had accompanied us for the past three weeks; I marveled again at what they had been able to accomplish. It seems a coincidence that on this day, when we visited Clark’s grave, in 1809 Meriwether Lewis died in the early hours of the morning along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee.
Saturday, October 12
% Chicago, IL
I thought our record of good weather was going to be broken, but soon after we left the hotel, the sky cleared; by the time we’d returned to the town of St. Charles, it was bright enough to take pictures of Main Street, lined by old buildings and with an absence of cars.
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Crossed the river into Illinois to visit the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site near Hartford. Built for the bicentennial, the facility has displays that explain how the Corps’ winter layover at Camp Dubois gave them time to galvanize as a unit. The center features a full-size keelboat that has been sliced in half to show how provisions were stored, a very interesting view. Outside, a reconstruction of the 1803-4 winter quarters was made even more convincing by a special re-enactment; we were able to talk to the soldiers and other Corps members, dressed for their parts. Nearby, we drove to the spot where the Missouri and the Mississippi converge, stopping to read the stone-mounted plaque commemorating Fort Dubois. An elevator took us up the 150-foot Memorial Tower and gave us a sweeping view, but I found it easier to determine the convergence from the water’s edge.
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I!ino" State Capitol Springfield
We visited our eleventh state building when we drove to Springfield to see the Illinois Capitol, built in the French Renaissance style from 1869 to 1889. Its zinc dome provides a silvery façade that does not weather. We had to undergo as thorough a search as the one in Des Moines; when I commented that we had been able to walk into most of the other capitols we had visited, the security man told us that nine years ago, someone had come into the building and shot and killed the guard. The interior is ornate and the walls are covered with marble of numerous hues. Beneath the dome, a bronze statue of a woman, her arms outstretched, is inscribed, “Illinois Welcoming the World.â€? 83
Where ) journey beg*, May 14, 1804 ... On the way back to Chicago, we listened to Stephen Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage. It was the perfect way to spend the four hours of our drive home, as we heard again the story of the incredible journey that we had just followed ourselves. No, we did not negotiate steep mountains, or portage raging rapids, or survive brutal winters, but we gained a deeper appreciation of the unbelievable achievement of the members of the Corps of Discovery and a profound admiration for the two courageous and capable men who led them.
Itinerary Monday, September 23 Dixon, IL Ronald Reagan Home Clinton, IA Van Allen Building (Louis Sullivan) Mt. Vernon, IA Cornell College campus Cedar Rapids, IA People’s Bank (Louis Sullivan) Iowa City, IA University of Iowa campus Iowa City, IA Hotel Vetro Hotel Dinner Short’s Burger & Shine 306 miles
Friday, September 27 Oneida, SD Breakfast: Fireside Steakhouse Mobridge, SD Sitting Bull and Sakakawea Monuments Bismarck, ND State Capitol Building Washburn, ND Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan Stanton, ND Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Medora, ND Hotel Rough Rider Historic Hotel Dinner Boots Bar & Grill 490 miles
Tuesday, September 24 Grinnell, IA Des Moines, IA Omaha, NE
Saturday, September 28 Medora, ND Watford City, ND Williston area, ND
Omaha, NE Hotel Dinner
Magnolia Hotel M’s Pub
Wednesday, September 25 Lincoln, NE Nebraska City, NE Onawa, IA Sioux City, IA Vermillion, SD Hotel Dinner
Merchants’ National Bank (Louis Sullivan) State Capitol Building: Library Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters Joslyn Art Museum: Bodmer Collection Historic Old Market District
Historic Haymarket District State Capitol Building Quilt Study Center at Univ. of Nebraska Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Visitor Center Lewis & Clark State Park Sergeant Floyd Monument Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
Holiday Inn Express Café Brulé
Thursday, September 26 Vermillion, SD
249 miles
301 miles
University of South Dakota campus Spirit Mound State Park Yankton, SD Gavins Point Dam Scenic Byway 12, NE Outlaw Trail Lynch, NE Lewis & Clark and the “Barking Squirrels” Marker Fort Randall, SD Fort Randall Dam; Cemetery and church ruins Chamberlain, SD St. Joseph’s Indian School: Akta Lakota Museum Lewis & Clark Information Center Pierre, SD South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center State Capitol Building Pierre, SD Hotel Best Western Ramkota Hotel Dinner Cattleman’s Club 338 miles
Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Painted Canyon Breakfast: Little Missouri Grille Bakken Basin Fracking Operations Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site Fort Peck Dam and Interpretive Center
Fort Peck, MT Fort Benton, MT Hotel Grand Union Hotel Dinner Union Grille at the Grand Union Hotel Sunday, September 29 Fort Benton, MT Loma, MT Great Falls, MT
Museum of the Upper Missouri Upper Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center Decision at Maria’s RIver Memorial Decision Point National Historic Trail Interpretive Center Ryan Dam and Lewis & Clark Plaque Historic Downtown Helena
Helena, MT Helena, MT Hotel The Sanders B&B Dinner Blackfoot Brewpub Miller’s Crossing Monday, September 30 Helena, MT
504 miles
186 miles
State Capitol Building Montana Historical Society Museum Missouri Headwaters State Park Ghost Town Ghost Town
Three Forks MT Virginia City, MT Nevada City, MT Dillon, MT Hotel Best Western Paradise Motel Dinner Fiesta Mexicana (in an old school bus) Shopping Patagonia Outlet Store
199 miles 85
Tuesday, October 1 Dillon, MT Camp Fortunate Overlook Lemhi Pass, MT/ID Agency Creek Road descent Salmon, ID Sacajawea Interpretive Center Lost Trail Pass, ID/MT Bitterroot Valley, MT Missoula, MT Hotel Holiday Inn Missoula, Downtown Dinner Brooks and Browns, at the Holiday Inn
Saturday, October 5 US 20, OR Ontario, OR Hotel Dinner 314 miles
Wednesday, October 2 Missoula, MT University of Montana Lolo, MT Traveler’s Rest State Park Lolo Pass, MT/ID Lochsa-Clearwater Canyon, ID Lewiston, ID Lunch: Main Street Grille Walla Walla, WA Historic Downtown Whitman College campus Walla Walla, WA Hotel Best Western Walla Walla Dinner Marc, at the Marcus Whitman Hotel
Monday, October 7 US 50, CO
Thursday, October 3 Walla Walla, WA Whitman Mission National Historic Site US 730, WA/OR Two Sisters, Hat Rock Goldendale, WA Views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood The Dalles, OR Columbia Gorge Discovery Center OR Historic Hy 30 Rowena Crest Overview Bonneville, OR/ WA Bonneville Lock and Dam Cathlemet, WA Ferry across the Columbia River Astoria, OR Historic Downtown Astoria, OR Hotel Hampton Inn Dinner Clemente’s Friday, October 4 Ilwaco, WA Astoria, OR US 101, OR Salem, OR
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Salem, OR Hotel Dinner
La Junta, CO Hotel Dinner
Hampton Inn Boss Hogg’s Saloon
196 miles
Wednesday, October 9 Abilene, KS Council Grove, KS Topeka, KS Lawrence, KS Lawrence, KS Hotel Dinner
501 miles
Monarch Pass (11,312 ft.)
491 miles
Bent County Courthouse Boggsville Historic Site Ripley’s Petrified Building Historic Town “Halfway” Town Sign Santa Fe Trail State Historical Museum
Lemar, CO Dodge City, KS Kinsley, KS Larned, KS Abilene, KS Hotel Holiday Inn Dinner Ike’s Place 362 miles
399 miles
State Capitol Building State Capitol Building
Holiday Inn Express Groggs
Tuesday, October 8 Las Animas, CO
Cape Disappointment State Park Lunch: Bowpicker’s Fish & Chips (old fishing boat) Astoria Column Fort Clatsop National Historic Park and Fort Clatsop Seaside, Ecola State Park, Haystack Rock, State Capitol Building Hampton Inn Jonathan’s Oyster Bar
Holiday Inn Express Mackey’s Steak House and Pub
Sunday, October 6 Boise, IA Salt Lake City, UT Price, UT Hotel Dinner
309 miles
Cascades, Tombstone Pass, Santiam Pass View of Mt. Washington
419 miles
Eisenhower Museum and Library Hays House, Madonna of the Trail, Kaw Mission Last Chance Store State Capitol Building; John Brown Mural University of Kansas campus Spencer Research Library (Wilkie Collins collection)
The Eldridge Merchants’ Resttaurant Free State Brewing Company
151 miles
Thursday, October 10 Kansas City, MO
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Shopping: Irma Starr, Historic Slipware Pottery Independence, MO National Frontier Trails Center Fort Osage Historic Site and Cemetery Boonville, MO Historic Downtown
Boonville, MO Hotel Dinner
Holiday Inn Express In room picnic
Friday, October 11 Arrow Rock, MO Blackwater, MO Columbia, MO Jefferson City, MO Hermann, MO St. Louis, MO
Historic Site Historic Town University of Missouri campus State Capitol Building: Benton Murals Historic Town Bellefontaine Cemetery William Clark’s Tomb Wainwright Mausoleum (Louis Sullivan) Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center
St. Charles, MO St. Charles, MO Hotel Hampton Inn Dinner: Trailhead Brewhouse Saturday, October 12 St. Charles, MO Hartford, IL
Springfield, IL Chicago, IL
173 miles
275 miles
Historic District Lewis and Clark Historic Site Lewis & Clark Historical re-enactment Fort Dubois Missouri and Mississippi Convergence Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower State Capitol Building 319 miles
Total Miles: 6,482
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Like Lewis, I enjoyed looking for plants along the Missouri River. 92
How we’d taken this sign for granted!
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Journal kept by Susan Hanes during a trip to the western United States from September 23- October 12, 2013. Photos by Susan Hanes and George Leonard, copyright 2013.
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Volume 2