Day 3: Tuesday, September 6, 2005

We awake in a very different Missoula—a small town lying in a tight clasp of large rolling hills. The strip malls are still there, but they are just on the edge of town. Many pretty historic buildings line the downtown streets. Driving out of the town one cannot miss a giant letter “M” laid out in white on the side of a hill. Originally we thought it stood for Missoula. However, we will see a similar white letter “M” laid out on a hill in Butte, Montana. We now suspect it is there for the University of Montana.

Our first stop of the day is Butte, Montana. Nick has been here once before and a vivid memory of touring a mine urges him back. Butte turns out to be a very pretty town laid out on a side of a fairly steep hill. To get our bearings we stop at a visitor’s center. Besides general information about the town’s rich mining history and regular business advertisements, the visitor’s center has a little “observation” deck with several view finders (“fake” telescopes) pointed to each of the mines that used to blossom in the town. The sheer number of mines we can see allows us to comprehend the magnitude of the mining industry that once was here.

We drive uphill into town. The cross streets are called Copper, Aluminum, Gold, Platinum, etc. The Berkeley Pit Mine is located on the edge of downtown, and it is only a dollar to go in. The pit is enormous, filled with very dark, rust tinted water. The mining stopped here in 1982, and since the water has been collecting in the pit. When the mine was active the water was being pumped out, but not anymore. A nearby active mine also channels its waters into the Berkeley pit. The waters are toxic, full of arsenic, and other pollutants. However, currently nothing is being done. Using the estimate that the water in the pit rises about 12 feet per year, it will be another 10-15 years before the water level will be high enough to endanger ground waters.















The gift shop is interesting, selling lots of items made out of copper. However, some of them have a “Made in China” stamp on the back of them… We circle the hilly downtown in search of a place to grab some lunch. After some debate a soup and sandwich place wins. Lunch, gas, and we are on the way, back on I-90 East.

We cross the Continental Divide (first, but not the last time) about 10.6 miles East of Butte, Montana, at the elevation of 6393 feet.

Still west of Bozeman, we get off the highway following signs to the “Madison Buffalo Jump State Park”. In about half a mile, the signs point to a gravel road indicating that we have 7 miles to go to reach the park. The road is abysmal even for a non-paved road, but we do not have a choice. We crawl no faster then 5 mph, enjoying the vistas of farms around us. Occasionally a truck or an SUV zooms by us giving us a “look”.







Finally we reach a small observation area that presents us with a nice view of the area where Indians used to drive herds of buffalo and force them off the cliff. The Indians used all parts of the animal, and thus they were able to harvest enough food and supplies to last them through the winter.

Several paths lead from the observation area down and then back up towards the cliff. Despite large signs warning us against rattle snakes, we decide to take a walk. The short prairie bushes and tall grass are filled with strange looking insects, who rattle as they jump in the air. They seem black when they still, but display bright red and yellow underbellies as they zoom through the air making clicking noises. We have to stop often to make sure we are not hearing a different kind of clicking—the rattling of a snake.

The trip back to the highway does not seem as long, although it is just as bumpy. We continue East on I-90 and take Route 89 south that leads us right to the North Entrance of the Yellowstone National Park near the town of Gardiner, Montana. Very soon after we cross the park gates, we enter the state of Wyoming.

We arrive in the Yellowstone National Park at sunset. While Nick’s desire to see beavers is strong despite the relatively late hour, my fear of the dark and the wild animals lurking about prevails. We decide to see the beavers frolic in the sunlight first thing tomorrow morning instead.

A herd of elk greets us as we pull into the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel parking lot. Approximately 10 or 15 female elk are calmly grazing on the grass between the buildings. The single male elk decorated with beautiful antlers is also munching near by. A couple of silly park visitors get a little too close to one of the female elk to take some photos, and the male elk charges. The visitors run for their lives, and the elk halts his attack. While this incident ends well, it certainly shows that even though the animals in the park are not afraid to get very close to people, they are still wild animals.

We take a short walk around to see the steaming hot springs. They are beautiful. The minerals that the sprints deposit on the surface are stark white and seem to be lit from within in the light of the setting sun. We notice an owl quietly watching us from the height of one of the mineral deposits left after a hot spring stopped functioning. Unfortunately it is too dark for us to be able to see what kind it is.