My Journey

[ITTOG]

Absolutely beautiful as you say. Waterfalls are one of my favorites.

At this point I am going to start calling you the Cliffhanger King. We have been hooked for a long time. Now you are just teasing our minds as we try to think what could be next.

Great work Jerry and Tanner. Keep it coming!

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....this was a really, really good day.....



Now the first thing we did when we arrived at the base of the waterfalls was to just stand there and marvel at its beauty.....



Now this of course is certainly not the highest or largest waterfall in the world.....but what really was special here was its remoteness and the fact that it it was just me and my dog in the middle of nowhere.....and the secret of these falls.....





Once we had taken it all in, the next thing I did was take off the boots and chill those sore feet.....the feet that had hiked 17 plus miles just the day before.....





Now Tanner, he wasn't satisfied with just hanging out at the base of the waterfall.....nope.....next thing I know he's climbing the thing.....





Once I got my socks and boots back on, I was right behind him.....it seemed like the reasonable thing to do.....





As we were climbing to the the top of the waterfalls I found myself wondering how this massive stone wall could be ahead of us when I could plainly see the stream coming from the same direction as that massive stone wall.....

 

[Foy]

You saw, first hand, some of the multitude of gifts provided to Montana by the Madison Limestone. The Madison is a carbonate deposited in shallow water some 325 to 350 million years ago during the Mississippian Period. In much of central Montana, the top of the Madison horizon was exposed by erosion after initial deposition and a widely distributed karst topography developed before it was buried by Permian, Jurassic, and younger sediments. The paleokarst horizon provides a regional plumbing network for groundwater movement making the Madison horizon an aquifer of the first order.
In the Big Snowy Mountains, the Central Montana Uplift brings the Madison upward in a domal structure. Most if not all of the Central Montana "Island Ranges" such as the Highwoods, Big and Little Belts, Bear Paw, and Sweetgrass Hills, expose a core of younger igneous intrusive and extrusive (volcanic) rocks or of "basement" metamorphic rocks, but none are exposed in the center or crest of the Big Snowy Mountains. Instead, the Big Snowy Mountains have a wide and long cap of Madison Limestone all along their plateau-like crest. As you discovered, the crest exposes karst features like caves and caverns, including the Ice Cave. Lower down from the crest, large scale slumps which look like cirques but which were not created by alpine glaciation have pulled away from the domal surface and formed bowl-like headwater features. Many of the headwater features have high volume springs where the groundwater plumbing within the Madison intersects the bowl surface, with the Crystal Cascade being one of such springs.
Elsewhere in the region, the Madison Limestone is the source of the Big Spring in Lewistown, the canyon walls along the Smith River, Lewis & Clark Caverns, and countless "palisades" where folding has tilted the bedding plane such that long outcrops exposed by erosion subsequent to the folding have left walls of gray limestone for us to enjoy today. In semiarid climates such as Montana, limestones are ridge-formers, and with a thickness approaching 2,000', the Madison LImestone provides much of the non-igneous topographic high country, ridge, and hill country.
It's really great to see the Big Snowy Mountains through your eyes. I'm tempted to divert for a couple of days while in the region on our upcoming "Great Traverse" trip.
Foy

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Foy.....and therein lies the "secret".....

"Many of the headwater features have high volume springs where the groundwater plumbing within the Madison intersects the bowl surface, with the Crystal Cascade being one of such springs"....

As usual Foy.....great post.....thank you.....





The climb to the top of the falls was short and simple.....this was not a massive waterfall in anyway.....



At the top was a large plateau with a pool filled with crystal clear spring water backed by the massive stone wall that I had mentioned previously.....





The pool of water that I just spoke of.....it extended into what appeared to be a "cave" at the base of the massive stone wall.....





Tanner being the adventure dog that he clearly is walked into the "cave" without a second thought that I could see.....





And looking into that "cave" I saw a somewhat small hole, maybe three foot in diameter, and it was here that the water was released from the limestone cave below.....and emanating from that three foot in diameter hole......was the beginning of the Crystal Cascades.....



I found everything about this place to be remarkable and magical.....from the moment I first stepped onto the trail.....the remoteness of the hike along the mountainside, the calmness of the forest combined with our solitude, the unending show of wild flowers blooming along the trail side, the lone deer drinking from the creek, the 100 foot high waterfall cascading down the mountainside, and then the little wonder of the world tucked inside the massive stone cliffs. Readers may think this is nothing.....go to Yellowstone and see a grand waterfall greater than 300 feet in height or go watch Old Faithful cause it's indisputably a true wonder of the world you might say. I've seen those things in the past as I stood there in the crowds of thousands. Sometimes the greateat things in our lives are really not the greatest things in our lives.....


There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society where none intrudes,

By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:

I love not Man the less, but Nature more,

From these our interviews, in which I steal

From all I may be, or have been before,

To mingle with the Universe, and feel

What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.

Lord Byron

 

[longhorn1]

That is amazing. Such hidden beauty, but there to be found and admired.

 

[AlwaysRoaming]

Another great post Jerry. Thanks for always sharing.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....yep.....

Jbynum.....thanks.....and I'll say it one more time.....sharing here is always my pleasure.....



I left the campground the following morning.....and I left with some real regrets.....





As I drove down that narrow winding asphalt road that I had drove up just a few days before.....
leaving the mountains, the forests, the lake, the waterfalls and of course the caves behind.....





.....I couldn't help but have this deep regret that I didn't explore the remaining caves in the Big Snowy Mountains of Central Montana.....





And now we drove north.....once again taking a road to the left, and then yet one to right.....and on and on like this we drove through fields of beauty until finally connecting with Highway 87.....





Here we turned right, drove west and soon thereafter the highway left the open fields behind and we entered the town limits of Lewistown, Montana (population 5,800).....



And so now I'll tell you about our stay in what would soon become my favorite smalltown Montana town. When I think of Lewistown, I think of the movie Pleasantville.....yep, that would be Lewistown, Montana.....

 

[ITTOG]

I loved every one of the farm and pasture pictures in the last post but never would have thought to take them. I mean, why would I want a picture of a pasture with hay bales in it. But wow, I am sure I will start stopping to take the pictures and smell the roses, I mean hay. You are great at capturing the story for us.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....what you see in those pictures is the first hay / grass harvest of the summer season. These are mostly the results of the spring rains, although irrigation is in full swing.....the first harvest of the summer is always my favorite. A second harvest will come soon enough. The hay grows tall and fast in Montana. I've always loved to photograph the hay bales of Montana.....just like the grain elevator I posted recently, I see art in all of these things.....



Lewistown, Montana is the county seat of Fergus County, Montana and Fergus County, Montana comprises 4,253 square miles.....that would be 2,765,685 acres. Driving north / south it would be 70 miles long, and driving east / west, it would be 90 miles long. With a total population, which is in decline, of approximately 11,000 residents, it's not difficult to see why this is a great spot to escape the completely uncontrolled spread of Covid-19.....





We pulled into Lewistown, Montana coming from the west.....and the first thing I noticed was a small campground on the south side of Highway 87 just at the edge of town. This campground built by the local Kiwanis Club, provided free campsites with free water and trash service. And so it was that we would spend a week of our summer camped here along Highway 87 while exploring my new favorite smalltown Montana town.....





Fergus County, Montana is one of those places that has been barely hit by the dreaded disease. There's only been a total of 4 cases here.....and I believe that all have recovered at this point in time, and that's over the entire 6 month period that this disease has been left unchecked to invade the American landscape.....





We were in no hurry to leave here.....why would we be ? We'd start our mornings with a walk into town.....it was 2 miles to downtown Lewistown, 2.5 miles to the creek on the far side of town where Tanner & I would swim and bathe, and 3 miles to the farmers market on the outskirts of town where we bought freshly baked goods.....





Some days we would walk downtown twice and there were a few days that we did it three times. I don't recall ever visiting a more friendly town than Lewistown, Montana. It seems that most everybody here has the time and energy to wave or stop to chat. I met more people here than anywhere that I can think of.....anywhere.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

My favorite shop on Main Street was without a doubt Never Open Antiques.....



Like I said we walked Main Street at least twice a day for one entire week, and Never Open Antiques was never open.....not once.....



There are several cool old houses along Main Street in Lewistown, Montana.....this one might have fit better in Mississippi than it did in Montana.....



This one which was totally restored was gorgeous.....



The Fergus County Courthouse was built right on Main Street.....



This is fishing and hunting country.....therefore this sculpture was built right on Main Street.....lots of people asked me if I was doing any fishing.....and I always say the same thing..... "nah, I hate fishing".....



Most of Main Street is lined with old brick buildings built in the early 1900's.....



The American Prairie Reserve has an office here and is in the process of building an exhibition center here too, both are located right on Main Street. If you're not aware of this organization, you should Google them. They are controversial with the ranchers and many of the locals.....the APR (as they are known) and the ranchers that have lived here for decades definitely have different ideas on saving the prairies.....



When I walked the streets of Lewistown, Montana, I would often think to myself "could I live here ?". The answer to that question is without a doubt yes. Every resident of this town that I spoke to said that they loved it here. I'd guess in some ways things have never changed here over the years. I could imagine this painting on the side of one of the brick buildings jumping right off that brick wall and riding right down Main Street.....nobody here even thinking it didn't belong on Main Street, Lewistown, Montana.....



Sometimes all this thinking sure does make you tired.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Walking into Lewistown, Montana from the western side of town you'll see this simple sign advertising the Lewistown Farmers Market. It was the only sign I saw in the entire town announcing the Saturday morning Farmers Market.....and maybe the explanation for that is a simple one.....Lewistown is not a tourist town.....everyone already knows it.....



I took a picture of the sign as a reminder to myself cause I really wanted to go and just didn't want to forget. When Saturday morning eventually came around, Tanner and I walked into town with my empty backpack on my back with plans to fill it with freshly picked vegetables. We decided to stop along the way at the creek first and get in a short swim.....oh those cool waters felt so good.....







From here we continued on to the park with $25 cash in my pocket, and a plan to load up with those freshly picked vegetables. Svmms (where's the vowel ?) Park is much like any other community park that we see in America.....here I found an old rocket and a cannon on display. I'm not sure why it was but I found myself wondering how it is that so many of Americas parks have become retirement homes for our military surplus equipment.....I see it everywhere in my travels.....



The farmers market here was rather small.....I saw the freshly picked vegetables and passed them by for I was also eyeing the freshly baked goods and it was then that I began to change my priorities and desires.....





And so it was that we left the farmers market with $25 worth of baked goods.....and not a single freshly picked vegetable. Tanner and I sat on a nearby bench next to a cannon and a rocket, and then we immediately devoured a Peach Apple pie.....



On the way back to our campground, we returned to the creek for yet one more swim.....cause that's just what we love to do.....

Small town America.....Lewistown, Montana.....

 

[AlwaysRoaming]

Tanner has turned into quite the partner.

 

[Arjan]

I totally get the change from vegetables to bread.....

Totally.


Tanner looks a bit tired in that last picture. Think he did a lot of swimming !

Have fun and enjoy the fresh bread.

I'll ask the Mrs. to make some herself...

Thanks for showing the real US - very, very fascinating !

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jbynum.....he's as good a best friend as any man could ask for.....born to adventure.....

Arjan.....the homemade cakes, pies and bread are long gone (unfortunately).....yes we get tired so yesterday we finally had a planned rest day. One thing led to another, we climbed a mountain, explored a canyon, and hiked up and down several logging roads.....total of 18 miles walked. Love the rest days ! Here's a bit more of U.S.A. .....



I woke up on a Monday morning and decided that it was time to move north. We shopped for groceries, filled the truck with diesel, followed a lead on a log cabin for sale, and made a final stop at Tractor Supply for propane and dog treats. I met a family while shopping here which resulted in an invitation to the county fair.....



This family invited me to watch their duck compete in the Duck Agility Contest. Well, that's an invitation that is difficult to turn down.....





Unfortunately I arrived a bit too late for the Duck Agility Contest but that didn't matter so much to me honestly.....there was plenty more to see.....





Tanner and I, we walked the entire fairgrounds.....you know, to see what we could see.....



There was a lot going at the fairgrounds.....there was a lot to see. We never left Lewistown, Montana on that Monday, nor Tuesday, nor Wednesday.....yep, we stayed, enjoyed the fair and all those activities that are so special to rural America.....we finally left Thursday.....



We got another invitation while Tanner and I were at the fair seeing what we could see.....





We got an invitation to a wet tee shirt contest where kids compete trying to put a wet tee shirt on a goat. We arrived right on time and I could sense the excitement in the crowd immediately.....this was going to be good. Just as the show was to begin, an elderly woman in the stands with a BMI that far exceeded 30, might actually have been double that number, waddled from the stands and threw us out ! "No Dogs" she shouted at me ! "He'll bite the kids" she continued ! And so it was that we missed yet one more contest at the county fair.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

There's quite a bit of competition going on at the Lewistown, Montana county fair. All the kids enter their farm animals into these contests and let me tell you, these kids are serious competitors.....



These kids proudly posed with their farm animals and when I told them that I'd post their pictures on an international travel site, they absolutely loved it.....



Everyday I watch the world news and I watch the insanity of the world that we live in today. This town.....this fair.....it's almost a total escape from the realities of the real world that most are forced to live in today.....



It worries me that Covid-19 will eventually find its way here too.....the virus continues to be left unchecked and the virus is allowed to terrorize most communities.....the thought gives me shivers up my spine.....



As I walked the fairgrounds, I struck up a conversation with a weathered old cowboy.....he wore blue jeans and a button down shirt, cowboy boots and a large metal belt buckle, and of course a broad brimmed cowboy hat.....he said to me "you just missed the pig contest".....it seems as though I missed every contest at the Lewistown, Montana County Fair.....and I still loved it.....

I may have missed the pig contest.....I did not miss the pigs.....