Day 14 - Jackson, WY to Coeur d' Alene, ID

    

 

 

Saturday, March 17, 2007

 

I enjoyed a pleasant early morning walk around Jackson before continuing on...

 

       

 

       

 

     

 

 

 

Out of Jackson on Highway 22, bound for Teton Pass and Idaho...

 

       

 

       

 

     

 

 

Teton Pass was one of the toughest passes that me and Bigfoot have pulled together. On some stretches we could barely make 10 mph... but the views along the way were spectacular...

 

Whew!

 

 

Down in to Idaho...

 

       

 

 

 

 

Idaho... Highway 26 to Idaho Falls...

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

 

 

The Snake River...

 

       

 

       

 

 

 

I got out to stretch at a nice little Antique Store not far out of Idaho Falls. I had a good cup of coffee there, as I recall...

 

       

 

       

 

 

 

Idaho Falls, Idaho...

 

       

 

 

Site of the old Taylor's Bridge. Click here for an historical photograph.

 

 

 

 

Proceeding on... north on I-15...

 

This is not Bigfoot! A few miles out of Idaho Falls I came across this sad scene. I saw no evidence of injury, other than perhaps to the pride of the driver. Drivers of rigs with large rear overhangs quickly learn to spot and avoid dips in the road. Bigfoot has a heavy duty rear roller bar to protect against damage to the underside when negotiating small dips... but not a large dip like this one! And that's all I'm going to say...

 

       

 

       

 

       

 

   

 

 

 

Entering the great state of Montana...

 

       

 

       

 

 

 

Clark Canyon. Clark Canyon, at the headwaters of the Beaverhead River, was inundated by the Clark Canyon Dam. The Lewis & Clark Expedition followed the Beaverhead River and reached this location on their way to Continental Divide at Lolo Pass, and called it Camp Fortunate. It was at this place, now beneath the waters of the Clark Canyon Reservoir, that Meriwether Lewis made contact with the Lemhi Shoshoni Indians and secured the horses that would be essential for the upcoming mountain crossing. In one of the great strokes of good fortune in history the leader of the tribe turned out to be Sacagawea's brother. Years before, Sacagawea had been taken away from her Lemi Shoshoni tribe by a group of Hidatsa Indians. Later she became the wife of Charbonneau, who hired on with the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Charbonneau had won Sacagawea through gambling. Sacagawea could speak the language of the Lemi Shoshoni Indians which was of great help in acquiring the much needed horses for the mountain crossing. This was Sacagawea's major contribution to the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeding north through Montana...

 

       

 

       

 

     

 

Cutoff to the Big Hole...

 

     

 

 

Approaching the junction of I-90...

 

 

I-90 westbound... this trip was getting a little too near it's conclusion for my taste...

 

       

 

       

 

 

 

Missoula, Montana...

        

 

       

 

 

I recalled stopping at this Cracker Barrel restaurant in Missoula with Chieko, back on August 2, 2000...

 

 

Proceeding westward...

 

       

 

 

 

Reentering Idaho...

 

 

 

 

As I entered downtown Coeur d' Alene, Idaho I was greeted by parades and merrymaking. Then I remembered that it was St. Patrick's Day. I found a quite spot on the outskirts of town and made camp there...