We stopped at the fork in the Marias River and the Missouri river. This is where Lewis and Clark stopped and didn’t quite know which way to go. One river looked like the way to go, the other didn’t. The captains climbed a big hill next to the river, and against the better judgment of all the men. Picked the way that looked wrong. They were right!
See boys… Captains… right always all the time!
So, we stopped to see the spot they made that decision.
According to the map… we literally anchored right under the spot. Yet we couldn’t find it.
A career forester and a pilot should be able to read a map successfully to find a damn plaque on the side of the river. There was a hell of a lot of map reading horsepower there trying to find that little bronze plaque.
In the end, I think we all share the blame. Me, Wild Bill, and the cartographer who made that map. The cartographer because he put the little symbol on the wrong side of the topoline… and Wild Bill and I for ever looking at a map and saying or hearing the words after twenty minutes of looking at the thing… “Hey! That isn’t a road… that’s a topo line!
Yep… anyways… look at the pictures!
Where the two rivers meet.
See boys… Captains… right always all the time!
So, we stopped to see the spot they made that decision.
According to the map… we literally anchored right under the spot. Yet we couldn’t find it.
A career forester and a pilot should be able to read a map successfully to find a damn plaque on the side of the river. There was a hell of a lot of map reading horsepower there trying to find that little bronze plaque.
In the end, I think we all share the blame. Me, Wild Bill, and the cartographer who made that map. The cartographer because he put the little symbol on the wrong side of the topoline… and Wild Bill and I for ever looking at a map and saying or hearing the words after twenty minutes of looking at the thing… “Hey! That isn’t a road… that’s a topo line!
Yep… anyways… look at the pictures!
4 comments:
if nothing else, this trip has given me a very impromptu geography lesson on the Missouri River. I honestly had no idea it ran such a crazy course, or how much it loosely intersects with my life, examples below:
1) While talking to a coworker 2 weeks ago I realize he's in Great Falls and that must be near your start point, so I immediately tell him to watch for a mustached pirate in a flat bottomed sail boat cruising though town. Pretty sure now he was well ahead of your position.
2) Last week I found myself in Kansas City. While driving my rental car across I bridge I realize, holy crap, that's the Missouri River I just crossed. After a quick map check I realise I may actually be months ahead of you.
3) This week, my brother packed up and embarked across country to relocate to the Pacific Northwest. Tomorrow he'll cross the Missouri with his wife somewhere in South Dakota. Also a bit ahead of you, but they will be looking all the same.
4) Next week I'm headed to Kalispell, MT, which I just found out, is nowhere near you. But good try anyway, still lots of time,
I'll let you know if our paths come close to crossing in the future. In the mean time, fair winds and following seas..
Over .05NM from your target.....Q3.
Love the post man!
Over .05NM from your target.....Q3.
Love the post man!
Jon - Yea! It's huge, and goes everywhere! Just think, if the white guys had bee coming from the other direction... It would have been the Missouri river all the way to New Orleans and the Mississippi would have ended in St Louis. Then the Missouri would have been the longest river in the world!
Matt - I think we were within .05 and on time, we just didn't realize it... we just had the elevation wrong. :-P
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