1APRIL2013 @ Helena, MT -

On this April Fool's Day I awoke and went to visit Willard K.  Willard is not allowed to drive so every month I taxi him to the Good Samaritan Thrift Store to take advantage of the 50% off sale.  It turns out that he was not expecting me and the group home supervisor would not release him to me.  I hmmmed and then stated that I could be back Wednesday but not again until Saturday ... and Saturday would be beyond the 5-day 50% off sale.  So ... maybe I could do the taxi service Wednesday and after our shopping I would deliver Willard to the Creative Arts Program.  I left my contact number and departed.
After a basketball meeting with Steve N. I was on my way to the Headwaters State Park near Three Forks.  Arriving at 1230 I saw Robert walking his dog along the steep bank at the confluence of the Jefferson and Madison.  He followed me to Manhattan, drove me back and by 1330 I was washing my hands in the clear cold water, spreading the coolant on my hair and face, arranging myself vertically and beginning the 50-mile walk to Livingston.  I left the car at Manhattan because the mileage was odometered at 11 and I concluded that that was plenty for a 65-year old to accomplish even had I an early start.
About 9 miles along Stuart pulled up alongside and exchanged pleasantries.  Several hours later we were sharing a drink at the Bozone in Bozeman.  Stuart is in the late construction stage of his straw bale home near Logan and is a guy good folks should know.  He offered to shuttle me tomorrow morning from Belgrade to Manhattan.  With that, tired me left for the comfort of Joe M's cabin and an achey gratifying sleep.  I'm feeling like an overweight 65-year old who in no way could have kept up with William Clark and his crew 207 years back ... no way.  Well ... had I the horses that they had I could keep up ... but that is a detail. 
207 years back the Corps of Discovery split a second time near Three Forks, Montana.  From the moment William Clark began his overland trek east and Sgt. Ordway began boating north the expedition was in three different locations.  Lewis was at Great Falls and would soon split his group and head north with three others and horses.  So once that happened the Americans were in four locations.  If ever the expedition was to fail, the next several weeks in 1806 when they were spread apart by hundreds of miles was surely that time.