Saturday, October 31, 2015

Conni – 08-09-14 Banff Trip – Gates of the Mountains, MT


Today we drove about 20 miles north of Helena to take a 2 hour boat trip on the Missouri River thru the Gates of the Mountains.
 
 
The area was explored by Lewis & Clark in July, 1805. Lewis named the area “Gates of the Mountains” since each bend of the river seemed to be closed off by stone walls, only to open like giant gates to reveal more passage on the river. 
The whole area is pristine and should stay that way since the only entry is on the river. The guide talked just about non-stop, so there was much to learn and see.

We sighted several bald eagles and ospreys.
 
 
 
 We also saw a huge osprey nest that has been in progress for many years. In August, the ospreys leave for South America, then return and continue to build on the nest from the previous year.

We also saw pictographs from Native Americans, but really couldn’t tell what they were depicting.
 
 
Sir Bentley joined us on the boat ride.
 
 
 

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