Day 11-Montana
After the late night, I was worn out so we took it easy in the morning. Finally got moving and drove to Great Falls where we visited Great Springs State Park which was really cool and so beautiful.
It was a camping site for Native American tribes passing through following buffalo and good for winter camps because the water stays at 54 degrees all year long.
Lewis and Clark mentioned the beauty of the springs in their Corps of Discovery notes.
Over 150 million gallons a day flow from the springs and comes from cracks in the Madison Limestone Formation. The springs bubble up in a crystal clear pool filled with brightly colored plants in lime and kelly green as well as maroon.
It was so gorgeous that I could have sat there all day in the shade watching and listening to the water. There were fish in the pond and a walkway around it so that you can see into the pool. 
The water spills over in some small falls into one of the shortest rivers in the country.
The Roe River is 201 feet in length and flows into the Missouri River, which is the longest river in the country at 2,540 miles. The park also included a fish hatchery with a small visitor center and outside raceways to see trout of different sizes.
We headed south and stopped along the interstate at Tower Rock State Park, which is another Lewis and Clark site. Along Native American trails they were following and at the transition between the plains and their move into the mountains, stands Tower Rock, named by Meriwether Lewis. It’s made of rock fragments blasted skyward from violent volcanic activity then cemented with volcanic ash. This created a large outcropping one mile long and one-third of a mile wide. We walked the short trail that runs along the base of the rock and parallels the interstate. It got us close to the formation and was interesting but hot to walk. Scott found a bush covered with ants and got a cool photo.
We forged on and saw a sign along the road for Gates of the Mountains and decided to check it out because it reminded us of something my mom was describing before we left. We drove down into a valley and saw there’s now a reservoir created by the Missouri River exiting a narrow opening in the high cliffs. Meriwether Lewis on the Corps of Discovery expedition said it looked like a gate and gave it the name which stuck. It was quite an impressive sight and there are boat tours which we need to do on another trip.
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