Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

Such a grande adventure these two gentlemen, Lewis and Clark, found themselves on more than two hundred years ago...

We haven't traced their route footstep for footstep (yet :)!); but we have, however, found ourselves in many of the same places that this famous duo passed through so many years ago.

We visited the shops in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where the expedition got many of their supplies and began their long journey...we walked the banks of the Knife River in North Dakota where their ranks were vastly improved by the addition of Sacajawea and her family who accompanied the party as interpreters...and now we would visit the last encampment of the group, the site where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean collide...

The expedition reached this point near the end of 1805.  Not able to begin their journey back east until the spring, they spent a wet and chilly winter in the forest along the Oregon/Washington coast...

I'm sure it had to of been cold, but oh so pretty, too...

The trees, the ferns, the mosses and fungi <3...so many beautiful things to discover and explore...

the ferns were HUGE!

Fort Clatsop is what they called their winter shelter, so named after the Clatsop Indians that lived in the area...

A snug little place for more than two dozen grown men, for sure...

After our walk in the forest, we headed back up to the Visitor Center to check out the displays and for the kids to finish up their Junior Ranger books...

With that done, it was time to leave Oregon behind and cross the Columbia River once again.  Heading back north into Washington...

A quick pause at the Dismal Nitch, a cove on the Washington side of the Columbia River where the L&C group spent a miserable 6 days riding out a storm...

...and we were back on our way north.  We didn't make it very far until we saw a sign that advertised "Fresh Oysters"...

There was a lazy tendril of smoke rolling off the grill out front and the river where the oysters were harvested just across the street...um yes, please, and thank you!  Quick as a wink, the car was parked and we were all piling into the tiny seafood joint by the name of River View Dining in South Bend, Washington. 

Do yourself a favor...if you ever pass through that way, stop by the River View for some BBQ'd oysters.  Order extra, though, or your kids will eat them all before you get to have more than one..yes, they are THAT good :) (and now I'm hungry, haha!)

Knife River Indian Villages NHS, North Dakota

We took a little day trip, just a few hours away, to see the site of this historic village...

The one where Lewis and Clark spent the first winter of their expedition.  October 1804 thru April 1805...

Where they found friendship and invaluable help from the folks living there...

Sacagawea, her husband Charbonneau, the French-Canadian fur trader, and their baby son lived in this village...

ariel view of the village sites today...those circles are where the earth lodges used to be

When the expedition left in the spring of 1805, Sacagawea and her little family went with them as interpreters and guides...

After successfully reaching the Pacific Ocean, the party returned to this village in North Dakota in the summer of 1806.  Sacagawea and family stayed here, in their home, while Lewis and Clark continued on back east to report to President Jefferson.  Such rich history in such a quiet place...

In the Visitor Center, there was a virtual classroom going on.  One of the Rangers was teaching a class of children in Kansas, which is pretty cool.  I would have loved a lesson like that when I was in school :)!

When we left the historic site, we took a country road up towards Minot.  This church along the river caught our eye and we pulled in for a closer look.  Built in 1889...there are quite a few of these older beauties up here...

A stop at the Garrison Dam...

...and then on to Minot.  Living in Williston, there aren't many choices for eating out.  So, we pretty much don't...which isn't a bad thing.  Anyway, I had planned to treat the kids to a meal in Minot.  Whatever they wanted...I'm thinking Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Five Guys...something like that.  You know what these monkeys picked?  Burger King.  For real...hahaha!  What can I say, at least it was cheap ;)...

A Night in Montana and a Day at Little Bighorn~

The drive from Lovell, Wyoming, to Billings, Montana, was a pretty one...

Big sky country, for sure <3...

We weren't in a big hurry, we got there eventually ;)...

After a stop at one of our favorite dinner spots, HuHot, we headed over to Cabela's to do some more winter gear shopping.  We love Cabela's, they have the best wildlife displays/exhibits.  The kids had fun watching the fish and I was able to knock out a few more items on our list.  Win, win :).

A good night's sleep and we were ready to go again.  We wanted to go have some fun, but first we had to take care of business...that shopping thing that needed to be done.  Ugh.  A couple more stops and we lucked up at Shopko (of all places!).  Gloves, hats, scarves, snow pants, and even a few of the needed jackets.  Yes!  Hallelujah, now we could be done! ;) hahaha...

We still had a 5 hour drive to get back to Williston, so we only had time for a quick(ish) stop.  Looking at the map we decided to visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  It was in the same direction we were heading, with just a slight detour.

We started in the Visitor Center, checking out the displays, the video, etc...

Then it was time to head outside...

We walked the paths, quietly taking it all in.  Two days of fierce battle, so many lives lost... Custer and his men... Sioux and Cheyenne warriors...

A visit to a Battlefield isn't what I would call fun.  It's a very solemn thing...it makes you think, reflect, remember.  And that's good.  We need to remember...

There was a cold front blowing in the day we were there, the wind had an icy edge to it that kept us from staying outside very long.  We followed the path back into the VC so that the kids could finish up their Jr. Ranger books and turn them in.  The Ranger who helped them was so nice, we really liked talking with him :)...

Before leaving, we took a minute to check out the bookstore onsite.  The kids found something that has been so fun for them with our travels, Kids National Parks Passport Books!  If you don't have one of these and you go to a lot of NPS sites, I highly recommend getting one.  The kids really look forward to getting a new stamp for their books at each new place we visit :).