#720 I am Robert Reamer. I'm kind of a big deal.

I am Robert Reamer.  You’ve never heard of me and I’m kind of a big deal.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/slidefile/history/1872_1918/peopleevents/Images/18181d.jpg

You don’t know my name.  But you know my work.  I’m sure of that.  Have you heard of Yellowstone National Park?  Of course.  Have you heard of the world’s most famous geyser? Old Faithful, certainly.  What about Old Faithful Lodge?  Heard of it?  Guess what? I designed that big pile of logs when I was 29 years old. My hotel opened to raves in 1904. 

http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slidefile/history/postcards/fjhaynes/Images/11525.jpg

Since nobody had ever done it before, I designed a seven story log lobby that’s open inside all the way to the roof.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Faithful_Inn#/media/File:Old_Faithful_Inn_interior_wide.jpg

Way back in 1904, I knew people liked ‘go big or go home’ architecture. In 2017, mine not only remains the biggest log hotel in the world, it’s still the biggest log building in the world.  

And because people absolutely loved my ultimate woodsy design, Old Faithful Lodge started a trend.  Heard of ‘Parkitecture’?  Heard of ‘National Park Rustic’? Yes, I started that. Visited grand rustic lodges in Glacier, Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, or Crater Lake?  All influenced by my work.

In addition to Old Faithful Lodge, Yellowstone hired me to design 40 more projects. Today my buildings stand in five states including a National Historic Landmark, eight on the National Register of Historic Places, and four contributing buildings in National Historic Districts. 

https://www.amazon.com/Weaver-Dreams-Architecture-Robert-Reamer/dp/0976094517/ref=sr_1_1

I am Robert Reamer, the Weaver of Dreams.  You’ve never heard of me and I’m kind of a big deal.

Yours in architectural agreement,
Kelly 

#719 Paradise Valley

Driving toward Yellowstone National Park from the north, we have two roads from which to choose - one on each side of the Yellowstone River.

Both routes take us through Paradise Valley.  The quicker route is US Highway 89 on the west side of the river.  And the scenic route is MT State Highway 540 on the east side, aka East River Road.

We, of course, choose the East River Road.  The Yellowstone River creates a broad valley between two mountain ranges with beautiful river scenes. Locals tell us that celebrities like to live along this stretch including Jeff Bridges, John Mayer, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.  We see the appeal - especially those tranquil ranch scenes along the river.

If you're hungry, we highly recommend the avocado tacos and the Glastonbury burger at Pine Creek Lodge.   And if you're sleepy, they offer "rustic-yet-modern cabins made from recycled shipping containers."

Yours in choosing the road less traveled,
Mary Jo

#370 I Want To Go To There

As fans of 30 Rock, Mary and I have been working Tina Fey's line "I want to go to there" into our conversations. Turns out she got the line from her daughter who exclaimed "I want to go to there" after seeing a Disney World ad. If we had our own TV show, we'd use these quotes uttered by our 2-year-old nephew Nate on our 1997 "Killer Road Trip"...

1. "I turned the page!" (said really loud after turning a page in the scary book There's A Monster At The End Of This Book.)

2. "No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed." (said really loud while jumping only on motel beds, never at home) This jumping action sends Mary into uncontrolled, doubled-over laughter.
3. "I want to crack you up Mary" (said really loud after Mary doubles over in laughter)
4. "Coyoteeeeeeeeee" (said really loud instead of "cheese" during photo sessions )

5. "Nate make a tree" (said really loud when Nate's feet are being buried in throwing rocks near water)

6. "Nate sandwich" (said really loud when Nate is between two pillows)

Yours in wanting to go to there again with Nate,
Kelly

#217 Undaunted Roadtrip meets Voyage of Discovery

Without really planning it, our trip out west (the undaunted roadtrip) turned into a Lewis and Clark experience. Always a fan of the daring duo and their expedition, we found ourselves drawn to the rivers, the confluences, the forts, and the interpretive centers along the way.

Out west along the Lewis and Clark Trail, we found… Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan in Washburn, ND

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls, MT

Giant Springs in Great Falls, MT

Missouri River headwaters

Jefferson River, upstream from the headwaters of the Missouri River

Beaverhead Rock, site of the greatest coincidence in US history where Sacagawea recognized her brother Cameawait when Lewis and Clark were bargaining for horses

 

And way back east in Missouri, we found Jefferson’s original headstone on the University of Missouri campus

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial underneath the Arch in Saint Louis

At the Arch, we stood looking out over the combined Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and thought about how Lewis and Clark might have felt when they returned there in 1806 after their 8000-mile journey. We hoped to spy those modern day adventurers ( the UND students) pass by in their canoe, but I guess our car moves quicker than their canoe. Listening to downloaded recordings of the Thomas Jefferson hour, we wonder how this Undaunted Roadtrip will affect our Jeffersonian lives as we transition to the University of Virginia.

Yours in following the trail,
Kelly

#214 Oh The Places We’ve Seen Cool Libraries

With so much natural beauty out west, some may not notice the libraries - their mistake. My 4 favorites are...

Twin Bridges, MT with an outdoor mural

Boise, ID with an exclamation point

 

Hagerman, ID proud to be Idaho’s best

 

Mesa Verde National Park

 

You can take the librarian out of the library, but you can't keep her from hitting the brakes whenever she passes one. 

Yours in library appreciation, 

Mary

#212 Missouri versus Mississippi

Rivers are cool. On this trip, we’ve enjoyed some good river time. Yesterday’s list of our top 10 drives has us wondering if we could come up with a list of our top 10 rivers. That’s a little tricky, but we’ll try to work that discussion into our car time.

We played in the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park, MN.

We admired the natural beauty of the Missouri River north of Bismarck.

 

And today, we visited the headwaters of the Missouri River near Three Forks, MT. If you floated downstream in an inner tube from here, you would reach the Gulf of Mexico in 10 weeks.

Here the Madison and Jefferson Rivers collide to form what Lewis and Clark deemed the beginning of the Missouri River. More recent explorers point to Brower’s Spring 298 miles upstream as the true source of the Missouri. From this source, the Missouri River is clearly the longest river in North America. So an argument could be made that from the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers just north of St. Louis, the combined river should be called the Missouri all the way to New Orleans.

Yours in renaming rivers,
Kelly

#211 Our Top 10 Drives

I-15 south of Great Falls, MT is inspiring. (And it’s an interstate highway!) This stretch of highway along the Missouri River between Great Falls and Helena is so inspiring that we’ve decided to add it to our list of the ten best drives in North America.

So what are the other 9, you ask? Well, we weren’t sure ourselves, so we spent some valuable car time working on that. Our only restriction is that we must have driven the route ourselves. Please let us know if we’re missing one of your favorites!

• Cabot Trail – in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia
• Columbia River Gorge – between Portland and Hood River, OR
• Going to the Sun Road – across Glacier National Park
• Highway 93 – through the Sawtooth Range north of Sun Valley, ID
• I-15 - between Great Falls and Helena, MT
• Icefields Parkway – between Lake Louise and Jasper, Alberta
• Lolo Trail - Highway 12 between Kooskia, ID and Lolo, MT
• Seward Highway – south of Anchorage, AK
• Trail Ridge Road – in Rocky Mountain National Park
• Yosemite Valley – in Yosemite National Park

Honorable Mention

• Generals Highway through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
• North shore of Oahu
• Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park

Of course, now we're afraid to drive the famous Million Dollar Highway section of the San Juan Skyway in southwest Colorado. Something's going to have to go.

Yours in the car,
Kelly and Mary

#210 The Northern Plains

Driving through the northern plains states of Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana, we appreciate...

The use of lilacs for hedgerows

The Missouri River north of Bismarck that looks as it did 200 years ago when Lewis and Clark passed by

Hay art

Uncrowded fun roads to drive

We also appreciate all these things as yet unphotographed...

• The long vistas with big, big skies
• Tumbleweed
• Rolling, grassy, treeless hills that remind us of Kansas’ Flint Hills
• The colorful rock pile
• Wild animal life – ring-necked pheasant, wild turkey, deer
• Agricultural animal life – cattle, buffalo, sheep, horses
• Flashes of storms and cool spring temperatures
• Friendly locals and waving drivers 

Yours in feeling that we are far enough away to see the big picture from here,
Kelly and Mary