ON THE TRAIL OF TRAILS IN THE WEST

SCENES FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHERS PARADISE THE EROSION FEATURES OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA BADLANDS. WHY PEOPLE EVEN BOTHERED TO FARM HERE DEFIES BELIEF.

MT RUSHMORE IS VERY IMPRESSIVE. VIEWED HERE FREOM THE SCOTMAN'S VIEWPOINT OUT ON THE MAIL HIGHWAY. EVEN THOUGH A NATIONAL MONUMENT A CONCEESIONAIRE HAS BEEN GIVEN EXCLUSIVE PARKING RIGHTS IN A FLASH NEW PARKING BUILDING. THE OLD NP PARKING AREAS HAVE BEEN CLOSED AND THE PARKING IS NOW $10 PER VEHICLE EVEN WITH A PARKS ANNUAL PASS!!

YELLOWSTONE THERMAL WONDERS. COLFFERENT COLOURS CAUSED BY THERMOPHILIC BACTERIA. DIFFERENT COLURS DIFFERENT SPECIES-TEMP DEPENDENT I GUESS.

MINERAL TERRACES SIMILAR TO THE PINK AND WHITE TERRCES IN NZ OBLITERATED BY THE 1883 ERUPTION OF MT TARAWERA.NZ IS ONE OF THE FEW GEOTHERMAL AREAS WITH MUDPOOLS AND GEYSERS LIKE YELLOWSTONE IN THE WORLD.

DEVILS MONUMENT RISES ABOVE THE SURROUNDING PLATEAU. A BASALT INTRUSION THAT CALLED SLOWLY FORMING THE MAGICAL HEXAGONAL BASALT COLUMNS ,THE SURROUNDING SOFT ROCK THEN ERODED AWAY.

THE INDIAN LEGEND IS THAT A GROUP OF CHILDREN WERE BEING CHASED BY A GIANT BEAR. THEY CLIMED THE ROCK AND THE BEAR CLAWED AWAY TRYING TO GET UP.JUST AS HE WAS ABOUT TO GET THEM THE SKY GOD WHISKED THEM INTO THE SKY WHERE THEY NOW FORM THE PLEIDES CONSTELLATION. THE NZ MAORI CALL PLEIDES MATARIKI WHICH ALSO MEANS CHILDREN THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF MATARIKI IN THE SOUTHERN SKY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR IN TRADITIONAL MAORIDOM. IT IS ALSO THE SUBARU LOGO.(MY BADGE ON MY SUBARU GOT PINCHED!!)

A HAVEN FOR ADRENALIN JUNKIES!!

FRENCH FUR TRADERS NAMED THESE THREE GRANITE PEAKS SOUTH OF YELLOWSTONE TROIS TETONS-THE THREE BREASTS (OBVIOUSLY HAD BEEN AWAY FROM HOME FOR A LONG TIME.) THE CENTRAL ONE IS CALLED GRAND TETON AND GIVE IT NAME TO THE MAGNIFICENT PARK. THIS PHOTO FROM OUR CAMP IN THE NATIONAL FOREST JUST OUTSIDE.(THANKS KEN).AMAZING HOW THINGS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE ARE POLITICALLY CORRECT AND SEXY. BIG BREAST NATIONAL PARK WOULDN'T WORK.GIUSEPPE VERDI WROTE MAGNIFCENT OPERAS-COULDN'T IMAGINE JOE GREEN DOING IT!!

JEENY LAKE GRAND TETONS.

LARGE BISON HERDS HAVE THE RUN OF YELLOWSTONE AND TETONS.

JD ROCKERFELLER BOUGHT UP A LOT OF FARMS TO SAFEGUARD AND PRESERVE THE AREA INTO GRAND TETON NP. THIS IS MORMON ROW A STRING OF FARMS BOUGHT OUT.NEAT POPLAR BORDERS AND ABUNDANT FRUIT TREES ON A SAGEBUSH DRY ECOSYSTEM.

THE SPECTACULAR BEARTOOTH PASS THAT WINDS AND SWITCHBACKS 13 MILES UP THE SIDE OF A STEEP U SHAPED VALLEY UPTO THE NW ENTRANCE OF YELLOWSTONE NP..

SOME OF THE BEST ACCESSIBLE TROUT FISHING IN YELLOWSTONE. THE BEAUTIFUL MADDISON RIVER.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT STARTED THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM IN THE 1880,S TO PROTECT THE SMALL REMAINING BISON HEARD IN YELLOWSTONE.

OLD FAIHTFUL DID ITS THING RIGHT ON SCHEDULED TIME.

WE SAT NEXT TO A COUPLE FROM EASTERN TXAS WHO HAD TOURED NZ A FEW YEARS AGO. THEY VISITED A NEPHEW WHO WENT OUT TO CANTERBURY UNIVERSITY IN CHRISTCHURCH(MY ALMA MATER) TO DO A PhD IN GEOLOGY.

HOT POTTING AT THE WHERE THE BOLING RIVER ENTERS GARDINER NEAR THE NORTH ENTRANCE.

OUR CAMP VIEW DOWN TO THE NORTHERN ENTANCE AT GARDINER.

THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE.

THE WEST,HOW IT WAS WON AND LOST

POMPEY'S PILLAR WAS NAMED BY CLARK IN HONOUR OF POMPEY-CLARKS NICKNAME FOR THE SON OF SACAGEWA THE SIOUX TRANSLATOR AND HER FRENCH VOYAGEUR HUSBAND MAIN GUIDE OF THEIR EXPEDITION.IT IS A PROMINANT LANDMARK ON THE MISSOURI AND YELLOWSTONE JUNCTION THAT AFFORDED CLARK GREAT VIEWS OF THE SURROUNDS. HIS INTIALS ARE CARVED IN THE SOFT ROCK.

FORT CLARK-INDENTATIONS ARE DOZENS OF INDIAN EARTHMOUND DWELLINGS AT THIS FUR TRADING POST ON THE MISSOURI

WE CAMPED ON THIS SPOT ON THE MISSOURI IN NORTH DAKOTA.

LEWIS AND CLARK INTERPRETIVE CENTRE.

THE RATHER BIZARRE MEETING POINTS OF THE TWO TRAINS AT PROMONTORY POINT IN 1869.

WOOD FIRED JUPITER FROM SACREMENTO

COAL FIRED TRAIN FROM OMAHA.A COMPETITION FOR FIRST TO COMPLETE THEIR SECTION OF TRACK LED TO GREAT FEATS SUCH AS THE CHINESE TEAM LAYING A RECORD 10 MILES OF TRACK IN ONE DAY AND CLAIMING A RICH PRIZE PUT UP BY THE FEDERAL GOVT. THIS AMAZING FEAT WAS ACHIEVED OVER THE SIERRAS AND ROCKIES WITH NO MORE THAN A 2% GRADE. MUCH OF THE LINE IS STILL USED AND IT SNAKES ACROSS AND AROUND THE LANDSCAPE. THIS SECTION WAS ACTUALLY BY-PASSED IN 1902 BY A CAUSEWAY PUT ACROSS GREAT SALT LAKE.

CHARLES RICH ONE OF THE APOSTLES SENT BY BRIGHAM YOUNG TO COLONISE THE BEAR RIVER AREA. RICH LED A GROUP OF 700 FAMILIES. THETY SET UP MANY TOWNS INCLUDING THIS ONE CALLED PARIS.THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE IN UTAH BUT ACTUALLY IN IDAHO,A GREAT EXPONENT OF POLYGAMY HE HAD 6 WIVES(I PRESUME MORE SPIRITUAL MATTERS OCCUPIED HIS TIME ON SUNDAYS!!) AND 50 CHILDREN .I BELIEVE TODAY SOME 25,000 PEOPLE CAN TRACE ANCESTRY BACK TO HIM.

THE SAINTS OF PARIS LABOURED FOR TWENTY YEARS TO QUARRY,CUT AND STOCKPILE STONE FOR THE PARIS TABERNACLE. NOW THE TOWN HAS A POP OF 150. MANY OF THE SMALL FARM HOUSES STILL EXIST-MASS AGRICULTURE NOW TAKES PLACE ON ACCUMULATED HOLDINGS.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S CABIN NEAR MEDORA. HE RANCHED THE NORTH DAKOTA BADLAND S DURING ITS RISE AND FALL .HE LOST A LOT OF MONEY AND THOUGHT POLITICS WAS A CLEANER BUSINESS TO GET INTO.

PART OF THE OLD TR RANCH NOW A NATIONAL PARK.

WILD MUSTANGS ON THE NP PROPERTY-THERE IS AN ANNUAL ROUND-UP AND SALE.

REMNANTS OF THE MEATWORKS SET UP BY A FRENCH SCALLYWAG DE MORES AT MEDORA(NAMED AFTER HIS WIFE)hE WAS A SOMETIMES FRIEND OF TEDDY. HE MET HIS DEMISE SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA OPERATING ANOTHER QUICK RICH SCHEME.

CRAZY HORSE THE GREAT SIOUX WARRIOR SLOWLY EMERGING IN STONE.CARVED BY THE SON OF THE MT RUSHMORE SCULPTOR.(hE ACTUALLY FINISHED RUSHMORE WHEN THE OLD MAN DIED.)

SCENE OF THE FRENZIED MASSACRE OF IMPRISONED INDIAN WARRIORS,WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT WOUNDED KNEE.

WOUNDED KNEE MASS GRAVE ABOVE THE MASSACRE SITE.

PART OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD SITE.CUSTER LED HIS SMALL DIVISION OF TROOPS TO THEIR EQUIVALENT OF THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

SITE OF CUSTERS LAST STAND. HOPELESSLY OUT NUMBERED AND CUSTER HIMSELF HAD A SENSE OF RECKLESS IMMORTALITY.

ALL THE CAVALRY FALLEN HAVE STONES MARKING WHERE THEY MET THEIR END. ONLY SINCE 1997 WERE THE DEAD INDIAN WARRIORS HONOURED IN THE SAME WAY.

CUSTER'S LAST STAND -HIS IS THE BLACK MARKER.

THE INDIAN MEMORIAL AT LITLE BIGHORN.

THE CAVALRY MEMORIAL AND MASS GRAVE. THE OFFICERS WERE EXHUMED LATER AND BUIRED IN MILITARY CEMETERIES.