Slowing down and having fun. Back to Montana with ROF September 2024

[WU7X]

For the past several years a bunch of adventurers have been getting together to explore the Rocky Mountain west. Some of us began this annual event way back in 2015 in the Four Corners area. Since 2018 I've been trying to put together new trips further north. At the urging of my chief navigator, who also happens to be my wife, we decided to slow down a bit. Instead of packing up every morning and racing throuh the countryside, we are now planning on two night visits at each campsite with forays into the local countryside on non-travel days. It has proven to be much more enjoyable and relaxing!

The plan is to begin by rondevousing (SP?) at a given location. This year the chosen spot would be one of three campsites east of Lincoln, MT. The chosen date to get together was Labor Day afternoon. The idea was that most people would be heading home at that time to get back to work or to get the kids in school the following morning. This proved to be the case as we had all of the campsites we used pretty much to ourselves throughout the adventure.

Our ROF group comes from all over the U.S. David and Terri represent the eastern half of the states and travel from the Ohio/Michigan area. Gary comes up from southern California. Ace lives in western Colorado and Debbie is moving to the southern Colorado area. Nanc and I are from eastern Washington. A new member, Curt, who we had hoped would be joining us from Montana, was unable to make it. Several days into the trip, Ben, David's brother, joined in.

Nanc and I left Spokane around 9 a.m. on Labor Day morning. Everything had been prepacked and the only remaining "stuff" to go into our 4Runner was some clothing and frozen food. Our portion of the trip began by following Interstate 90 until we got to Missoula. On the way there we stopped for lunch in the beautiful city of Wallace, ID. Wallace used to be a major mining town. It has morphed over the recent decades into a vibrant tourist center. In itself it is a great starting point for adventures in the Idaho Panhandle and throughout the region. While there we stopped at the Blackboard Cafe. Delicious food but slow service.

Patiently awaiting our meal. Check out the chalk artwork on the blackboard behind me.​

The first thing we noticed when crossing over Lookout pass at the Idaho/Montana border was the smoke haze filling the valleys ahead. By the time we reached Missoula the air was thick with smoke. We made a brief stop at Missoula for gas and continued on State Highway 200 through Lincoln. The further east we traveled the cleaner the air became. David and Terri had reached the area earlier than us and had recce'd the potential campsites. Over the radio they recommended Aspen Grove, a USFS site nestled along the north shore of the Blackfoot River. After they had arrived and scoped the area out, they drove back into Lincoln and reserved the group campsite for all of us. This site was perfect for our group with lots of secluded sites and a very clean vault toilet.

We found that by the time we got there everyone else had arrived!

 

[WU7X]

The first thing up was to get out and greet everyone. The early birds were pretty much set up in their sites and relaxing after the long drives to get here.

From left to right: Ace and his Toyota/trailer combo, David & Terri's new GMC AT4 HD and the Conqueror 490 trailer, then
Gary and his Ranger/Wildernest combination. Gary's Ranger is in immaculate condition and has over
200,000 miles on it!​

Here is Debbie's new Toyota 4Runner



Nancy sitting in front of our 4Runner/ FSR trailer tent

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[WU7X]

We had incredible sunsets for both nights we stayed here. The smoke in the air was good for something.

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To back up a bit, the drive in from Missoula along SH200 generally follows the rive east. The countryside is rolling with the surrounding mountains covered in pine. The valleys are farmed, and at this time of the year were resplendent in harvested fields and deciduous trees beginning to pick up their fall colors.

The immediate area surrounding our USFS campground is taken over mostly by sage and junniper. Ponderosa, fir, and cottonwood, along with aspen compliment this enviroment. It is a very serene environment, especially at this time of the year when the summer hordes have disappears.

 

[the deputy]

Best time of the year to get out and about.

 

[WU7X]

DAY TWO

The elk started bugling to one another as the sun setthat first night, and they continued to sunrise. Talk about a beautifully haunting sound! What a way to start a new day. Debbie also caught sight of a red fox sneaking through our camp area around daylight. Our super killer guard dog Bella had begun to growl and bark about that time. So we knew something was amiss. Bella is almost two years old now, and has taken to overlanding like a fish to water. She is a 30ish pound Boykin Spaniel who keeps me on my toes. These Boykins make great hunting/family dogs, but require lots of exercise and playtime to keep their spirits up. She has proven to be exactly what I need.



We had strong winds off and on during the day, and the inReach weather report suggested the possibility of rain. So we spent the day mostly relaxing around the camp and visiting. With a group like this, face time is always enjoyable. After sitting around the campfire until dark, Nanc and I decided it was time to get some shuteye. During the night, Bella started whining a bit, so I decided to let her out so we could see what was up. Nothing strange happening in camp, but looking upward I was awestruck by the stars! The Mikly Way shone like a gazillion LEDs streaming over the sky. I was even gifted with seeing a meteor streak through the night. It finally just got too cold for me to continue standing outside the tent in my BVDs. So Bella and I hustled back into the tent and under the covers.

 

[WU7X]

DAY THREE:

We woke up to another chilly morning. But coffee and hot banana bread for breakfast had Nanc and me up and ready to roll. Bella wanted to go for a walk, then play with her new friend, Debbie's black lab Mercy. Mercy originally didn't know what to think of this little mutt that kept crawling and jumping all over her. But she finally got over her shyness and they became great companions. And they did a great job of wearing each other out.





One of the things I really wanted everyone to experience on this trip was Garnet ghost town. I had passed through it 30 years ago and was enthralled by it then. I couldn't wait to see if and how it had changed over the past three decades. So once everyone had a chance to wake up, get something nourishing into their stomachs, and make a quick stopover in Lincoln, we all headed out to scope out Garnet. There is a very nice way to get there; drive west from Lincoln, turn south on a well groomed stretch of gravel road, and there you are. We didn't go that way. David Googled or Garmined a different "shorter" way there. It certainly wasn't quicker, but it was a lot more fun! We came in from the east of the ghost town, meandering back and forth on narrow gravel roads and tracks until we came on this sign.



Past this point the road switchbacked up the mountain and over some beautiful countryside. We finally reached our goal.

 

[WU7X]

The BLM and a local heritage group have done an admirable job saving Garnet from disappearing over the years. I think it is one of the nicest places to spend time gobbling up local Montana mining history and lore. The BLM has tried to maintain a 1930's era look about the place. There are numerous signs and photos explaining the town's past. The visitor is free to wander around the site and check out various buildings to learn about their use and how people lived there. I am always astonished at how hardy these folks were. I wonder how many of us could exist in such an environment.

 

[WU7X]

 

[WU7X]

One of the local hosts told us some stories about visitors to the site. Interesting....

One city slicker, having passed a number of deer on the drive up to the site, asked "Where do you keep the animals at night?"

Another wanted to know when the deer turned into elk.

A third, having driven for several hours to get there, was annoyed that there weren't any restaurants where he could get something to eat.

The final one was about several lady actors from a famous TV series who showed up dressed to the nines in western apparel, including stiletto high heels. Apparently watching them attempt to walk around the rough ground was humorous to say the least.

 

[WU7X]

At the elevation that Garnet lies at, the most common trees I saw were Douglas Fir, Western Larch (also known locally as Tammarac), and Lodgepole Pine. It is just the most glorious country to visit, especially on back roads.




Leaving Garnet, we headed back to Aspen Grove Campground to pick up our trailer and gear, and for one more night at that tranquil site.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Love the ghost towns- my favorite part of any trip- thanks for sharing!

 

[Ace Brown]

I have not been able to get on ExPo for several weeks so nice to finally catch up on Dale’s report. Great job so far. Im seeing stuff here I didn’t notice while actually there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Arjan]

Thank you very much for sharing !

Please, love to see more.

 

[WU7X]

DAY FOUR: Great Start, miserable middle, perfect ending.

The plan was to leave mid-morning, drive through Lincoln, then head south through Drummond and end up for lunch at Phillipsburg. After a easy lunch on the town we would hit gravel and wind our way eastward through the ghost mining town of Granite and end up disbursed camping near Fred Burr Lake. Decades earlier Nanc and I had done just this with another friend. So what could go wrong?

The road from Lincoln to Drummond is a delight. Once again we passed through a rural farming environment. Blue skies and the road to ourselves for the most part. Still, being Montana, there are lots of open spaces to gaze at. People who stick to interstates and major highways just don't know what they are missing. Maybe I shouldn't say anything and leave them alone in their ignorance.



The drive from Drummond to Phillipsburg was even better. We were blessed with another sunny and warm day for traveling. Much of the trip was alongside a meandering stream screaming for someone to drop a dry fly or two on its surface. First thing we did when getting to Phillipsburg was to stop for gas and groceries before continuing uphill to the quaint city itself. Much like Wallace, Phillipsburg has transformed itself from being a mining/logging town into something much more vibrant and exciting. There are numerous restaurants, bars, gift shops, and the like. It also has one of the most impressive candy stores on the main street. Dream about a favorite candy from your youth, and you'll probably find it there, along with an incredible array of chocolates and sweets of all varieties. Its said that they ship they confections to spots all over the world. We bought a ton of chocolate, some T-shirts and had a great lunch while watching the day go by. David's brother Ben joined us here and would be with us for the rest of the trip.

Gary, Dale, and Debbie waiting for the food to show up.​

 

[WU7X]

Lunch over, time to hit the road. In preparation for this adventure I had created routes in Gaia GPS for up to three weeks of driving and camping. I also pinned every campground I could find in the area surrounding these routes. I then transferred the routes to tracks in Garmin Overlander which I link to my old DeLorme inReach. What could go wrong?

Bella is always ready for a new Day's adventure.
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Following our GPS track we gamely trundled up the mountain. The gravel roads quickly became rough surfaced. Time to stop and air down. Forward once more. Um, the GPS doesn't seem to correlate well with what we are seeing on the ground. After fumbling around for another 45 minutes or so it became apparent that the GPS track was attempting to get us to drive on a nonexistent road. Evidently the USFS had abandoned and reclaimed the supposed road Gaia had set us to travel on. This is the only time Gaia has let me down. Not only that, but any forward road in the immediate area was posted as private property. Slowly turning around, we headed back downhill to the closest apparent trail leading up to Granite. Learning a bit of a lesson we sent Gary and Ace to scout out a path forward. After some time they radioed back that the road was difficult but doable. Terri and David, with their large new truck and Conqueror trailer, said "Nah, we don't think so." Wise folks those midwesterners.



We waited for Gary and Ace to make their way down, spending our time airing up the tires we had so recently aired down. What's the saying?

"It isn't an adventure until something goes wrong."​

On to plan B.