Gates of the Mountains Part II

As mentioned in an earlier post, I had the opportunity to attend a field trip with Finn's class to the Gates of the Mountains. Named by Meriwether Lewis, who, along with his expedition, passed through this area in 1805, the Gates are so named for the ginormous limestone cliffs that rise alongside the Missouri River:

"'In many places,' wrote Meriwether Lewis, 'the rocks seem ready to tumble on us.' At each bend in the waterway, great stone walls seemed to block passage, only to open like gentle giant gates as the expedition drew near. In his journal, Meriwether wrote: 'I shall call this place: GATES OF THE MOUNTAINS.'" - from the website

A few takeaways from my day spent on the river:

Getting to go on field trips is such a gift. As a working parent, I seldom was able to, and when I did I had to use one of my two personal days. I feel super lucky for the gift of time I have this year.
Getting to go on field trips ON A BOAT is super cool. Amiright?
Montana kids are tough. It snowed the whole time. Snowed. Now, we were in a covered boat, but it wasn't heated, and at the end of the trip when the teachers allowed the kids to go out back, they loved it.
Finn seems to be thriving. He's made good friends. I'm so happy I got to spy on him for a day and get to know some of the kids in his class.
Unrelated: Sean really wanted to name a kid Meriwether.

The photographic highlight of the trip was this bald eagle. The boat skipper/tour guide pointed out the nest shortly before spotting the actual bird. With my long lens, I was able to see it up close: