The Reasons for Three Forks...

This post is about the reasons for our two night stay in Three Forks MT. Nearby was the state's oldest geocache and also the Headwaters of the Missouri River. We weren't sure how much time would be required at the two geocaches so we allowed for a whole day. They only took half a day, so we had time for some other fun which will be another blog post.

Fairweather is the oldest continuous geocache in MT. It was placed March 14, 2001.

Fairweather is a fishing access point along the Missouri River between Trident and Clarkston. Neither of the two are towns or even hamlets. They may have been at one time.

Rather than take the road posted on the sign, I was certain there was another road. There was, but it consisted of 5 miles of dirt/gravel used by the mining company at Trident. Let's just say it was scenic. We did take the 16 mile paved road back to I 90.

We drove from a valley where the confluence of the Missouri Headwaters is located to hill county of native grassland and cedar trees.

Then we dropped down into the valley and followed the Missouri River to the Fairweather fishing access point.

We found the correct trail and walked about 300 feet to find the hidden container.

A plastic ammo container. Everything was dry and in good condition. We signed the log and headed back to the parking lot. Interesting to know this geocache was rated as wheel chair accessible. It isn't.

Some wild flowers I spotted along the way. There weren't many, but there weren't any poisonous plants either.

This was the boat ramp at Fairweather. Nobody was fishing at this spot. The river looked rather shallow at this point. And still very hazy from the fires in Montana and Canada, and probably other states, too.

A deserted farm house at the turn in the road at the Clarkston sign along the railroad. 

Then we headed to the Headwaters State Park, which we passed to get to the Fairweather cache, using my route.

We paid our $8 fee. 

We found the correct parking lot; there were two of them. When we stopped at the first one, there was a small paper sign saying there had been a bear sighting. We headed back to the other parking lot...no sign of a bear sighting. Interesting, too, because the trails from the two parking lots meet near the geocache along the Madison River.

We started out on the trail on a quarter mile plus walk.

To reach the geocache we needed to go off the main trail and head back through the trees towards the river. We each took different paths.

Although I got to ground zero (final location of the geocache container) I had some huge trees to climb over. Hubby took a different path and was able, with about 100 feet of bushwhacking, to walk right up to the ammo can hidden in the hollow of a tree. Missouri Headwaters geocache was placed March 14, 2001. Interesting how both caches were placed on the same day, but the Fairweather cache is considered the oldest. 

Once the cache was found and no blood was shed or bones broken (it really was an easy walk and find) I could take photos of wild flowers. I have no idea what they are other than a type of thistle.

I bet this one is rag weed. I didn't get too close and it was off the trail, not on my path to the river.

Now with the two caches out of the way, it was time to visit the Missouri River Headwaters.

click on the photo to get a larger one for viewing & reading

The Confluence

I am not certain what I was expecting, but I know I was a bit disappointed. This is it? It helped to read the signs giving more information, so I have included them in my post.

We did a geocache between Billings and Three Forks that talked about the Inland Sea.

I thought this tidbit was interesting.

This map helped put things into perspective, since I lived along or near the Missouri River the first 18 years of my life.

This was looking downstream on the Madison River. The Jefferson joined it before this point. A young man was launching an inner tube from that little island. I don't think he was planning to float to the Gulf of Mexico.

This was looking upriver on the Missouri. A couple of people fishing the warm day. It certainly isn't deep looking at the woman standing in the water with a fishing pole.

How the three rivers got their names.

Information about Sacagawea.

So far on this trip we have crossed the Madison and the Gallatin Rivers. I think we will cross the Jefferson when we head to Great Falls, our next destination.

South Dakota to Montana

 Hubby and I have begun out month-long camping and caching adventure. Our first goal is some special geocaching in MT on our way to Glacier National Park. Neither of us have been there and it is on our bucket list. GNP was originally scheduled for August 2020 but we all know what happened to 2020. We just moved all our park reservations to 2021.

We spent our first night at Hart Ranch Camping Resort near Rapid City SD.

It is August and that means Sturgis Motorcycle Rally time, especially in the Black Hills area as bike enthusiasts from all over the US converge in the region for about two weeks. This was a group of 16 riders, the largest group we saw that morning.

This photo is just to show how the wildfires from Canada are affecting the air quality. I expect it will be much like this all the way to WA. Reminds me of our trip to the Northwest in August 2015. Lots of wildfires then, too.

I know we are in WY when I see this plane on a pole. Yes, it is a geocache which we got in 2015.

This was the typical landscape in WY. Our first and only WY destination was Buffalo. For some reason we did not have a geocache in that county. We have passed through the county on several trips, but I guess we weren't too concerned about collecting counties on those earlier trips.

Buffalo had 3 sculptures near this street corner, all related to the cowboy way of life. (Click on the photo to get a larger view to see the cowboy's face.) The same cowboy was in the other sculpture on the same side of the street.

This explanation goes with my FAVORITE sculpture. It was near the Post Office, across the street from the two cowboy sculptures.

I took many photos of the details of these two war steeds. The head of the Native's horse is resting on the saddle of the soldier's horse. Notice their tails - one swishing and the other tied in a bob.

The artists explanation of his work.

flowers in somebody's yard

I couldn't resist

Finally, Montana. Still very hazy, smokey skies. And the landscape did not change much along I 90.

We had a few geocaches on our radar in Billings. This was one of the large containers we found. So much SWAG (stuff we all get) in the large metal box, Hubby had trouble finding the log sheet!

This was our walking path to another large cache in a park and nature area along the Yellowstone River.

The deer were the only other visitors in that part of the park. They left us alone after posing for their photo.

 

The Perennials and the Annuals

A friend said it takes 3 years for perennials to really produce. You plant the first year. The second year they take root. The third year they show off. Some of them are now at year three. She was right.

yes, the daisy needed de-heading

I am finding there are several plants that flower once and then they are done. They will be replaced next season because I prefer plants that will continue to produce flowers throughout the summer. I didn't pull the tag to identify this plant. It was chosen for the color of its flowers when it was originally planted. De-heading the dead blooms has not encouraged more flowers.

The poppies looked good earlier, but I am not certain they will show up next spring. Sad, cause I really like poppies.

This spring I focused on planting annuals behind the perennial bed. There were three reasons for that. The first was the neighbor across the wash commented how much she enjoyed my flowers. That got me thinking about adding more color and visibility on 'their' side of the flower bed. The second reason was to encourage and promote bees and butterflies. The third reason is to help hold the soil in place. I'm trying to keep the grass away from the flowers, but something need to keep the soil from eroding. Flowers seem to be a better choice than grass and weeds.

 

Some of the annuals are seed flowers and some were purchased as small plants for fill-ins when I didn't think the seeded ones would make it.

I think the annuals were very successful. I will put more effort into them next spring.

I was pleased to find some milkweed plants growing close to my flower garden this year. I carefully trimmed the weeds and grass around the plants hoping they would serve their purpose.

I haven't paid a lot of attention to them, checking for eggs, etc. Late last week I saw a fat caterpillar on one of the leaves. I didn't have my phone with me, but upon a little research it was a monarch caterpillar. It was no longer there the day I took these photos, but the evidence is in the chewed leaves. I am so please the milkweed 'hatched' at least one monarch butterfly!

The flowers are a work in progress. I dug out the crocus this spring because there was one flower among the dozen plants. Besides the bunnies loved to chew on them and that seemed to be a constant battle. I might find some other spring bulbs to plant this fall, but many of them are so tasty according to the past rabbit experiences. That will be a September project.

We leave August 2nd for a month-long camping and caching adventure. So you will have to check back now and then to see where we have traveled and what we saw.

July Wrap-up, from the Beginning to the End

 This is the rest of July in photo snapshots.

I planted two tomato plants this summer. I chose this one because it would produce tomatoes in 55 days. It did! We have been eating these since July 3rd. They didn't get very big, about the size of a plum or apricot and there weren't a lot of them. We have used them in salads. The heat is doing a number on them. We've had a week of temps in the high 90ºs to over 100º. 

I prefer grape tomatoes over cherry tomatoes, but the skins on this variety is very thick. The fruit is sweet and delicious. I have also been picking grape tomatoes since July 3rd.

This was the cucumber, or one of them, on July 3rd. My neighbor kept the vegetables watered while we were gone in June so I gifted the first couple of cucumbers to him as they do not plant any. The 3 cucumber plants are also looking really tough from the heat. 

The next two flowers were photographed while geocaching in a preserved nature area.

Buffalobur Nightshade

a poisonous thistle plant, painful to animals & humans

Hoary Verbena

Hoary vervain provides forage for deer and its seeds are an important food source for small mammals and upland birds. Native Americans made a tea from the leaves to treat stomachache.

The day lilies chose to bloom after the Fourth of July.

I have not been as faithful at watering these three plants as I have in past summers.

They are also showing some stress from the heat. We will all be pleased when the temps drop below 90.

The hibiscus is finally blooming! I gave this plant to K&C (at their request) to keep over the winter in 2019. The original plant was 4 in one pot, so this spring they split the plants and gave one back to me. I have nursed it along, first on the deck on the east side where it got too much first morning sun and then moved it to the west side where it finally flourished. Today (Thursday) 3 flowers are open! It will go back to K&C for the month of August. It may just stay with them until next spring. (Go this post to see the photos of this plant from August 2019) Hibiscus Watch

there is just something about a hibiscus flower

at least one more bud

This Mandevilla (Rock Trumpet) also had a rough start this spring: too hot on the deck, then inside the house with no sun and not enough water for 11 days in June, then back outside on the shaded stoop on the west side. Finally, just before we are ready to leave again, it is showing some signs of flowers. The plant I had last summer bloomed all summer long. Not this one. Not this summer. Oh well. K& C will get to enjoy it on their deck next month.

And finally to end the month of July, the last of the E birthdays.

M had five birthday celebrations this year. The first one was in the Black Hills with Aunt Kari. His parents made his birth day a special one with dinner out and gifts. The next day he had a date with G'pa Curt. They had lunch together and went to a movie. On the fourth day of celebrating he and two friends (and his sister) went to Thunder Road. Family celebrated his 9th birthday on Sunday with a gathering. A great way to end the month of July.

a smokey sky sunset from our deck