Lewis And Clark
I enjoyed the wedding in Bismarck, marrying a young couple is one of the great privileges of the pastor. It may also be the last time I see that pleasant city on those "Handsome Plains" as Captain Lewis described them.
On either side of the Missouri River in North Dakota in the Bismark area is a road that follows the route of Lewis and Clark, on the East side, 1804 and on the west side, 1806. Each of those two years being the entry and return for their trip through the state as they headed to the west coast and returned.
I blacktopped 1804 yesterday from Bismarck to it's end in South Dakota. Or near it's end anyhow. The Missouri doesn't make point A to point B travel easy. It's a bit of a wanderer. I started at six in the morning, still dark but a grand glow off in the east just kept coming on for over an hour it seemed. Down into South Dakota and finally into Nebraska where I had trouble getting across the Platte river since the bridge must be out at Columbus. And finally back through this area north of our home here they call the Bohemian Alps. There are some spots along the way that almost take your breath away. I say almost because of all the time I've spent in beautiful mountain ranges where you really did have to hold on to your breath or lose it.
But as far as Midwest drives go, this one is right up there. Coming down to the bridge on 90 that crosses the river is an amazing scene. The river is just so full of blue, it's actually more of a lake there in South Dakota, but it is beautiful and fulfilling. And then there was another spot which I'm sure most people never get near but it was down in Greenwood SD, man the hills on the Nebraska side stand proud here. It seemed like I had to go through some serious wilderness to get there, but it was worth it. Some places down in those parts, I didn't see a soul for over an hour. Maybe they were watching football on their satellite dish.
Whenever I get to travel that historic route, I think in about equal parts, the view and the history. The view for me is visual candy, but the history stimulates my thinking about their journey and from there, my journey. We've come along way in this country from Jefferson's day. Our founding father's did some great things and wrote some great documents and inspired some great exploration. Those days are over now for the most part. All the counties have names, the roads have numbers, the rivers have bridges, and the towns have gas stations. True exploring is rare if not impossible on this part of the map.
But I don't yearn for those days. They were tough and inhospitable times on the plains. I like to think I would have done just fine. But I'm glad I didn't have to. I'm glad to live in 2009. I'm glad to see young couples saying "I Do" and things like that. I'm glad to live life here and now. But it's always good to take a trip back in time and see where we came from, don't you think?
On either side of the Missouri River in North Dakota in the Bismark area is a road that follows the route of Lewis and Clark, on the East side, 1804 and on the west side, 1806. Each of those two years being the entry and return for their trip through the state as they headed to the west coast and returned.
I blacktopped 1804 yesterday from Bismarck to it's end in South Dakota. Or near it's end anyhow. The Missouri doesn't make point A to point B travel easy. It's a bit of a wanderer. I started at six in the morning, still dark but a grand glow off in the east just kept coming on for over an hour it seemed. Down into South Dakota and finally into Nebraska where I had trouble getting across the Platte river since the bridge must be out at Columbus. And finally back through this area north of our home here they call the Bohemian Alps. There are some spots along the way that almost take your breath away. I say almost because of all the time I've spent in beautiful mountain ranges where you really did have to hold on to your breath or lose it.
But as far as Midwest drives go, this one is right up there. Coming down to the bridge on 90 that crosses the river is an amazing scene. The river is just so full of blue, it's actually more of a lake there in South Dakota, but it is beautiful and fulfilling. And then there was another spot which I'm sure most people never get near but it was down in Greenwood SD, man the hills on the Nebraska side stand proud here. It seemed like I had to go through some serious wilderness to get there, but it was worth it. Some places down in those parts, I didn't see a soul for over an hour. Maybe they were watching football on their satellite dish.
Whenever I get to travel that historic route, I think in about equal parts, the view and the history. The view for me is visual candy, but the history stimulates my thinking about their journey and from there, my journey. We've come along way in this country from Jefferson's day. Our founding father's did some great things and wrote some great documents and inspired some great exploration. Those days are over now for the most part. All the counties have names, the roads have numbers, the rivers have bridges, and the towns have gas stations. True exploring is rare if not impossible on this part of the map.
But I don't yearn for those days. They were tough and inhospitable times on the plains. I like to think I would have done just fine. But I'm glad I didn't have to. I'm glad to live in 2009. I'm glad to see young couples saying "I Do" and things like that. I'm glad to live life here and now. But it's always good to take a trip back in time and see where we came from, don't you think?
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