Big Sky Big Day
Jon couldn't wait! Up at 4:45, checking the refrigerator space for adquacy, adding a cooler, packing away the bags, and collecting an early delivery of the New York Times, he settled in to early tea and reading. After Pat arose, also vert early, we finished up a breakfast and hit the road at 6:45 AM. Ahh! We turned on the G:PS system, and Sirius radio and we were finallly on our way.
We stopped in Stanley for breakfast and ate the view of those great Sawtooth peaks, as we pigged out over an oversized breakfast, a mountain of hash browns, eggs and endless coffee. The sky was clear and free of smoke.
We returned to our GPS system, and the non-sexy voice of our female guide, and drove a well informed route towards Missoula.
We talked for quite a while about reorienting ourselves to this kind of extended travel. We didn't have to be in Missoula at any set time. We could stop, we must stop, anywhere we found an interest. We can eat lunch anytime we want, or not at all. All of that to ease ourselves out of a rigid schedule and put us on the path of a liesurely, pleasant adventure.
The beauty of the day, the Salmon River, Challis, and Salmon all confirmed us in our eyes on, learn more, take your time orientation.
So, we stopped at the site of the Nez Perce battle at Big Hole, just over the line in big sky Montana. Pat got her National Parks passport stamped three times: the Nez Perce National Historic Trail, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and The Big Hole Battle Ground. We toured the small, but impressive museum which, among other items, included Chief Joseph's beautiful beaded and ermine tasseled coat. We were also shown a 26 minute film about the Nez Perce, the split over who would stay on a newly declared and much smaller reservation, and the others, the non-treaty Nez Perce, who lived outside the newly designated area and were unwilling to be confined to it.
A revenge raid by some Nez Perce wariors, seeking revenge for the killing of one of their fathers, resulted in several deaths of settlers, and the call for the US Army to round up the non-treath bands and bring them back to the reservation. Fearing the vengeance of the US government, they nevertheless started back, but were intercepted by Army cavalry who sought the young men who had killed the white settlers. Under a white flag of truce, the Nex Perce negotiator aproached the troops, but was shot to death by one of them. The war was on.
On and on the chase went, first in a battle at White Bird, Idaho, and then into the Bitteroot Mountains. The People had settled in a well known summer hunting ground at Big Hole, thinking they were far ahead of the Army. They set about raising their teepees, hunting and digging camas, little suspecting the General Miles could call in other troops from Montana to support his pursuite.
On the night of August 8, 1877, the US troops left their mountain camp at midnight, and by about 3 AM were across the small stream from the Nez Perce encampment. One Nez Perce elder, out checking on his horses, about 2,000 of them, surprised the soldiers and the shots began. Volley after volley was fired into the teepees, and it was a deadly, horrid carnage from which women and children fled, some into the willows by the small steam, as the soldiers burned all the teepees, and engaged in hand to hand struggle with those who were fleeing. About ninety of the Nez Perce were killed or died shortly thereafter, which was about ten percent of the total group of about eight hundred. After twenty minutes on the attack it became clear to the US officers that the Nez Perce men rallied. The US forces retreated to a siege position on the neighboring hillside. A third of the US forces were killed or wounded, without water, food or medicine and thought they were done for. But the Nez Perce, knowing they had to flee, buried their dead the next day, and moved on towards BearPaw.
We walked the Teepee site, which now has lodge poles in place for about fifty dwellings, some marked with names. It is sacred ground, a cemterery, and a holy gathering place. The annual gathering was held the day before we arrived, and is held annually on the Saturday closest to the August 8-9th dates. We also walked the hillside from which the US troops attacked, and where they subsequently dug defensive holes to resist the oncoming Nez Perce attack.
After about two hours at this wonderful site, we drove on towards Missoula, when Pat saw some other tourists gazing upward. She followed their line of sight and saw mountain goats, just at the edge of the highway junction.
We turned around (our new orientation, again) and stopped. Wow! At least twelve goats we could see, looked down the rock about twenty feet or so above us, probably waiting for all the gawkers to move on so they could get to the river for a drink. The smoke was so thick they might also have had some notion of safety in the water. In any case, there they were, right in front us, nimble, majestic and curious.
After a few hundred pictures, we moved on to Missoula, were the last to chek in to Jim And Mary's RV Park -- very nice place with, as you see, WiFi. But that's not all! Tired as we were we were invited to the free Almost Willie Nelson concert. We did it and we were glad! he was a real hit, with the real get up, pig tails, flag bandanna, beat up guitar and very good presentation. Not only that, we were all treated to huckleberry ice cream just because, that's all.
Air is a bit clearer on this northeat edge of Missoula. hope yours is too!
