Day 9 - Milk River
We followed the Milk River all day today, as it meanders slowly along the dry, eastern Montana plains - Big Sky country indeed. The river, 729 miles long, is the northernmost tributary of the Missouri, and was named by Meriwether Lewis for its peculiar whiteness. For several miles today we saw neither the Great Northern Railway nor cars or trucks so it was a rather lonely ride; I am glad Kathryn was here to keep me company. Thoughts for the day:
- The several roadside historical signs help envision the past as you pedal along: Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid robbed a Great Northern train & blew up the safe in 1901; Chief Joseph was forced to surrender the remaining members of the Nez Perce people to the US Calvary in 1877 in the Battle of the Bear Paw Mountains, near today's route; huge buffalo herds roamed these plains until the 1870s when they were systematically killed.
- How did earlier travelers survive these plains in August without ice?
- I saw three dead rattlesnakes on the shoulder of the road today - at least I think they were dead because I didn't want to slow down to find out.
Did the river look white to you? Love the facts I'm learning from your research. Love the hay bales in the pictures. This country is dotted with those big round hay bales right now. We saw a bunch on our drive to Bellingham, WA, today. And they were all over Montana as we drove through the gorgeous valleys in the western part of the state. Stay cool.
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