May 21, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
Flight of Discovery - June 7, 2004: Tatonka
This is the seventh installment on the Flight of Discovery, an aerial scientific expedition that retraced the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail from Indiana to the Pacific Ocean. It is summarized by Mike Harding, the Expedition Leader. A complete accounting of the2004-2006 expeditions is recounted in his upcoming book, On Wings of Gold: Triumph and Tragedy of the Flight of Discovery.
From the Journal of Captain Meriwether Lewis:
“As We Passed on it Seemed those Scenes of Visionary Enchantment Would Never Have an End”
June 7, 2004: Tatonka
Up early at Pierre, South Dakota - a town I’m going to re-visit since I missed the activities on this segment of the trip. The crew was unanimous in their compliments of Peter Hegg and the staff at the Circle H Ranch in Gregory. Brian offered the insight that each day provides such a density of experiences that if he didn’t have his photographs to refer to, he wouldn’t be able to remember what he did the previous day.
We stopped at Mobridge and the nice folks at the FBO loaned us a van to go into town where we overwhelmed the local Dairy Queen. It was the first time Lee and I have had a dipped cone in years. We need to spend more time here in 2005 and visit the Sacajawea Monument and pay our respects to Sitting Bull. It’s fast becoming apparent that our schedule is not permitting us the opportunity to visit with the locals and investigate historical sites.
Herd of buffalo on the bluffs above Lake Oahe, north of Mobridge, SD. June 7, 2004. Submitted by Mike Harding.From Mobridge we flew along Lake Oahe, the first of the dammed lakes along the Missouri that I have seen on this trip. Roger and I were the first to call out “Tatonka!” when we spied a buffalo herd grazing on a bluff. Others saw a variety of other wildlife and our zoologists and botanist commented over the radio on the changes wrought by two hundred years of American agriculture as we flew 1,500 feet at 100 knots along the banks of the lake.
As we landed in Mandan the local press and Chamber of Commerce were waiting. Brad Kramer of the local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter and Jim Lawler, Airport Manager hosted a barbeque for the crew. Jim and the Chamber of Commerce provided vehicles for most of the crew to go visit On-A-Slant Village and General Custer’s Home.
I stayed at the FBO to catch up on my journals. So did Brian Forrest and Leslie Scott, our web meister; enough cannot be said about her dedication to getting the updates on the site every night. After dinner, I set up a chair in front of my tent and watched the sun set over the Plains. The wind howled all night.
