The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
As an 8th grade history teacher, my pal Shari was just giddy with excitement when we arrived at The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail And Interpretive Center. What a truly fantastic place to learn and appreciate the journey, struggles, and story of these two very brave men who were sent on an expedition by Thomas Jefferson to explore the wilderness of the Louisiana Purchase. We learned all about the various … [Read more...]
This two hour Gates OF The Mountains Boat Tour follows the travels of Lewis and Clark upstream on the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals, “Suddenly, there loomed before them towering rock formations unlike any they had ever seen. From both sides of the river, limestone cliffs rose to a spectacular heights of 1200 feet. In many places,” wrote Meriwether Lewis, “the rocks seem ready … [Read more...]
Digging at the Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine was so much fun! Many gems can be found in Montana, but sapphires are particularly abundant and can be found in the ancient riverbeds. Shari. the kids and I could not wait to get digging to find some treasure. We checked in at the rock shop and were given a brief overview of the types of rocks and gems that we might find. We then followed our guide up the hill to the dig … [Read more...]
The Montana State Capitol Building was completed in 1902 and is a beautiful domed structure made of Montana sandstone and granite. Inside is a spectacular rotunda with four circular paintings which depict for important types of people in Montana's early history. They are 1. a Native American, 2. an explorer and fur trapper, 3. a gold miner, and 4. a cowboy. There are a few other significant paintings, making this a … [Read more...]
On Main St. in Livingston is where you'll find one of our top 10 picks for best Ice Cream in the USA, Wilcoxson's. Try Montana Moose Moss (mint chip ice cream except the “chips” are about the size of nickels) or Moose Tracks (Vanilla with ribbons of caramel and chocolate) among the other equally rich and decadent offerings. Heavenly!!! You can also find Wilcoxson's at many other markets, restaurants, and … [Read more...]
If you are looking for family dining while you are visiting the quaint and charming town of Livingston, then The Sport is the place to go. We ate lunch here and the food was great-something to make everyone happy burgers, sandwiches, even quesadillas for the vegetarians in the group. But what was truly special at this local establishment which has been in business since 1909, were all the taxidermy animals … [Read more...]
The Yellowstone Gateway Museum is a really terrific little museum that highlights the life and times of folks in the area from the time Yellowstone was founded. It was really fun to see old stoves and washing machines and ask the kids if they could figure out what they were without us telling them. There was an old schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, and even the stagecoaches that were used to tour Yellowstone back in the … [Read more...]
A little off the beaten path, the Lewis and Clark Caverns hosts a spectacular display of stalactites and stalagmites formed by the minerals in the dripping water that have collected within these caves for hundreds of thousands of years. After hiking up nearly a mile up the hill the the cave entrance, we were led inside by our guide. The cave was dark and cool but as we entered we were wowed by the amazing formations. … [Read more...]
Virginia City is a fun little historic town that looks frozen in time. We rode a little train from Nevada city into the town and I remember Isaac acting out and some strange man-a real relic of the old west, on the train told my son to behave or he'd teach him a lesson. I was so caught off guard that someone would say something like that to someone else's kid that I just froze. To this day I am mad at myself for … [Read more...]
I guess we can only judge Wyoming based on our adventures in spectacular Yellowstone National Park. What we saw was natural wonder all around us from the colorful paint pots of natural chemicals bubbling up from below the earth's surface to the steaming geysers, to the amazing wildlife. I just know that Wyoming holds more treasure that we didn't get to see and another state capitol we missed in Cheyenne. Hopefully … [Read more...]
