So much of my trip was about rivers, and on the long drive I pondered the part rivers played and continue to play in the history of the United states.  Expansion. Discovery. Manifest Destiny. The location of our major cities.

First, I drove out the Columbia River Gorge.  Takes my breath away every time.

Turning north into Washington, I drove along the winding Snake.

How did it get it’s name long before anyone had this God’s eye view?

I was blown away visiting the headwaters of the Missouri.

I remember learning about our major rivers in 5th Grade Geography and the part they played in our history.  The Ohio and the Missouri flow into the Mississippi, I learned.  I was tasked to draw a map illustrating this.  At that time, I hadn’t yet traveled far from my little town.  I knew that the Missouri’s source was in Washington State, which was on the other side of the world to me, and that it flowed into the Mississippi at St. Louis. I never dreamed that I would get to visit those places.

Here, again, are my headwater photos:

Of course, the Missouri never “communicates” with the Pacific.  Jefferson wasn’t right about everything.

The Missouri River officially starts at the confluence of the Jefferson and Madison  near Three Forks, Montana, and is joined by the Gallatin a mile downstream.

Confluence with the Gallatin:

We were not the first people here.

Elizabeth on the bank of the Gallatin:

Roxie faking literacy:

Everyone making her mark at the confluence:

Sorry to keep reposting this one.  I just love it.

_____________________________________________________________

And then there was the Yellowstone. The longest wild river in the United States.

Of course, these pictures show only the placid bits of our voyages. You really can’t take pictures when you are shooting rapids.  (Okay, so they were just splashy parts. Not really class 3.)

Lots of amazing wildlife along the way.  Love this bald eagle.