Headwaters of the Missouri, Air Show and Lewis and Clark Caverns

We started the morning with Harold's blueberry pancakes and fruit before heading our for a busy day of sightseeing.  Our first stop(s) was at Missouri Headwaters State Park.  We looked at the exhibit and then drove to where the rivers come together.  The Madison and Jefferson Rivers meet first and a short way further on the Gallatin River joins them.  Locals say the Missouri River does not begin until all three rivers have joined.  While we were standing looking at the confluence of the first two rivers, we watched a small airplane flying around near us.  It got lower and lower and we thought it would land in a field on the other side of the river.  Instead it landed on a short gravel bank of the river, turned around and took off again from this really small area.  It was amazing to see just how short a space it needed to land and take off and was fun to watch how well the pilot did.

Branched Madison,  Small Section of Jefferson and Gallatin at Top

Confluence of Madison and Jefferson 

Plane About to Land

On the Ground

In the Air Again

We then drove a short way to where the Gallatin River comes in and hiked a short distance up to a bluff to get a better view of the area and look down on the river.  We heard a snake in the grass near a chokecherry bush and didn't linger long reading the interpretive signs that were under a grass roofed shelter.  We walked a short distance on the rocks at the top of the trail to see if we could see where the Gallatin met the Missouri but a bridge blocked our view.  We thought we had a pretty good view of the area but Peaches said that there were lots of mountains out there that we couldn't see due to the smoke in the air.  We had played with chokecherries as kids using pea shooters to propel them and even eating them. I tried one on the way down the hill.  YUCK!!

Grass Covered Shelter

Nice Park

Gallatin River

Ted, Peaches and Harold

Back at the car, we did drive to where the Gallatin entered from the right and where the beginning of the great Missouri actually begins.  The volunteer woman at the entrance told us that a number of people start here each year trying to canoe or kayak all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  That would be a feat.

The Official Beginning of the Missouri River

From there, we drove to a free air show of small planes.  There were dozens lined up at a small airport with a few taking off and landing.  We saw the one that we had seen landing on the gravel river bank but were unable to find the owner.  We met up with the people that Harold had sold his business to and chatted with them awhile before leaving.

From the air show we drove to Lewis and Clark Caverns.  Lewis and Clark never visited the caverns but did pass by on the Jefferson River far below in the valley.  We paid our admission, got our tour time and went over to the cafe for a quick lunch.  The trail to the caverns is about a half mile and rises over three hundred feet to the entrance.  I think they said there were five hundred steps down in the cavern and another hundred back up with, of course, the half mile walk back once we were out.  You had to be somewhat physically fit in order to do the trek especially if you weren't acclimated to the altitude.  It was a hot day but we did pretty well considering.  

From Caverns Parking, Caverns Up On Right

From Caverns Entrance, Upper and Lower Trails

Jefferson River Far Below

Unlike other caves we had been in, this one was not large horizontally but we wound around as we descended vertically.  Our tour guide was great talking about the history, geology and types of formations as well as telling stories to reach all ages as there were quite a few well behaved children on the tour.  The formations were neat to view and the stairways and paths built by the CCC were challenging and fun.  At times we had to walk bent over to avoid bumping our heads, at times we had to walk sideways to fit through and there was one place you had to sit down to slide down a short way.  It was really a great time.  However, after descending all those stairs and contorting ourselves to keep from bashing our heads on rocks, our knees and backs were telling us we had been doing more than we were used to.  The over five hundred foot tunnel at the exit to the caverns had been blasted by the CCC and they were only four inches from where they had hoped to be.  We exited the caverns at a lower level than we had entered and had a flat walk back to the car.

Original Entrance to Caverns is Above

Many Broken Stalactites From When Souvenirs Were Encouraged

Some of the Formations

More Formations With Ted's Bald Head

We stopped to pick up salmon on the way back and had that with grilled potatoes with onions and peppers as well as salads for dinner.  We sat and chatted for a long while not realizing it was nearly eleven.  It was a great day.