Day 44 - Fort Benton, MT to Great Falls, MT

There was a bad surprise waiting for Lewis, Clark and the Corps of Discovery When they arrived in what is now Great Falls in mid June 1804. Instead of one waterfall that they could portage in a day, as they had expected, there were five spread out over 18.5 miles. Portaging the canoes and gear was arduous work that took them well into July. There is a Lewis and Clark interpretive Center next to the river in Great Falls that has an excellent depiction of the portage.

I, too, had a bad surprise today as I rode to Great Falls. The smoke from the forest fires west of here is starting to get worse. Fortunately, it looks like we might be getting cooler weather and some rain starting in the next couple days that should help.Whatever may happen, like Lewis and Clark, I shall persevere!

As I rode around the perimeter of Malmberg Air Force Base on the outskirts of Great Falls, I was reminded That the guy camping next to me in Lewistown said that Boeing is moving over 300 employees to that area for the purpose of doing some kind of government contract work on the 100+ underground missile silos in that area that date back to the the Cold War. Fake news?

I look forward to visiting the Charlie Russell Museum here in Great Falls tomorrow.