Great Falls, MT

We start the day slowly. We need to recuperate from the flat. We head to town for brunch. Everyone is going around a roadblock. We go around it also but we turn left. Oops. It is a parade route. The parade has not yet started.

We pull into the nearest parking spot and walk to the restaurant. From the restaurant, we watch the parade as we wait for our food.

The Shriners sponsor the parade. There are old cars and motorcycles and funny cars. The smaller vehicles have a need to ride in circles as they proceed down the street. The bagpipers pass. There are several small floats. Two large semis with flatbeds carry the two baseball teams that will play tonight. Baseball is big in the west!

After brunch, we head back to the Russell Museum. We tour his studio and home. We walk through the new sculpture garden. Somehow, we missed all this yesterday.

We stop at the Great Falls Visitor Center. We get directions to Ryan Dam. Out of town, we drive nine miles through wheat fields. We finally arrive at the Missouri River.

A suspension bridge leads to an island. From the island, we have great views of Ryan Dam and the Great Falls. I am glad we made the trek here. We cannot leave Great Falls without seeing the Great Falls!

The Great Falls were the first falls that Lewis and Clark saw. Of course, we have to imagine the area without the dam. We look at the cliffs on both sides of the river. Finding the best spot to leave the river was a major decision. We think again about the men pulling their boats and supplies up these cliffs.

We will spend one more day in the area. After that we will have to pick a route to continue east on.

Campground: Great Falls KOA

Jul 21, 2012

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