Post Falls to Missoula

Leaving Lake Coeur d’Alene, we continued along Interstate-90 crossing Idaho and entering Montana following the Clark Ford River through fir-covered valleys that follow the river between mountains on either side of the coach.  The coach climbs and then descends the early phases of the Rocky Mountains with ease and we are glad we had her serviced and new rear brakes installed before leaving Everett.

In places past battles of the terrain with forest fires are evident revealing the craggy rocks and sudden rises hidden below the firs.  The power of fire is evident with acres of hillsides charred naked of trees with only the fallen remnants of huge trunks clinging to the slopes as if a child’s “pick-up-sticks” game was played here by giants.

The river meanders from one side of the road to the other, dancing with the ribbon of silver rail lines that form the lifeblood of transportation here along the Northern Transcontinental Railroad that stretches from Lake Superior to Puget Sound completed in 1883.  The rail lines are still very active and we see trains on a regular basis and hear them through the night as we stay in towns dominated by the rail lines and the Interstate alike.  Our elevation has climbed back into the mile-high range give or take.

The original draw to this area was trapping, followed by the lure of gold prospecting that established many of the towns in this area and finally logging that sustained the growth of the frontiersman population.  Their arrival disrupted the 14,000-year inhabitants of western Montana-Native Americans called the Kootenai.  Staying mostly west of the Continental Divide, the Kootenai only ventured east for buffalo hunts seasonally.  They were later joined by the Salish, the Pend d’Oreille and the Crow tribes with all sharing in common hunting and gathering grounds across the state.  By 1700 they had acquired horses from Spaniards in the Southwest to aid them in their bison-based economy.  Their customs and overall quality of life survived until the late-1800s as bison were hunted to almost extinction by newly arriving white men and white men’s diseases decimated their populations.  Driven to reservations by various treaties and executive orders, they now occupy only 9 percent of the Montana land base.

And so we arrive in Missoula, in awe of the grand topography and history that lured so many here before us.  Aside from the winters and the threat of forest fires caused most often by lightening strikes, this area’s scenic beauty is a huge draw for even us leisurely traversing the terrain in modern, air-conditioned comfort.  Aside from the bugs plastering themselves on the windshield impeding my photography, this is a fine portion of our trip in lovely mid-70s sunny weather.