Our first stop was for Breakfast/Lunch at the 50.000 Silver Dollar Bar Haugan, MT. After partaking of our meal, there ensued a little shopping along with some purchasing. After fueling up we were on the way to our next stop, which we thought it would be Drummond, MT. Well, as we got closer and closer to Deer Lodge, I noticed that the sky was getting darker towards the south of us. And I do mean darker. You could tell there were a few rain squalls in that direction. Well, I hoped that Gary’s prediction would prove to be false, but such was not the case. Gary asked me on the CB if I could make it to Deer Lodge and I informed that yes, I could. There was still a half a tank of fuel on board, so it wasn’t going to be an issue. About that time, the first of many lightning strikes occurred. Just off to the right of our path of travel. Oh, how I hoped that we wouldn’t get wet. Well, as fate would have it, such was not the case. Low and behold, we found ourselves right in the middle of a good ole Montana Gully Washer rainstorm. Now mind you, they had Toggs on and we had leathers on. Since it was rather warm, I had my jacket zipper down to cool off and the face shield up. My face shield is a tinted one to help keep my face from being burnt. When the hail started to fly, I found out firsthand how hard them suckers really are. I couldn’t put the shield down because I couldn’t see so I just had my glasses on. Well they didn’t do much for the hail or the rain. Let alone the standing water that would be thrown up from a passing vehicle. Mind you, we don’t mind riding in the rain, it’s just a fact of life if you ride motorcycles. But that hail hurt, and boy did we get wet. Once we got to Deer Lodge and checked in at the Travelodge, we were able to change into something a little dryer. What was funny was that Billie and Dave showed up just after us and they too had gotten caught in the storm. So, I had to fess up to Gary and tell him I was sorry for doubting his forecasting abilities.
We went on down to the convention center and completed the registration. We picked up our packets along with getting tickets for the dinner that night. Took some time and looked around at the items in the Brown Bag auction as well as the items that were used and up for sale. Must admit, there were some good deals there. Lesley picked up a new jacket for a steal. It was fun to meet and greet those who had arrived. After dinner and more socialization, we headed back to the motel for some much-needed rest and drying out.
Opening Day
On Friday the opening day of back to the pen with a good breakfast, the opening ceremonies were completed. During this time there was a skit put on by the district team trying to escape criminals being pursued by Sheriff eventually they were captured and returned to their cells.
We went through the agenda on what was planned and what there was to see and do during the district rally at Montana. After a few hours Les and I headed off with other members of our team Gary and Kim along with Pat and Debbie Holmes and we decided to go to the old Penn Museum and take a look at the antique cars vintage cars and wonder through the gift shop.
We arrived and Gary purchased a couple of tickets or at least one ticket for the 1970s yellow Corvette that was being raffled off. Leslie was shopping for onesies for her nephew who was just born not too long ago. We finished our shopping and headed off to the Vintage Car Museum. Must admit there were some interesting items there to see along with some artifacts from the prison.
The Vintage Car Museum is a must see. We were greeted by vehicles basically starting at the steam driven era and up to late 60s and early 70s. I found a few that brought back to ton of memories and was certain that if I had access to them that we could find myself in a whole passel of trouble because they may outrun the police but they will not run the radios and sooner or later they will run out of gas. But the memories came flooding in and the dreams began to roll in my head. At the end of the Museum, the path took us to the “Pen” itself.
We walked through all the sections of the museum, the Pen that is, and found out that there is a ton of history. After getting a firsthand look at the conditions the prisoners were forced to live under, I’m sure glad I wasn’t one of them. While the structures are old and are showing their age, still, the conditions. The original cells were so small, I’m not sure you would have enough room to change your mind. Even some of the newer cells were crazy small. Then there were the “Holes.” There were some that didn’t have a toilet or a sink. Maybe they had a bucket. All I can say is, this is a place to visit. If those that are incarcerated now could see this place, I’m sure they would start to think they didn’t have it so bad. I highly recommend a trip through the prison. One thing I found strange. There was building called the “Theater” that in my mind was anything but. They had Gallows in this building along with the carts used to transport those who were subject to this punishment to the morgue. most of the information. I was absolutely amazed of the conditions. Thank you, Debbie, for providing most of the information. I was absolutely amazed of the conditions.
Garnet Ghost Town
Here is where it really gets interesting. Lesley mentioned that she wanted to go to Garnet and see the ghost town. Well, why not? Sounded like a great idea, so after filling the tank with gas we were off and running. What a beautiful day for a ride.
For some reason I thought that Garnet was south of Drummond and I found out later I was wrong. Not sure who to blame it on but I suppose it was my fault. So, I stopped in Hall and asked for directions to this wonderful place. The young lady there must have seen us coming. Soon you will find out why I believe that. She informed us that we had to go back to Drummond and follow the frontage road for a while and we would find a turn off to Garnet. So off we went. Now we did see some awfully pretty country that I’ll give you. Following the Clark Fork River seeing some cool formations in the rock. Well, we soon found that turn off to Garnet. The sign was small enough that we missed it and realized that was our turn and had to back track. So, now our adventure started. Up the road a short distance was another sign. This one was a warning sign. It advised the driver that this road was not for RVs and the like. Not even sure about cars but it looked ok. It also mentioned that the best way to get to the ghost town was to take the road off Highway 200. Well, we didn’t look at a map to see where that was. We’ve taken roads like this, gravel roads, before. And we didn’t have any troubles. So up the road we go. We do pass homes and even pulled over to let a minivan go by so I kind of figured it wasn’t going to be that bad. Folks let me tell ya, I was horribly WRONG!!! After traveling up this road about 6 miles we got into a spot where we were now forced to continue ahead. I did pull off a little to let 4 four-wheelers go by and one of the drivers asked if I had 3-wheel drive. In hindsight, I should have paid attention to that comment a little more closely. Oh, I should tell you that the sign also said it was 10 miles to Garnet. Well, it got rougher. The potholes got larger. We crossed streams in the road. The road had become extremely narrow at this point and there was NO WHERE to turn around. Now I was more than a little anxious. I was also somewhat scared and so was Lesley. We were now beyond the point of no return. I got to using some pretty colorful language as I was dodging potholes the size of small lakes, rocks that were sticking up a good 4” trying to keep from dragging bottom and breaking something. We had no choice but to continue. I swear the potholes were getting bigger, the rocks were more frequent and now we found ourselves on some shale. What I put our Ms. Ruby through that day. We finally got to the ghost town and off to the left there were MOTORHOMES other RVs. Imagine my surprise!!! Where did they come from and how in the world did they get here. By this time, I wasn’t a happy camper and all I wanted to do is get off this road and get back to pavement. After coming around a small corner my question was answered. There before was a gravel road that looked like a freeway compared to the cow trail we had just been on. My friends, this was the road that the sign spoke of. I thought back to the directions that young lady gave us in Hall. Yup, she saw us coming. Just another way to get a tourist in trouble. I was able to get the speed up and even though it was a little loose in places we were able to make good time down the hill. Then this road transitioned in to a paved highway. Oh, what joy… We found out where this road came out at. It emptied on to Highway 200 north of Missoula. We beat feet to Missoula where I fueled the bike and checked it out for any damage. To my amazement, I didn’t find any. I think I may have bent the bracket for the trailer lights and scraped the hitch but nothing else appeared to be an issue. I promised Ms. Ruby a bath and a full rub down along with telling her that I would never put her through that ever again.
If you decide you want to see the path we took, just go to Google Maps, and start from Drummond, MT and set destination to Garnet Ghost Town and you’ll see where we went.
The Trip Home
On Sunday morning, after getting everything packed back up in the trailer. I hooked the trailer back up and was told that I had a head light out. The right low beam as a matter of fact. This was a surprise to me since I had just put new LED Pathfinders in and they are supposed to last. Was beginning to have my doubts about them. Well, can’t do anything about that now so we’ll just push on. Got the trailer hooked up and started the checkout of the lights. I had NONE. Nothing, Nada not a light to be found. I disconnected the trailer connector and reattached. Pushed it in has hard as I could and still no lights. Checked the second connector and it seemed to be good as well. Now this is a slight issue. Again, it’s Sunday and there isn’t much that can be done. It was decided that Lesley & I would take the lead while Gary & Kim took the rear. This way there was some indication of what we were doing since Gary’s lights worked. We did use hand signals to alert other drivers of our intentions.
We met up with a few other riders for breakfast at the “Four B’s.” While we were saying our goodbyes, Steve, Gary’s brother, was having an issue with his Wing. It wouldn’t start. He had lights, the clutch was in and when he pushed the starter button there was nothing. He thought for sure that he lost his battery. He put it Neutral and tried again to start. Nothing!!! I asked if his Kill switch or Reverse switch were in the wrong positions. He confirmed that they were where they were supposed to be. Strange enough, I asked him to push the reverse button and the release it. After doing that he tried to start the bike and life is now grand. It started right up. Turned out that the Reverse Switch had NOT completely disengaged and even while the Neutral light was lit, the reverse relay was still engaged. How strange is that?
With that, we wished everyone a safe travel home. Gary & Kim along with myself & Lesley we headed off to the home front. We decided to venture out a different way and went south on I-90 till we found the exit for the “Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Hwy.” Our plan here was to go through Anaconda and make our way back up through Porter Corner and on to Philipsburg. On the way up the highway, we went through some awfully pretty country. We found a few deer along the way as well. We just took our time so we could take it all in. We Silver Lake and Georgetown Lake. What a sight to see. Gentle slopes, high plains, and oh such beauty. It is worth the trip to get there. You’ll not be disappointed.
We stopped at Philipsburg and visited “The Sweet Palace” candy store along with the “Sapphire Gallery.” In the gallery, there were some extremely beautiful pieces of jewelry along with some loose stones. What got my attention was the decor. Everything seemed to be from the turn of the century. All the cabinets, counters and drawers seemed to be made from Oak. They were stunning to say the least. I think Kim looked at a Sapphire ring and when asked, the salesperson told her that it was $15,000. WOW!!!
Next stop was the candy store. Now this was one popular place. Folks, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so much candy in one place. I thought the candy shop up by Leavenworth had a bunch. After meandering around the shop and the purchases were made, it was time to mount up and head to the house.
We departed Philipsburg and made our way back to Drummond. Again, what a pretty ride. We fueled up and after making a short pit stop, we hit the freeway and continued home. Before long, it was time to take a break and get off the bikes. I was hoping for a rest stop, but it didn’t look like it was going to happen. So, I found a spot that was safe to pull off and take a few. Thank goodness there was a Potty there as it was used. Not the best of pit stops but as it turned out, it was needed. After some water and a little walking around, off we go. It couldn’t have been more then 6 miles and there was a sign indicating a rest stop just a couple of miles ahead. Now, why couldn’t they say that about 6 miles back. Good grief.
We stopped at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar for lunch. Was nice to get out of the saddle and relax. It was also comforting to know that we were closer to home now and day was getting warmer. After lunch and something to drink we headed off to get fuel. After the tanks were filled, we hit the freeway again. Next stop, HOME!! We hit Spokane, said our goodbyes to Kim & Gary and we headed for our garage. Where, later, I would find out why I lost the trailer lights and the headlight.
Epilog
A few days later, I got busy to find out what happened to the headlight and the trailer lights. The headlight was an easy fix. While on the Garnet trip, I guess I somehow pulled the OEM plug off the adapter for the light. Got that connection made again, found a better way to secure it and now all the headlights are functional.
Now for the trailer. I plugged the trailer directly in to the main plug and still no lights. I have a small extension from the bike to the hitch. The hitch is custom make receiver type and this way I don’t have to lay down on the floor to connect the trailer lights. Ok, so that didn’t work. I look at the wiring under the bike and I see exactly why I don’t have any trailer lights. Again, on the Garnet run, I destroyed the cable to the main socket. It was shredded. Purchased some new cable and installed. Everything is now as it should be. All lights working and no other issues.
As promised, I gave Ms. Ruby one good cleaning and a rub. While the saddle was off, I even cleaned the dirt & debris from there as well. She is now ready for the next ride.