Roadtrip 2024: Six states, ten days, three new life birds, and more

· by

Roadtrip 2024 started as a planned visit to the high plains of Wyoming, where Lorna would be most likely to see her life Mountain Plovers. However, the trip destination evolved into the Colorado alpine after she picked up the plovers on our winter trip to southern Texas. After many failed trips into the alpine of WA State, dating back to 1971, we both still needed White-tailed Ptarmigan. Since we both also needed Brown-capped Rosy-finch, a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park became the target of our Roadtrip 2024. However, little did we realize that birds would take second place to an amazing number of stops back into history.

June 23, Day 1: Sprint to Missoula

Our roadtrip really only began on day 2. Day 1 was essentially a sprint across Washington to Missoula before nightfall. We left right after church, adding birds to our day list only we did not expect to otherwise find them on other days.

June 24, Day 2: Missoula, MT to Ranchester, WY

Day 2 was also a long day of driving. However, we managed to break up the day with some good stops. The first was at a rest area at base of the historic Anaconda Smelter stack. Finished in 1919, at 585 feet it’s still one of the tallest brick structures in the world.

A short trail at the rest area also gave a start on building our bird list for the roadtrip. Birds we listed there were ones that would be with us most of the trip, such as Black-billed Magpie, Vesper Sparrow, and Yellow Warbler.

Missouri Headwaters at Three Forks, MT

Our first major stop of the trip, and for lunch, was at the Headwaters of the Missouri River. This spot took us back to the Lewis & Clark Expedition. During our Roadtrip 2023, when we birded north-central Montana, we followed the trail of Lewis & Clark as they explored the upper reaches of the Missouri. At the Headwaters, the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers converge within a one mile length to form the mighty river itself.

Among the many Cliff Swallows, we also managed to see a Vaux’s Swift at Headwaters. These swifts usually do not stray too far east of the forested areas along the Rockies, but are replaced by Chimney Swifts over the High Plains,

Lorna at the headwaters of the Missouri, the Madison flows in from the left of the photo, joins the Jefferson, and the Missouri flows out to the right. The Gallatin joins the Missouri one mile downstream.

The text on the sign reads, “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it’s course & communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean… may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent..” from Thomas Jefferson’s instructions to Meriwether Lewis, July 4, 1803

Using Generative AI, Lewis & Clark were able to pose for this photo near their campsite.
One of the many pioneer graves located at most historical sites. This memoralizes children from the town of Gallatin who died of black diphtheria in the 1870’s.
Mammal listing is always one of our roadtrip activities. This Richardsons Ground Squirrel was hanging out at the Headwaters pay station.
For wildflower people, Globemallow at the Headwaters

Custer National Cemetery, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

In our zip to Ranchester, WY, we were only able to stop for a few minutes at Little Bighorn before they closed. Q. Why close such a significant historical and cultural site at 5 PM?

Went on to spend the night in one of those almost forgotten Wyoming towns, Ranchester; from there to Estes Park, CO in the next post.