Butte to Boise
Big Hole National Battlefield — A Great Day on the Road
Day 25 — Ray called it a 'great day on the road.' High praise from someone who'd been driving for 25 days.
Day 25 was, by Ray's own assessment, a great day on the road.
The route from Butte to Boise took him through some of the most beautiful terrain in the northern Rockies — the Big Hole Valley, the Bitterroot Range, the Snake River Plain.
The Big Hole National Battlefield Monument was the historical centerpiece of the day. The Big Hole was the site of a battle on August 9-10, 1877, between the US Army and the Nez Perce people led by Chief Joseph. The Nez Perce were attempting to flee to Canada; the Army caught up with them at the Big Hole. The battle was a tactical draw but a strategic defeat for the Nez Perce.
Picturesque rivers, mountains, and vistas all the way to Boise.
Photos from the Day
The Day's Route
Big Hole National Battlefield Monument
The Big Hole National Battlefield — site of the August 9-10, 1877 battle between the US Army and the Nez Perce people led by Chief Joseph. The Nez Perce were attempting to flee to Canada; the Army attacked their camp at dawn. The battlefield is preserved as a national monument.
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range on the Montana-Idaho border — one of the most rugged mountain ranges in the northern Rockies, forming a natural barrier between the two states.
Boise, ID
Boise — the Idaho state capital and largest city, on the Boise River at the edge of the Snake River Plain. The Basque community in Boise is one of the largest outside of Spain.