Rivers West Tour - Day 20

Today was a free day with several optional events.  For example, we could visit the Buffalo Jump site, where the Indians led the buffalo to jump off a cliff or take a tour of the underground which was built after a fire destroyed downtown Havre. 

There's a railroad layout and exhibits at the entrance to the underground which we did take time to visit, but didn't do any of the optional events.  Instead, we drove around the city and did some exploring. We did stop at Walmart and I visited both a quilt shop and a Ben Franklin Crafts, but didn't buy anything.  I could have gone fabric crazy at the Ben Franklin though.   David also took a few pictures.

I also finally had a chance to take a picture of our motorhome and car combination set up for camping.

Tomorrow, we're driving to East Glacier, Montana in order to visit Glacier National Park.

Rivers West Tour - Day 19

Today, we traveled from Medora, North Dakota to Havre, Montana.  This was the longest drive so far taking a little over six hours.  Along the way, we were passed by six of these wide load trucks.   They were moving pretty fast, too.

Havre is pronounced Hav-her.  It's said that two men were fighting over one woman and eventually one of them gave up and said, "You can have her."  BTW, Havre is only about 35 miles from the Canadian border.

Once we reached the campground, we were treated to a campground cookout.  We were expecting hot dogs, hamburgers, etc., but instead they served Walking Tacos and Ice Cream Drumsticks.  This made David happy, but I don't eat either of them, so I made myself a chef salad and ate one of the ice cream bars I had with me.

Tomorrow, is a free day to explore Havre.

Rivers West - Day 18

Today was scheduled to be a free day so that everyone could explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park on their own. 

We spent the day driving around and exploring Dickinson, reading, napping and generally just waiting for the RV to be repaired which took all day.  We did take some pictures during our exploration though.

We were finally able to leave Dickinson at 5:00, $2,500 poorer (insurance will pay some of that), but with a water tight RV with no more unwanted noises.  We arrived in Medora 45 minutes later.  We missed the drivers' meeting, but made the Medora Musical which had been postponed from the night before due to the bad weather and all tickets were good for tonight's performance.  I'm really glad, because it was a great show with many songs that I recognized and a lot of comic relief.

Tomorrow, we travel to Havre, Montana.

Rivers West Tour - Day 16

Today was a free day.  We did some exploring, some grocery shopping and laundry.  

Since this was pretty much an "on your own" day, but still included a drivers' meeting, some of the group decided to have a pot luck, which most of the group attended, although a few came only for the drivers' meeting.  

When the potluck started, it was cold and windy and everyone was in jackets.  About halfway through the potluck, the sun came out and the wind died down so all of the jackets came off.

Tomorrow, we're traveling along the Enchanted Highway as we head to Medora, North Dakota.

Rivers West Tour - Day 15

We're still in Bismarck and today was another motor coach tour.  Our first stop was Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park where we toured Custer's home.

Most of the group also went to see the barracks building, but there wasn't a path and it was a longish walk in the grass (which was still wet from last night's rain) so David & I decided against doing that.

We then visited the Visitor's Center for On-a-Slant Village and toured the village itself.  This is a display of what the village would have looked like.

The village itself is made up of mounds with living quarters inside and were inhabited by 12-15 people each.

The bus then took us back to the fort where we had a catered lunch, this time pulled pork sandwiches.

Our next stop was the North Dakota State Capital and the North Dakota Heritage Center.  David and I didn't go into the Heritage Center, but the tail gunner's wife took this picture of us outside.  We visited with the bus driver and a couple of others who also elected not to take the tour instead.

While inside the capital, we saw a display of the flags of the United States, North Dakota and the five Indian Tribes in the area.

The elevator doors have designs on them that tell of the history of the Indians.  The door of one of the elevators opened while a couple of the ladies were examining it.

Finally, we went to the 18th floor to look at the view.  This building is a tower rather than having a dome so you can go all the way to the top.

Tomorrow is a free day.

Rivers West Tour - Day 14

Today started with another motor coach tour.  Our first stop was the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center.  Outside was this large statue.

Inside were lots of exhibits about the expedition and life along the river.

This tree of birds also attracted a lot of attention from some of the ladies who spent quite a bit of time checking out what sound each bird made.  I don't think any were purchased though.

Our second stop was at Fort Mandan.  The fort is a square with rooms all around the outside and a large courtyard in the middle.  Our guide brought out a deck mounted blunderbuss without the deck mount.  It was very heavy, but many of us took our turns holding it; some better than others.  The wagon master stood close by to grab it if necessary.

They also served us a catered lunch of chicken noodle or dumpling soup, sandwiches and cookies.  After eating I wandered over to check out the statue of Seaman, Merriwether Lewis' dog.

There was also supposed to be a muzzle loader demonstration, but there was a miscommunication as to where it was to be held so it didn't happen.  I was looking forward to it, because I remember my dad doing this.  I'm told there will be another demonstration later in the tour.

Tomorrow we visit Fort Abraham Lincoln, On-a-Slant Village, George Custer's Home, the North Dakota State Capital and the North Dakota Heritage Center.

Rivers West Tour - Day 13

 Today we traveled from Fort Pierre, South Dakota to Bismarck, North Dakota.  

We're given a route to follow each day and the wagon master goes over it at our drivers' meetings which take place the evening before we travel.  Today, we were supposed to follow the Missouri River with all its twists and turns, but we chose to take a more direct route instead.  

Most of the roads we've driven have been one or two lanes (in each direction) and very straight and this was no exception.

Tomorrow, we're visiting the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan.

Rivers West Tour - Day 12

 FYI - I've been without Internet for over a week so I'm behind on this blog.  We now have MIFI so I can blog again.  Of course, having the time to do so is also an issue and I know I'm forgetting a lot of stuff.

Today we were in Fort Pierre/Pierre, South Dakota.  This city is interesting, because one side of the river is on Central Time and the other is on Mountain Time.  We stayed on Central Time during our time here.

This is the view from our campsite.  We're on a hill which overlooks the city.

Today we visited the South Dakota State Capital.  The first two pictures are some of the first ladies and their gowns for their husbands' first inauguration.  

The next one is of the wagon master taking a picture of the dome.  Several others got smart and took selfies instead.

 These are pictures of some of the features of the capital.  The floor is terrazzo and was hand laid.

 

We also visited the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Building, but again, I only took one picture.  This time it was of the outside of the building.

We were treated to dinner at the Cattleman's Club Steakhouse.  David ordered a 12-ounce sirloin and I ordered the jumbo shrimp and we shared.  Personally, I wish I'd just eaten the shrimp.

Tomorrow is a travel day and the destination is Bismarck, South Dakota.