It was a pretty dull day that included one amazing little adventure. Four hours into our drive we arrived at Pompey’s Pillar National Monument in the middle of Montana. Pretty much the middle of nowhere, just fields and mountains surrounding us. Most of the drive was along the Yellowstone River, nearly the exact same route William Clark took in 1806. That will be William Clark of Lewis and Clark. Amazingly, when Clark (he and Lewis had split up for part of the journey back east), stumbled upon this amazing natural pillar he copied the American Indians and sketched his name and date in the the rock. It is the only existing evidence of the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. It was amazing to see. The informed volunteers offered us enough information to make us really get a sense of what it was like for Clark’s team to arrive at this site. Surrounding the etching is a multitude of other markings. Some from the American Indians prior to Clark’s signature. Some from other explorers dating to the early 1800s. And some up the 1990s prior to the rock formation becoming a national monument. I was really impressed by the entire visit.
After finishing the drive, and a nice long swim for the girls, we went to Glendive’s finest dining establishment. It was voted #1 by Yelp and Tripadvisor, our go tos on this trip. We accidently drove by it the first time, because none of us were looking for a liquor store/casino/family Mexican restaurant. Regardless, I’m glad we swung around the block, because the margaritas and food was great!
