On our way to the Grand Coulee Dam we stopped at a roadside fruit stall and had a good natter to the two old dears who ran it as their retirement project. We left having made their day by putting a new pin in their world map, and with a selection of home grown apples and peaches, and a huge bottle of fresh apple cider (apple juice to us foreigners, over here its called hard cider if it contains alcohol). We also had our first taste of huckleberries, which can only be described as blueberries with attitude. Being on Indian Reservation lands we learnt from these ladies that only the Native Americans are allowed to pick these berries, who then trade them. There are also many other local issues such as the control of water by the ruling tribe, and we are continuing to discover plenty about Native American peoples as we move inland.
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| Panorama from the top of Grand Coulee Dam |
Whilst the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington is far less well known than the Hoover Dam in Nevada, at nearly a mile long and with 33 turbines it is the largest electric power producing facility in the US. The dam provides a free visitor tour which took us underground into the workings of the enormous pump room that provides water for irrigation up to the high plains, and also up on top of the dam itself. Except for the tour, it is off-limits to the general public due to the threat of terrorism and as a result we had to go through airport style security and were accompanied by armed guards throughout, but it was well worth it.
Stopping for the night in a small town called Spokane, the following morning we drove through the top of Idaho before crossing into Montana and driving through the stunning Glacier National Park. Its a huge park of over 1 million acres, formed over 170 million years ago. The only road through the park is called "Going To The Sun road", an engineering marvel spanning over 50 miles, gently winding up hill to the continental divide at Logan's Pass (Altitude 6646 ft).
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| Glacier National Park |
Over the the other side and out of the park we passed through Browning, the seat of the tribal government for the Blackfeet Indian reservation. It was our longest day so far at over 500 miles but our "General Lee" is proving very comfortable and surprisingly economical too.
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| Beautiful Montana |
After another night stop in a rural town called Conrad we were back on the road and driving through Montana, which seemed to consist of vast amounts of nothing, just rolling hills, fields of wheat and plenty of cattle and horse ranches. The sky was brilliant blue with white clouds that had flat bottoms just like the opening credits to The Simpsons - no wonder it is known as Big Sky Country.
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| Suprise Pool, one of many hot pools in Yellowstone |
We stopped to buy a pint of locally grown cherries to sustain us before reaching the working cattle ranch to the north-west of Yellowstone, where we are staying in a rustic log cabin. Just half an hour drive from the West entrance, its a great way to stay near the park but without paying park accommodation prices. Accessing the park using our annual pass which has proven to been great value, we saw many geysers, mud pools and hot springs, all of which are truly stunning.
Famously, Old Faithful was worth the wait to see it erupting and we also witnessed an eruption of the Great Fountain Geyser in the Firehole Lake area, which erupts less than twice per day. Great timing on our part but more by luck than judgement. There has also been plenty of wildlife including Bison, Elk and Deer to name a few. Getting over 30,000 visitors every day, this park - considered to be the first national park in the world - gets very busy and we could easily spend a week or more here and not see everything, but it has been a great experience.
This morning brought a sharp frost, the first we have seen in the USA and a bit chilly for Sel on her horse ride today, though daytime temperatures are getting up into the mid 20's. We head east again tomorrow and are looking forward to seeing Mount Rushmore in South Dakota very soon.
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| Sel in blue on the fourth horse, called Yukon. |
