JUST AROUND THE BEND
Episode IX
JUST AROUND THE BEND
EPISODE IX
2000 – 2017
BIG SKY
Washington, Idaho, Montana
RICHARD E. ZIMMERMAN
And
ARLENE M. ZIMMERMAN
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JUST AROUND THE BEND
Episode IX
JUST AROUND THE BEND
EPISODE IX
2000 – 2017
BIG SKY
Washington, Idaho, Montana
RICHARD E. ZIMMERMAN
And
ARLENE M. ZIMMERMAN
2
JUST AROUND THE BEND
Episode IX
JUST AROUND THE BEND
Episode IX
2000 – 2018
BIG SKY
Washington, Idaho, Montana
Copyright
© 2019 Richard E. Zimmerman and Arlene M Zimmerman
All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic,
including photocopying and recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system, without the express permission in
writing from the authors or publisher.
Cover and Cover Photograph by the authors
All photographs Copyright
© 2019 Richard E. Zimmerman and Arlene M. Zimmerman,
December 2019
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Arlene and I have written and composed several books in a
short period of time. It’s been great fun, but most of all the
very same knowledgeable, and generous folks have given their
time and helped prepare each one. Without them I’m sure we
wouldn’t have completed them.
Our daughter Alyx has prepared our book cover. It’s a long
distance internet arrangement that constantly try’s our
expertise and proves her patience.
Paul Klump has reviewed our work, made many suggestions
and created an E-book as well as a Printable PDF version for
us. In addition, he keeps our computer working.
Our printer, Athens Printing has been with us every step of
the way. They are responsible for reviewing every photo and
tweaking them to more realistic color. They also keep
encouraging us to further edit the proofs.
Thanks to all of you for your help and support.
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INTRODUCTION:
When we began reviewing our travels across the Big Sky
Country we realized that we’d been here many times in
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different Rigs. Our 1 was in a Mercury van on our way to
Alaska. We mostly lived in the back of it. Later, we upgraded
to the luxury of a Fleetwood RV and then added a dingy,
Nova car. Each travel stage added additional equipment, like
kayaks, fishing gear or golf clubs. After the $4 a gallon gas
scare we bought our Casita trailer, and Honda Van.
Traveling across the area we found that it was a scattered
experience. One time we’d be in Great Falls, another through
Helena, or along the Columbia River. It didn’t follow a
particular sequence. So we decided to create our own
sequence.
Beginning in Southeastern Montana we’ll travel a circular
pattern through southern Montana, Idaho, into Washington,
North to the Cascades and east across northern Washington,
Idaho, and Montana back toward home.
As we move along we’ll find places to camp, mountains to
climb, deserts to cross, lakes to kayak, museums to visit, and
occasionally golf courses to play and theaters to attend.
We begin in Montana at the Little Big Horn Battlefield.
Leaving it we had a unique experience. A tape got stuck in our
recorder and we had to detour to Billings, to get it removed.
Then to Cody Wyoming and up to Great Falls.
At Great Falls we visited the wonderful C.M. Russell Museum
where Richard saw scribbles on Russell’s letters and began
jotting sketches in his diary. We also visited the Corp of
Discovery Center. One of the difficult times along Lewis and
Clark’s Journey was crossing the Bitterroot Mountains. We
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INTRODUCTION:
followed there trail through Missoula and Idaho, until
Washington where we diverted ourselves down the Columbia
River Valley because of the wonderful Washington State
Vineyards.
Turning north we went through Yakima, the fruit capital of
Washington on to the way to the Cascade Mountains. They
are like the European Alps, not so high but rugged. Turning
east we stopped at an U.S. Forest Service Campground. They
are nice and one of our favorites was Swan Lake. We stayed
there and paddled our kayaks for several days.
We stopped again in Sandpoint, to see our cousin Ann Cordes.
She had lived in an isolated area of Northern Idaho for
decades. Her family’s homestead and stories were wonderful.
Our northern target was Glacier National Park. We took the
road-to-the-sun, and climbed along the ridge of it’s highest
mountains. We ventured off the pathway to paddle on one of
it’s pristine and isolated lakes.
Once on the plains we moved quickly across Montana past the
Buffalo Jump to Fort Peck, into North and South Dakota to
Deadwood and the last miles.
So we say come along with us as it’s
‘JUST AROUND THE BEND’
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Title 1
Copyright 3
Acknowledgements 5
Introduction 7
Table of Contents 9
CHAPTER 1 13
Southern Montana
Little Big Horn
Great Falls
Charlie M. Russell
Wagon Trains Crossing America
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
Dinosaurs
Seeley Lake
Placid Lake
Missoula
CHAPTER 2 47
Southern Idaho
Lolo Pass
Hot Springs Trail
Orofino
Hells Gate
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 2 (Continued) 47
Washington’s High Desert
Colombia Valley Vineyards
Yakima
CHAPTER 3 71
The Cascades
Cascades
Swan Lake
Edgewater Camp
CHAPTER 4 93
Northern Idaho
Sandpoint
Ann’s Homestead
Canada?
CHAPTER 5 105
Northern Montana
Yaak River
Libby
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 5 (Continued) 105
Kootinai Falls
Logan State Park
Kalispell
CHAPTER 6 127
Glacier National Park I
Glacier National Park
Avalanche Lake
Bowman Lake
CHAPTER 7 147
Glacier National Park II
Going-To-The-Sun
Highline Trail
Glacier National Park
CHAPTER 8 177
Crossing the Prairie
Crossing the Prairie
American Buffalo
Fort Peck
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Deadwood
Custer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
CHAPTER 8 (Continued) 177
Mammoth Dig
Last Miles
APPENDIX 1 195
Maps:
Montana
Idaho
Washington
Lake Missoula
APPENDIX 2 201
Dale Ford’s Wagon Models
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CHAPTER 1
Southern Montana:
Little Big Horn:
It’s hard to drive through the Great American Plains without
considering its history. The Northwest and Oregon are
steeped with European and Asian influences. Russians were
the earliest, trappers, coming across the Bering Strait to Alaska
and further south. The English, trapped, from the northeast,
across the country, with the Hudson Bay Company which built
and helped open up the famous Oregon Trail. These early
hunters trapped for many kinds of furs, including soft and
luxurious Beaver which was very popular.
The United States, thanks to Thomas Jefferson sent an
expedition across the country, in search of a path to the
Pacific. We have written a lot about Lewis and Clark’s
expedition as we’ve traveled, and visited their sites along the
Missouri River, and over the Bitterroot Mountains. We will go
through a section of Oregon that was made famous by them,
and by the many Eastern settlers that traveled the Oregon
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Trail during the 19 century.
Before we begin we can’t resist starting in Montana at the
Little Big Horn battlefield. We think Indians played a smaller
role in the westward movement of Europeans than they are
given credit for. Hollywood, and our dream machine have
made millions using them as an antagonist . There’s no doubt
that we ‘European Americans’ were responsible for the terrible
treatment of American Indians during our development years
of our country. Forts like Laramie and Bridger were set up
across the plains to protect the settlers as they moved west.
Battles between the Indians and the U.S. Army were
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Little Big Horn:
infrequent however, and escalated mostly after 1870, when the
Continental Railroad had been completed and in the late
century, 1890, Gold Rush.
We visited the War Memorial at the Little Big Horn and were
so pleased that history and researchers had depicted this
episode of our history in a different manner.
Here on one hand is the way the battle was depicted to the
East and the world. This is a famous oil by Edgar S. Pxam
exhibited in the Cody Museum in Cody, Wyoming.
On the other hand this is a view of the battle field, and the
Little Big Horn River. The Cheyenne and Arapaho were
camped down in the valley along the river.
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Little Big Horn:
This is how it’s presented today at the Memorial. It was a
running battle over the hills. Each grave stone represents a
dead Indian or Army soldier.
Every white grave stone represents a dead Calvary man. Every
red grave stone an Indian.
Startling isn’t it!
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Little Big Horn:
We had a lively discussion about even going to the Battlefield.
It wasn’t just the slaughter. We had suffered many Civil War
battlefields, all of which disturbed us. It was the middle of the
afternoon, and we decided to go, and leave the next day, not
stay a day or two.
The most striking thing about the battlefield was the high
rolling, grassy hills where the battle took place. They were salt
and peppered with the graves of fallen and dismembered
bodies from the fight. As anyone should imagine they were
covered with white graves. Estimates were 200 or less U.S.
Calvary and over 7,000 Indians were involved. Even with all
the headstones scattered across the hills they say the dead were
buried in a single grave.
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Great Falls:
When we are traveling the plains we usually move rapidly. The
Montana plains were no different. At some point we were
listening to a tape of ‘Chicago’ , that grand music, when our
tape got stuck. We couldn’t get it out. The next closest city
was Billings. Stopping in Billings we wandered around to find
Honda. Finely we did and the dealer fixed it in a jiffy.
As Billings is equal distance between Cody, Wyoming and
Great Falls, Montana, we had to choose which western
museum to go to first. We choose Cody. Then a couple of
days later we turned north to Great Falls.
Charles M. Russell:
In Great Falls we wanted to visit the Charles M. Russell’s
home and museum. He’s one of the two finest cowboy artist
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of the 20 century. Fredric Remington being the other.
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During the late 20 century Russell was prolific and popular
among western artists. He painted and drew in every medium.
His oils are particularly noteworthy.
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Charles M. Russell:
Often Black and White oils were used because they held up
better when printed in magazines. We however liked his ink
drawings best. Although we recognize no similarities between
Richard’s pencils and liking his they may have had something
to do with our own fascination with his pencil and pen
drawings.
These works were often drawn from the artists imagination.
Russell lived from 1864 to 1926. The Pony Express did pass
through Wyoming, but the telegraph and railroad replaced it
after a short time. The Pony Express ended in 10 years by
1860.
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Charles M. Russell:
This drawing caused us to think about the wagon trains that
crossed the country during the 1840’s and ‘50’s. Although we
doubt that women were riding horses, or for that matter there
weren’t many women on the wagon trains. Mostly, they were
driven by oxen and mules, and the women probably walked,
along with the men and children, wearing out 3 or more pairs
of shoes and boots during the journey.
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Charles M. Russell:
Russell was a spokesman on several issues, among them were a
local group of Indians. His efforts created a reservation for
them in Montana. He also wrote to many Hollywood and
political folks advocating the American West.
I was really impressed with his letter writing. Many examples
were displayed in the museum. Often, he would doodle on
these letters. One in particular was a letter to the
Swashbuckling actor, Douglas Fairbanks.
He drew a small character of a one-eyed pirate, and beside it a
larger character of a cowboy on a horse. He said he hoped
that the American West would also be on Fairbanks mind. I
was so impressed that I began again sketching in my diaries as
well as my sketch books.
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Charles M. Russell:
We had such a great time at the museum. There was one
room where there were lots of furs, a rocking horse and
others. It encouraged us to play, and have some fun. Check
out Arlene with her wild west pony. And me with my ghostly
fur robe. On the shelf above me are a few artifacts including
the Hudson Bay Company’s, ‘point’ blankets. Each point
represented the number of beaver skins they would trade it
for. Three skins for a single-bed; 3 ½ skins for a double-bed
sized blanket.
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Charles M. Russell:
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Wagon Trains Crossing America:
We could hardly leave the Russell Museum without showing
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two of the incredible small wooden 19 century models built
by a fellow named Ford Dale. (See Appendix 2).
We are touched by the effort made by our forefathers and
their trek across America. Their history is so amazing. We
have never been able to fully understand how they made their
way from coast to coast. Here are a few issues that we’ve
encountered, and a few examples of how tough their trip must
have been.
For instance, we have stood on the plains looking out for
miles across the rolling hills. When 50 yards away we couldn’t
see a deep gully. ( This Oil from the Cody Museum by Wilson
Hurley, 1976, illustrates the issue.) Imagine how it would have
been for the settlers in their wagons.
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Wagon Trains Crossing America:
Or some say the grass grew 8 feet tall across the plains. Could
a family walk through it, or could a wagon? How would they
see where they were going?
Another example might be the Platte Rivers. We’ve traveled
the length of the North and South Platte Rivers, across
Colorado. They are mostly shallow and braided with many
small streams. Imagine, crossing a shallow river like them,
versus how difficult it would be to cross the Missouri. There
were no bridges, and seldom ferries.
As we travel we always question how they were able to make it
under such circumstances.
The Emigrants Guide to California by Joseph E. Ware and J.
Halsall documents settlers as they crossed the country in 1849.
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Wagon Trains Crossing America:
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Wagon Trains Crossing America:
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Wagon Trains Crossing America:
Here are two models of the ‘Big Wheel’ wagons that carried
these settlers across the plains, and mountains to their dream
in the Willamette Valley, Oregon.
This is the Conestoga wagon. It’s the one used in the wild
west of Hollywood. But it’s far too big and expensive to make
the trip.
Across the plains the winds never stop blowing. Anything
above the ground gets blown around. So calling these wagons
Prairie Schooners, was just about right. The wind would catch
their cover and side boards blowing them along.
However, winds across America generally blow from the west
to the east. Western winds would blow right into their face
and the wagons would have to fight to move forward. If
winds came from the east it would push them along.
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Wagon Trains Crossing America:
This is a model of the Immigrant Wagon. It’s about 6 feet
long. They seldom had any springs, and were a rough ride.
But a couple of Oxen could pull it all day long over any kind
of terrain.
Great Falls:
Great Falls is a hard working industrial town. We stayed in a
RV park that was filled with workers. We thought we’d stay a
day to see the Russell Museum and then continue toward
Missoula. But, we really enjoyed the museum and both of us
loved the little wooden models.
In the evening we realized we’d only taken a few pictures of
the models. By morning we thought we should return and see
if we could see them again.
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Great Falls:
We waited until the Museum opened hoping we could take
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pictures of all these 19 century models. We waited and the
lady at the museum greeted us as if we’d never left. She
invited us in, no extra charge, and told me I could surly take as
many pictures and as much time as I needed. I did. And
before leaving asked if there were any model kits of them. She
said no there wasn’t. (We suppose model builders would love
them, and have included pictures of every wagon in appendix
2.)
Lewis and Clark Interpretation Center :
Arlene had done some research during the night. She found
the Lewis and Clark Interpretation Center near the Missouri
River. We decided to go to the Visitor’s Center.
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Lewis and Clark Interpretation Center :
The Discovery Expedition left St. Louis traveling up the
Missouri in boats of different sizes, carrying enough food
supplies, trading trinkets, whisky and ammunition for a couple
of years.
They were known to have eaten very few vegetables or fruits,
but, evidently enough so they didn’t suffer from Scurvy. They
mostly ate protein, from the animals they shot. An issue that
would almost be the end of them in the Bitterroot Mountains.
Here is a painting by Charles Fritz in 2006. It’s his rendition
of a hunt while sailing up the Missouri.
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Lewis and Clark Interpretation Center :
Meriwether Lewis took extensive notes in his diary so that
many stories have been written about their travels. Today the
Great Falls have been dammed and provide electricity for the
city.
In 1804 when the expedition arrived at the falls they looked
more like this.
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Lewis and Clark Interpretation Center :
As with all the falls or rapids they encountered they took the
boats out of the water and portaged around them. In some
cases it was several miles, and was a big hardship.
They had several boats looked like these models.
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Lewis and Clark Interpretation Center :
The Center made these models but thought the exposition
built rolling trailers to help portage them.
This example is a hallowed out log on trailer beams and
wheels. They might have looked like this. All their supplies
really weighted a lot.
Of course the weight of everything was enhanced by the
wooden boxes and barrels they were packed in. It wasn’t like
today’s light weight equipment we use to store things.
This visit was a lot of fun. As with most of the places we visit
we meet very friendly people. At the Center we met a retired
lady who moved to Great Falls from New England, to live
near her daughter. Shortly after she arrived her daughter
moved to New Mexico. She had stayed and within weeks was
part of the neighborhood. She loved how friendly everyone in
Great Falls was. We’ve found her story to be true. It seems to
happen as soon as you cross the Mississippi River.
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Dinosaurs:
After leaving Great Falls we stayed off the beaten path and
headed more Northwest than expected. We stopped in
Bynum at a huge hanger building. Inside was an exhibit of
dinosaur fossils and a Styrofoam model of the largest dinosaur
known. It was a Seismosaurus the largest land animal at 137
feet long.
It’s a good comparison between Arlene and the dinosaur. Not
that anyone could reduce it enough to fit into a photo. I tried
to draw it, just because it was to large for the hanger, but
because it was a great way to look at it. The administrator
thought that was a fine idea.
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Dinosaurs:
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Seeley Lake:
One of our favorite campgrounds in Montana is at Placid Lake
State Park. Several lakes are near by and one had a long
wanted to take a paddle down stream where we could drop the
boat off and return to it later. That always required two
vehicles.
Just north of Placid Lake at Seeley Lake we could hike the
distance between our put-in and exit. This is a view of the
swampy area we would paddle through.
We believe this swampy area is part of the changing climate
and the growth of a new forest. In the Arctic we’ve seen these
formations, that had similar characteristics.
The creek that fed the lake meandered through the high
grasses often 10 feet wide or narrower.
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Seeley Lake:
As we got ready to unload the kayaks at the drop-off point
this doe stopped to check us out.
It didn’t take us long to get into the water and push off. The
creek had a weak current, so we could take our time floating,
and occasionally swiping the paddle to redirect the boat
around a corner. There were lots of corners.
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Seeley Lake:
The creek opened up into the lake at the far side of our exit.
There was a slight rain and it became pretty cold. We pushed
off across the lake and landed in a wooded area.
Shortly, the rain stopped and we secured our kayaks. We
hadn’t seen anyone along the road, the creek or on the banks
which made us feel pretty safe leaving the boats while hiking
up the trail back to our Honda.
Arlene shows the way. The first ½ mile or so was beside the
swamp, but in the woods. It was a fun walk and there were no
mosquitoes or other bugs to bother us.
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Seeley Lake:
Summer flowers were blossoming along the way. Although we
don’t know lots of flowers we see and take pictures of them.
One was stranger than most. These were on a hillside in a
pine grove. Here’s a close up of it.
Isn’t that something? This is what they looked like on the
hillside.
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Seeley Lake:
As we neared our van at the put-in the terrain changed and it
became a little more uncomfortable and swampy.
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Placid Lake:
It was a great paddle and hike. We returned to camp and
celebrated our trip with a steak on the grill, with vegetables,
gin and tonic and a white wine.
Montana has many nice State Parks. We were camped beside
the lake. Leaving our kayaks on the shore tied to a tree for the
next two days. We could move them into the water and
paddle each day.
One afternoon we drove up the road toward Kalispell where
we came across a log cabin builder and a sign that invited us to
visit.
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Placid Lake:
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Placid Lake:
It was beautiful, constructed with 10”- 12” diameter logs, two
bedrooms upstairs, a large Stone fireplace and downstairs a
kitchen, bathroom/shower, living room and dining room.
Outside the porch circled the house, and was covered on one
long sides. We never talked to anyone about the cost, but it
was an interesting cabin. Just about our size. We’d only
needed a mountain retreat and lake to build it.
Missoula:
We had taken a long time to get to Missoula. It’s our next
stop. We first visited in 1997. Then it was a friendly town
made up of artsy people, writers and painters, with an
educational center at the University of Montana, and small
businesses.
It was a pleasant drive into Missoula. We arrived near the
campus, in the older side of town. That was good as we were
familiar with the area, where most of the streets were
residential, tree lined, with small two bedroom homes.
It’s funny that we’d come so far and set our target on this
town. Actually, years ago we had bought a couple of really
heavy flannel shirts at a large Army, Navy store. They were
heavier than we’d ever seen before, or since.
In 10 years we’ve worn them out. Upon returning we were
going to buy more than two each for the next 10 years, which
we thought would be forever.
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Missoula:
We actually stumbled on to the store, without any directions.
We couldn’t wait, each of us took a different direction in the
store, in hopes of finding them. Search as we might the only
flannels were the same old light weight ones that even LL
Bean, Sears, and all the other stores carried.
Disappointed, we bought a few pretty flies for our casting
rods, and left. Don’t ever say we put to much faith into this
poor little store, without checking it out on the Internet.
We’ve learned our lesson and don’t need to be reminded about
it.
We moved to the newer side of town, further west toward the
Lolo Pass where we would be camping in the evening. To
our surprise the town had really changed.
In every direction the hills were filled with community
developments. The only escape would be Interstate 90 where
one could speed into town from the east and leave at the same
speed, going northwest past all the box stores, and malls.
Fortunately, that wasn’t our direction, so we drove along with
all the traffic, bumper to bumper, wondering what had
happened. The mystery of Missoula may have been the
economic growth of the West Coast, and Microsoft.
Gone was the artsy community, Mom and Pop stores were
starving, and the University was just another school, lost in the
upheaval of the new wave of ‘slopees’. It’s a sad tale, but one
we’ve seen all over the country. So much wealth has been
created by the internet and information technology it’s hard to
realize that we are transitioning from the Industrial age into
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Missoula:
the Information age. This new age has changed much, and
Missoula is another spot on the map to be drastically modified.
Northwest of town is one of our favorite breweries The Big
Sky Breweries. Now we’re not beer drinkers, even though
local breweries are popping up all over the country. The best
part of the new breweries is the ‘race horse’ names they give to
the beers. There’s nothing so swell as a good name or a nice
shaped bottle for a beer.
Big Sky Brewery is on top of their game. For names how do
you like ‘Power Hound’? Or maybe ‘Trout Slayer’, or Scape
Goat, named for the white mountain sheep. Our favorite is a
brown ale called MOOSE DROOL. Take a look at Richards
rendition of a six pack. We actually bought three six packs and
have kept them in our fridge for years. It’s not that we
couldn’t have drunk them with our friends, but it’s because we
are nuts about the label and it’s can.
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Missoula:
Check out the moose drooling from a mouth full of delicious
brown ale.
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CHAPTER 2
Southern Idaho:
Lolo Pass:
Entering Idaho through the Lolo Pass is quite an experience.
The Pass is only 5,200 feet high yet has a long history of
travelers and geologic occurrences.
The U.S. Calvary chased Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce
Indians across these mountains. They with their 700 horses
left a 6-7 foot trench in the hillside, on their way to Canada.
They later returned to the U. S. and moved to a reservation.
Elsewhere we’ve seen the ruts of wagon trains, but no tracks
so deep.
The Corp of Discovery led by the famous Shoshoni woman,
Sacagawea, crossed the Bitterroot Mountains here after
meeting up with her brother and leader of the Shoshoni tribe.
The Corp bartered for horses from them, which under rugged
and desperate winter circumstances they would later eat them
to survive while crossing the mountains.
Finally, years ago, maybe 12,000 there was a gigantic lake
spreading out across the Montana Valley from Kalispell,
Montana, as far west as Pend Oreille, Idaho, and south beyond
Missoula. It was said to cover 3,000 square miles. (Today the
entire area has small ponds and lakes. We further more have
no reference for something that large, but, Washington D.C. is
10 square miles or about 300 times smaller.) They called it Pro
Glacial Lake built up over time behind an Ice Dam.
We suppose an Ice Dam acts something like those rare Sand
Dams we saw in Colorado beside the Great Sand Dunes
National Park. In that little stream the sand was so fine it built
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Lolo Pass:
up creating a small dam. The dam would stand until it got so
high, 6 inches. The water then pushed through the sand
breaking the dam. (Reference: ‘Just Around The Bend’ ,
Episode VII, Colorado).
We stopped at the Lolo State Park campground. It’s high in
the hills in a quiet pine forest. Site #7 was flat and because we
intended to move on in the morning we didn’t unhitch. There
was a soft rain falling during the night, helping us sleep.
In the morning Arlene searched for reservations west, in
Oregon, along the Columbia River, and near Mount Saint
Helens in Washington. She got all but, a few days between
here and there. We’d have to see how the next few days went,
but otherwise we were pretty well set.
A visit with the park Rangers helped us through over the pass
and down to Lewiston Idaho, about 100 miles.
We aren’t going to have the same experience the Corp of
Discovery had crossing the Bitterroot Mountains. They nearly
starved because their diet was a bit better than an ‘Atkins
Diet’ at about 95% meat. But, during the last 200 years
animals that lived on the plains have been chased into the
mountains, by the expanding population.
The Corp also arrived in the winter, we’re here in August, and
it’s hot. As soon as they reached good water, the Columbia
River they built cut out canoes and returned to traveling on the
river.
Immigrating Settlers however continued with their wagons and
oxen. They kept hauling through the mountains. Usually not
48
JUST AROUND THE BEND
Episode IX
Lolo Pass:
in the winter though. If they had left Independence, Missouri
early in the summer they might have escaped the winter snow.
Not all of the wagon trains were so lucky, The Doner wagon
train was caught in a heavy snow storm and many perished.
It’s an infamous story of cannibalism and freezing to death.
For us this was going to be 100 miles of one of our favorite
drives in the country, Idaho Route 12. We’ve keep track of
these drives and at some point we’ll make a list of them. For
today we will just enjoy the deep forest, narrow road, and few
travelers.
Hot Springs Trail:
A few miles down from Lolo Pass we came to a little pull off
for some Hot Springs. There was a small sign, and a gravel
pull off. A swinging bridge across the Lochsa River led to the
trail.
These mountain streams are beautiful. Once in the middle of
the bridge, swaying to and fro the quick moving river gurgled
over the colored rocks.
49
JUST AROUND THE BEND
Episode IX
Hot Springs Trail:
It had to be a good sign that we were going on a fine, hike to
Hot Springs. But, there was another sign on the far side of the
river.
‘HOT SPRINGS CLOTHING OPTIONAL’ .
I didn’t give it a second thought , we’d been to several hot
springs where the clothing was optional, in Utah, and Alaska,
and of course when visiting our friends in Kissimmee, Florida.
However, both of us aren’t so cavalier. Arlene needed some
extra coaching to get off the bridge.
This 4 mile hike through the woods was around the side of the
mountain, and moderately flat. The path followed a small
stream, and was covered with pine needles. It was a lovely
walk many of the pines were old and thick reaching to the sky.
50
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