Corps of Discovery

We're really into Lewis & Clark country now, working our way up the Yellowstone to the headwaters of the Missouri River. Even with highway, rail lines, farms and towns, this is breathtaking country. I can only imagine the overwhelming emotions the Captains felt as they pressed farther west.
I'd be in trouble with them all of the time for dropping my grip on the pull rope of the boat and climbing the river bank to get another view of the prairies, mountains, forests and wildlife.
We went north out of Cody to link up with the Nez Perce trail, another bit of history we'll criss-cross the next few days. Two miles across the Montana border, I saw a chukar in the grass on the edge of the road (Dad's got pretty good eyes when it comes to spotting birds), and even with her freshly laundered jeans on, Sophia's jaw was set on getting one of those dadgum things. We backed up (you can do that on a lot of Montana highways) and watched the bird and a couple of buddies, cross the fence into ... public land - BLM! As described before, hunting down on them is preferable, so we made a wide swing east and scrambled up an 80' outcrop. Kali did her thing and pinned the birds against the edge of the drop-off and Soph was reminded yet again how fast chukar can get gone.
Watched where they landed across the canyon, confirmed her fervent desire to get one, scrambled down the outcrop, across the canyon, up the taller outcrop to the south ... swung way south to get the wind, then came back into the wind along the edge of the drop-off.
This time Kali pinned them under the only tree on the hill in as pretty a point as I've ever seen her lock into...
Have decided as a parent that referring to Alectoris chukar as mother chukars is okay, even for a 13-year old. The revenge quest continues...
North of present-day Laurel, MT, Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce selected Canyon Creek as the point to turn and face the pursuing cavalry of Capt. Sturgis. Joseph stationed sharpshooters on either side of the canyon walls and poured a galling (I love that word) fire into the approaching troopers while the women, children and pony herd made their way up the canyon and out onto the plains beyond. The Army was forced to withdraw and the Nez Perce continued their escape towards Canada. They wouldn't make it... the Crows decided it was better to stay on the white mans' good side than assist their longtime friends, so they stole most of the Nez Perce pony herd, the primary strategic advantage they had over the Army. That and familiarity with the area - hence the mad dash for Canyon Creek.
There'll be lots more about the Nez Perce in the coming days as we move along the MT/ID border.
Also stopped at the headwaters of the mighty Missouri River, just east of Three Forks, MT. The confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers creates a deep, dark and powerful stream, laden with history, commerce, adventure, and despair. Have already admitted I'm a weird tourist, but when I stand on that spot, overlooking the dark swirling waters that ultimately end up in the Gulf of Mexico, I can feel history.