DE VII - Big Skies Trip Report
- Thread starter Scott B.
- Start date
Hun
Adventurist
Day 10 - Granite
6/27 Tuesday
We woke up to the sound of rain and so dozed off again. The second time we woke up, the rain had essentially stopped so we brewed coffee and had a breakfast of raspberry granola with fresh blueberries. We made our way out of Stoneycreek campground heading east toward the town of Philipsburg on the hunt for Granite Ghost Town tucked in the hills southeast of town. 3 GPSs and the map books often don't agree, but on the second try we found the unmarked dirt road heading east out of town up into the hills. Granite Mine was a productive silver mine in the late 1800s until the US government changed from silver to gold standard. We first passed a few log structures and then found ourselves on Main Street.
We nearly missed the Visitor Center, tucked behind our rig.
The remains of a 3-story mining union hall proved the town was something in its day.
We strolled on down the street and came upon Mae's log cabin. Mae was the last resident of this boom town sometime in the 1930s. We also found the foundation of the town church, and the mine superintendent's home fully intact, and obviously refurbished.
Further up the road we found the stamp mill with a female moose wandering through the remains and then the mine shaft identifiable by the head frame still standing.
The town, spread throughout the hills had grown to a size of 3,000 inhabitants and upon the U.S. government decree to change to the gold standard, 3,000 people vacated town in 24 hours time! We left the ghost town arriving back in Phillipsburg, a National Historic Landmark itself. We had eyed a barbecue joint, Upnsmokin BBQ House and couldn't wait to try the pork and brisket. The restaurant was in a restored historic building and the food hit the spot. Keith even treated us all to lunch and that made it especially delicious! After lunch, we walked around the block to the Granite County Museum and Cultural Center. The museum had photos from the late 1800s showing the ghost towns in all their glory. It gave us a full picture of what we had seen on our walk through the town remains. Coming out of the museum, we had to stop at the Sweet Shoppe. I treated everyone to chocolates of their choosing. I mean, how do you come upon a magnificent chocolate shoppe and not try the handmade specialties!
We left town heading south on Route 1 and then west on Route 38. We turned off on G-70 to Ross Fork Road to find a campsite for the night. We camped neared Moose Meadows in a quiet spot tucked away with just the sound of rushing water from some nearby creek.
Storm clouds threatened but blew south of us so we lit the campfire, taste-tested the chocolates, and visited until nightfall. (52200, 62 miles)
6/27 Tuesday
We woke up to the sound of rain and so dozed off again. The second time we woke up, the rain had essentially stopped so we brewed coffee and had a breakfast of raspberry granola with fresh blueberries. We made our way out of Stoneycreek campground heading east toward the town of Philipsburg on the hunt for Granite Ghost Town tucked in the hills southeast of town. 3 GPSs and the map books often don't agree, but on the second try we found the unmarked dirt road heading east out of town up into the hills. Granite Mine was a productive silver mine in the late 1800s until the US government changed from silver to gold standard. We first passed a few log structures and then found ourselves on Main Street.
We nearly missed the Visitor Center, tucked behind our rig.
The remains of a 3-story mining union hall proved the town was something in its day.
We strolled on down the street and came upon Mae's log cabin. Mae was the last resident of this boom town sometime in the 1930s. We also found the foundation of the town church, and the mine superintendent's home fully intact, and obviously refurbished.
Further up the road we found the stamp mill with a female moose wandering through the remains and then the mine shaft identifiable by the head frame still standing.
The town, spread throughout the hills had grown to a size of 3,000 inhabitants and upon the U.S. government decree to change to the gold standard, 3,000 people vacated town in 24 hours time! We left the ghost town arriving back in Phillipsburg, a National Historic Landmark itself. We had eyed a barbecue joint, Upnsmokin BBQ House and couldn't wait to try the pork and brisket. The restaurant was in a restored historic building and the food hit the spot. Keith even treated us all to lunch and that made it especially delicious! After lunch, we walked around the block to the Granite County Museum and Cultural Center. The museum had photos from the late 1800s showing the ghost towns in all their glory. It gave us a full picture of what we had seen on our walk through the town remains. Coming out of the museum, we had to stop at the Sweet Shoppe. I treated everyone to chocolates of their choosing. I mean, how do you come upon a magnificent chocolate shoppe and not try the handmade specialties!
We left town heading south on Route 1 and then west on Route 38. We turned off on G-70 to Ross Fork Road to find a campsite for the night. We camped neared Moose Meadows in a quiet spot tucked away with just the sound of rushing water from some nearby creek.
Storm clouds threatened but blew south of us so we lit the campfire, taste-tested the chocolates, and visited until nightfall. (52200, 62 miles)
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Scott B.
Adventurist
Here we are, parked on main street, in front of a building built in the 1800's.
A lot of detail went into the construction of this building.
The remains of a front entry way.
The local church foundation.
A secondary, wagon-wide street.
The south end of a north-bound moose.
The remains of a vault (not the local bank.) The gray colored rock in the foreground was the foundation for the building. Originally, this was a 2-story building.
The very large stamp mill.
Nice view from the "office".
Nice view from camp, too.
Shortly after this photo was taken, some locals drove by, heading west (left, in the picture) to the lake - about 7 miles from here. They were surprised to hear where we were from. One asked, "How did you find this place?!" A map, I replied...
A lot of detail went into the construction of this building.
The remains of a front entry way.
The local church foundation.
A secondary, wagon-wide street.
The south end of a north-bound moose.
The remains of a vault (not the local bank.) The gray colored rock in the foreground was the foundation for the building. Originally, this was a 2-story building.
The very large stamp mill.
Nice view from the "office".
Nice view from camp, too.
Shortly after this photo was taken, some locals drove by, heading west (left, in the picture) to the lake - about 7 miles from here. They were surprised to hear where we were from. One asked, "How did you find this place?!" A map, I replied...
Hun
Adventurist
Day 11 - Skalkalo Falls
6/28 Wednesday
It was cold, see-your-breath cold, when we woke up at camp on Moose Creek Road. I brewed coffee and sipped on it while watching Scott fix a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese and hash browns with sausage. As the clouds cleared and the sun got higher, the temperature warmed and we packed up and headed out retracing our path along Moose Creek Road.
We saw numerous Beaver Slides, the haystacker invented in 1909 and still widely in use in Montana today. (Maybe one of the guys will post a photo of one, since I didn't seem to get one.) Montana's hay production serves as supply to many states. At Montana 38, Skalkalo Road we headed west. The route took us winding through the Sapphire Mountains and brought us to Skalkalo WaterFall, a 150' drop of rushing water that was routed under the highway to continue on down the mountain.
After a few photos around the falls, we continued our journey westward arriving in Hamilton. Google led us to Moose Creek BBQ and Gary treated us all to lunch. From Hamilton, we headed south on MT 93 just to the Idaho state line and turned east on Route 43 to Big Hole National Battlefield. The Nez Perce Indians consider the grounds sacred after bloodshed in 1877 when they were overcome by the US 7th Calvary, the same Calvary that came to Custer's aid in the battle of Little Bighorn.
We left the battlefield filled with sorrow for the loss of life and plight of Native American tribes.
We continued eastbound on Route 43 turning south on Route 278 arriving at Bannack Ghost Town for camp and an evening of rest before exploring the town the next day.
We found an open campsite along the creek and watched deer wade through the water nearby as we grilled kielbasa and onions for dinner.
Storm clouds threatened but drifted south of us sparing us inclement weather. The evening turned cool so we lit the campfire and settled in for visiting and fire watching.
I didn't have G. here with us at the campfire to be the first to turn in so I said goodnight, took an almost warm shower and drifted off to sleep to the sound of the guys talking round the fire. (155 miles)
6/28 Wednesday
It was cold, see-your-breath cold, when we woke up at camp on Moose Creek Road. I brewed coffee and sipped on it while watching Scott fix a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese and hash browns with sausage. As the clouds cleared and the sun got higher, the temperature warmed and we packed up and headed out retracing our path along Moose Creek Road.
We saw numerous Beaver Slides, the haystacker invented in 1909 and still widely in use in Montana today. (Maybe one of the guys will post a photo of one, since I didn't seem to get one.) Montana's hay production serves as supply to many states. At Montana 38, Skalkalo Road we headed west. The route took us winding through the Sapphire Mountains and brought us to Skalkalo WaterFall, a 150' drop of rushing water that was routed under the highway to continue on down the mountain.
After a few photos around the falls, we continued our journey westward arriving in Hamilton. Google led us to Moose Creek BBQ and Gary treated us all to lunch. From Hamilton, we headed south on MT 93 just to the Idaho state line and turned east on Route 43 to Big Hole National Battlefield. The Nez Perce Indians consider the grounds sacred after bloodshed in 1877 when they were overcome by the US 7th Calvary, the same Calvary that came to Custer's aid in the battle of Little Bighorn.
We left the battlefield filled with sorrow for the loss of life and plight of Native American tribes.
We continued eastbound on Route 43 turning south on Route 278 arriving at Bannack Ghost Town for camp and an evening of rest before exploring the town the next day.
We found an open campsite along the creek and watched deer wade through the water nearby as we grilled kielbasa and onions for dinner.
Storm clouds threatened but drifted south of us sparing us inclement weather. The evening turned cool so we lit the campfire and settled in for visiting and fire watching.
I didn't have G. here with us at the campfire to be the first to turn in so I said goodnight, took an almost warm shower and drifted off to sleep to the sound of the guys talking round the fire. (155 miles)
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Gallowbraid
Adventurist
This is some good stuff! Excited every time I log in and see there's been an update.
Hun
Adventurist
Day 12 - Ghosting - from Bannack to Virginia City
6/29 Thursday
We awoke to bluebirds pecking at our rear view mirrors. The air was cool but not cold, a perfect morning for fresh blueberry pancakes. The pancakes disappeared quickly and easily, nearly as fast as they were cooked. We closed up camp and walked the short mile to Bannack one-street Ghost Town.
When gold was discovered in the hills in the 1860s, Bannack grew to a town of 3,000 and was Montana Territory's first capital. The 50 or so preserved buildings were open to walk through and a history pamphlet provided the stories for the building uses over the years.
My favorite building was the Hotel Meade with a grand sweeping staircase in the front entry.
Having toured the town, we hiked back to our trucks and departed Bannack State Park heading east on MT 278, and then a short hop north on MT 91 and we found ourselves at yet another Montana BBQ, this one Sparky's Garage Bar and Grill, a barbecue joint with a 1950's garage decor. After lunch and fueling the trucks, we continued northeast on MT 41 turning southeast on MT 287 to Virginia City. Virginia City was a mining town of over 30,000 inhabitants at the turn of the 20th century. Many buildings are intact and operating as souvenir shops, photography studios and restaurants.
The old courthouse built as early as 1890, survived a fire, and after two major restorations including the latest in 2015, is still in use today. The photos of presiding judges since 1890 to present day are a testament to our judicial system through the centuries. We concluded our meandering through the town, and headed back west out of town retracing our route to turn south in Alders on MT 357. We followed the road to the Ruby Reservoir and turned east on Barton Gulch Road to find a site for camp tucked in the canyon of Greenhorn Mountain Range.
This was to be our last night in Montana for in the morning we were to conclude our Big Skies Expedition and head our separate ways. We grilled the rest of the kielbasa and onions, enjoyed a relaxing after-dinner visit, and when the temperature dropped as much as I could stand, called it a night and crawled in under the covers. 100 miles)
6/29 Thursday
We awoke to bluebirds pecking at our rear view mirrors. The air was cool but not cold, a perfect morning for fresh blueberry pancakes. The pancakes disappeared quickly and easily, nearly as fast as they were cooked. We closed up camp and walked the short mile to Bannack one-street Ghost Town.
When gold was discovered in the hills in the 1860s, Bannack grew to a town of 3,000 and was Montana Territory's first capital. The 50 or so preserved buildings were open to walk through and a history pamphlet provided the stories for the building uses over the years.
My favorite building was the Hotel Meade with a grand sweeping staircase in the front entry.
Having toured the town, we hiked back to our trucks and departed Bannack State Park heading east on MT 278, and then a short hop north on MT 91 and we found ourselves at yet another Montana BBQ, this one Sparky's Garage Bar and Grill, a barbecue joint with a 1950's garage decor. After lunch and fueling the trucks, we continued northeast on MT 41 turning southeast on MT 287 to Virginia City. Virginia City was a mining town of over 30,000 inhabitants at the turn of the 20th century. Many buildings are intact and operating as souvenir shops, photography studios and restaurants.
The old courthouse built as early as 1890, survived a fire, and after two major restorations including the latest in 2015, is still in use today. The photos of presiding judges since 1890 to present day are a testament to our judicial system through the centuries. We concluded our meandering through the town, and headed back west out of town retracing our route to turn south in Alders on MT 357. We followed the road to the Ruby Reservoir and turned east on Barton Gulch Road to find a site for camp tucked in the canyon of Greenhorn Mountain Range.
This was to be our last night in Montana for in the morning we were to conclude our Big Skies Expedition and head our separate ways. We grilled the rest of the kielbasa and onions, enjoyed a relaxing after-dinner visit, and when the temperature dropped as much as I could stand, called it a night and crawled in under the covers. 100 miles)
Gallowbraid
Adventurist
You're making me miss Montana even more than I already do. Loving the photos!
Speaking of photos I've been messing around with Photoshop again lately and used one of your photos as a guinea pig. Thought you might find it interesting, supposed to resemble a pencil drawing:
Speaking of photos I've been messing around with Photoshop again lately and used one of your photos as a guinea pig. Thought you might find it interesting, supposed to resemble a pencil drawing:
Hun
Adventurist
I love it! It should be adorning a prominent wall in our home!
Gallowbraid
Adventurist
It's always amazing to see how buildings age differently in different areas of the country.
WashingtonTaco
Adventurist
Dang I need to get over to Montanna!
Scott B.
Adventurist
It is surprising to me how good of condition these buildings are in. Montana has serious winters!
Of course, they do get maintenance - one building was getting a new roof put on while we were there. But the siding and windows looked all original.
Hun
Adventurist
Day 13 - Volcanos and Earthquakes
6/30 Friday
Cold. It was our coldest night yet. We warmed up with piping hot cranberry oatmeal, said our goodbyes to G. heading to LA and K. heading to Maryland, and we were off to Yellowstone National Park. We retraced our path out of the canyon, back to the Ruby Reservoir, north to Adler, and east through Virginia City on MT 287. From there we turned south onto US 287 for a very scenic drive. We encountered a minor traffic jam as ranch hands drove cattle a mile or so on the highway.
Continuing south, we stopped at Earthquake Lake, a lake formed by the quake of 1959 that permanently altered the landscape. The earthquake, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale and felt in 8 states and Canada, caused a huge landslide which blocked the canyon creating the 5-mile long Earthquake Lake.
From there, we arrived in West Yellowstone, a town bustling with activity, to find the west park entrance. At the entrance we were greeted by several lines of vehicles awaiting entry and were glad the wait was only a few minutes. Inside the park, cars dispersed but we saw more people than we had the whole previous week. The park was crawling with visitors. We made our way east across the park, visited a museum/information center, and stopped alongside the Yellowstone River for a picnic lunch.
Yellowstone is a volcano, an active volcano and the 200+ geysers throughout the park are hot gases escaping from the earth's crust. The cauldron is massive, 30 miles by 45 miles wide covering a quarter of the park's 2.2 million acres. It is one of only 2 hot spot volcanos in the US. For the scientifically inclined - check this out:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170817-nasas-ambitious-plan-to-save-earth-from-a-supervolcano
The scenic drive out east through the park had us slowing for bison lumbering on the road.
At Yellowstone Lake, we stopped to take in the view of snow-capped mountains beyond the wide stretch of water.
We exited the east park gate passing through a scenic canyon cut though the mountains, snow-capped mountains. At 8500' elevation, we encountered our first snow of the expedition. So of course we stopped for a quick snowball toss. Continuing east on US20, we arrived in Cody, a festive old Western-looking town. We washed the Montana dust and dirt off our rig, and popped into the local DQ for a cool treat. We then turned south on WY 120 taking us to Thermopolis, then back onto US 20 southbound through an incredibly scenic canyon route, Wind River Canyon.
Arriving in Casper, we stopped for the day at the Bar Nunn KOA, made a quick dinner of nachos, showered the dust away, and fell fast asleep in the cool, clear night. (325 miles)
6/30 Friday
Cold. It was our coldest night yet. We warmed up with piping hot cranberry oatmeal, said our goodbyes to G. heading to LA and K. heading to Maryland, and we were off to Yellowstone National Park. We retraced our path out of the canyon, back to the Ruby Reservoir, north to Adler, and east through Virginia City on MT 287. From there we turned south onto US 287 for a very scenic drive. We encountered a minor traffic jam as ranch hands drove cattle a mile or so on the highway.
Continuing south, we stopped at Earthquake Lake, a lake formed by the quake of 1959 that permanently altered the landscape. The earthquake, measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale and felt in 8 states and Canada, caused a huge landslide which blocked the canyon creating the 5-mile long Earthquake Lake.
From there, we arrived in West Yellowstone, a town bustling with activity, to find the west park entrance. At the entrance we were greeted by several lines of vehicles awaiting entry and were glad the wait was only a few minutes. Inside the park, cars dispersed but we saw more people than we had the whole previous week. The park was crawling with visitors. We made our way east across the park, visited a museum/information center, and stopped alongside the Yellowstone River for a picnic lunch.
Yellowstone is a volcano, an active volcano and the 200+ geysers throughout the park are hot gases escaping from the earth's crust. The cauldron is massive, 30 miles by 45 miles wide covering a quarter of the park's 2.2 million acres. It is one of only 2 hot spot volcanos in the US. For the scientifically inclined - check this out:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170817-nasas-ambitious-plan-to-save-earth-from-a-supervolcano
The scenic drive out east through the park had us slowing for bison lumbering on the road.
At Yellowstone Lake, we stopped to take in the view of snow-capped mountains beyond the wide stretch of water.
We exited the east park gate passing through a scenic canyon cut though the mountains, snow-capped mountains. At 8500' elevation, we encountered our first snow of the expedition. So of course we stopped for a quick snowball toss. Continuing east on US20, we arrived in Cody, a festive old Western-looking town. We washed the Montana dust and dirt off our rig, and popped into the local DQ for a cool treat. We then turned south on WY 120 taking us to Thermopolis, then back onto US 20 southbound through an incredibly scenic canyon route, Wind River Canyon.
Arriving in Casper, we stopped for the day at the Bar Nunn KOA, made a quick dinner of nachos, showered the dust away, and fell fast asleep in the cool, clear night. (325 miles)
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Hun
Adventurist
Day 14 - Time to get home
7/1 Saturday
Morning greeted us early. We packed up camp and hit the road leaving Casper WY behind. We traveled southeast on I-25, seeing herds of grazing cattle, long trains moving through the barren land, and oil drills spotting the landscape. We happened upon Twisters Restaurant in Guernsey for breakfast and were surprised at the delicious homemade breads and sausage gravy and especially the smoked bacon cut in thick slabs. In Guernsey, we got on eastbound US 26 taking us into Nebraska and an abrupt change of scenery, acres and acres of corn and wheat fields and longhorn cattle. The northwest quarter of Nebraska is an area defined as Sand Hills, a National Natural Landmark displaying grassy plains on sand dunes perfectly suited for longhorn cattle grazing. We travelled through Scottbluff to Ogallala picking up I-80 eastbound for North Platte. In North Platte, we taste-tested the BBQ at Whiskey Creek BBQ and then had an after-lunch stroll through the 20th Century Veterans Memorial. The park memorialized all our warriors who gave their lives fighting for our freedom, every war, every military branch - Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force.
We made it across Nebraska and pulled off the road just across the state line in Rockport Missouri for a good night's rest. The folks at River's Edge campground, a privately run camp, were conversational and welcoming. We enjoyed a picnic dinner, watched the sun set in a vivid red sky, and drifted off to sleep. (623 miles)
On Sunday, we awoke to a warm, bright morning signaling we were no longer in the Rockies! Starting the day in northwest Missouri, we had in mind to make it to Nashville by day's end. Traveling south on I-29, our first stop was in St Joseph for breakfast at the familiar Cracker Barrel. From St. Joseph, we continued south picking up eastbound I-70 in Kansas City. We crossed Missouri, the countryside and the river, arriving in St. Louis in time for lunch at Bandana's BBQ and a stroll through the local Cabela's. Crossing the Mississippi River on the new I-70 bridge, we continued east on I-64 opting to pass the crash on I-57 that had shut down the highway for the better portion of the day. In Evansville Indiana (the 13th state of our cross country tour) we headed south on US 41 passing through corn fields and grain mills into horse country, Kentucky. Route 41 turned into an interstate highway, number 69 south of Henderson. South of Hopkinsville, we got onto I-24 and dropped down into Tennessee. Running out of daylight, and with 670 miles behind us, we called it a day and headed to campground in Murfreesboro. The warm, humid air reminded us we were indeed back in the Deep South. We listened to local fireworks, munched on a picnic dinner, and climbed into the teardrop for some welcome rest. Scott mentioned that I made a long, arduous day of driving sound fun. We were indeed grateful for incident-free travel, good weather, and no delays to speak of as we made our journey east completing a 5000 mile tour of this great nation we call home. (670 miles)
Monday -- The final leg.... Home at last!
Thanks for following this journey with us.
4842 miles... 13 states... 17 nights in teardrop... 1320 photos... delightful sojourners... adventures galore!
"Life is a great adventure…accept it in such a spirit." Theodore Roosevelt
7/1 Saturday
Morning greeted us early. We packed up camp and hit the road leaving Casper WY behind. We traveled southeast on I-25, seeing herds of grazing cattle, long trains moving through the barren land, and oil drills spotting the landscape. We happened upon Twisters Restaurant in Guernsey for breakfast and were surprised at the delicious homemade breads and sausage gravy and especially the smoked bacon cut in thick slabs. In Guernsey, we got on eastbound US 26 taking us into Nebraska and an abrupt change of scenery, acres and acres of corn and wheat fields and longhorn cattle. The northwest quarter of Nebraska is an area defined as Sand Hills, a National Natural Landmark displaying grassy plains on sand dunes perfectly suited for longhorn cattle grazing. We travelled through Scottbluff to Ogallala picking up I-80 eastbound for North Platte. In North Platte, we taste-tested the BBQ at Whiskey Creek BBQ and then had an after-lunch stroll through the 20th Century Veterans Memorial. The park memorialized all our warriors who gave their lives fighting for our freedom, every war, every military branch - Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force.
We made it across Nebraska and pulled off the road just across the state line in Rockport Missouri for a good night's rest. The folks at River's Edge campground, a privately run camp, were conversational and welcoming. We enjoyed a picnic dinner, watched the sun set in a vivid red sky, and drifted off to sleep. (623 miles)
On Sunday, we awoke to a warm, bright morning signaling we were no longer in the Rockies! Starting the day in northwest Missouri, we had in mind to make it to Nashville by day's end. Traveling south on I-29, our first stop was in St Joseph for breakfast at the familiar Cracker Barrel. From St. Joseph, we continued south picking up eastbound I-70 in Kansas City. We crossed Missouri, the countryside and the river, arriving in St. Louis in time for lunch at Bandana's BBQ and a stroll through the local Cabela's. Crossing the Mississippi River on the new I-70 bridge, we continued east on I-64 opting to pass the crash on I-57 that had shut down the highway for the better portion of the day. In Evansville Indiana (the 13th state of our cross country tour) we headed south on US 41 passing through corn fields and grain mills into horse country, Kentucky. Route 41 turned into an interstate highway, number 69 south of Henderson. South of Hopkinsville, we got onto I-24 and dropped down into Tennessee. Running out of daylight, and with 670 miles behind us, we called it a day and headed to campground in Murfreesboro. The warm, humid air reminded us we were indeed back in the Deep South. We listened to local fireworks, munched on a picnic dinner, and climbed into the teardrop for some welcome rest. Scott mentioned that I made a long, arduous day of driving sound fun. We were indeed grateful for incident-free travel, good weather, and no delays to speak of as we made our journey east completing a 5000 mile tour of this great nation we call home. (670 miles)
Monday -- The final leg.... Home at last!
Thanks for following this journey with us.
4842 miles... 13 states... 17 nights in teardrop... 1320 photos... delightful sojourners... adventures galore!
"Life is a great adventure…accept it in such a spirit." Theodore Roosevelt
