Leaving Montana

Yeah, the time came for us to pack up and leave Flathead Lake and all of our new found degenerate friends in Bigfork.  We said goodbye to them on Friday night.  Saturday came and we headed out for the south.

Big brother Bill has voiced his intention to retire and move to the Bitterroot valley in Montana.  Since we are headed south into Idaho we figured we would drive through the valley on highway 93.  We headed for the town of Hamilton on the banks of the Bitterroot River.  We made a quick stop in Arlee for some last minute Huckleberry sweets and back on the road south.  We spent the night in the Black Rabbit RV park and got a referral to Naps restaurant for dinner.  We wanted a great steak and the manager at the RV park said to go there.  We walked into the place and up to the counter.  Yep, had to order at the counter like a diner.  Ordered their 13 ounce rib steaks medium rare , fries and the dinner salad.  The counter girl said their house salad came with a vinaigrette so we said sure, we’d try it.  We sat down and they brought out our salads…OMG, There is no substitute.  No iceberg lettuce, all romaine with spinach, candied peanuts and mandarin oranges with a great dressing.

house salad?

Not really diner fare or what you would expect but really great stuff.  Then the steak came.  Perfectly cooked, seasoned right, and almost fork tender.

On a bed of mushrooms, red onions, tomato and green onion

One of the best steak dinners I’ve had in a long time.  We headed back to Piper and took a walk along the river to relax and work off some of the food.

Up the next morning and headed back south again.  Leaving the Bitterroot Valley behind, and climbing the long grade out of Darby toward highway 43.  We hang a left on highway 43 and run into a high country valley with a beautiful creek running through it.  Eastbound toward the town of Wisdom with a destination of the Big Hole national Battlefield.  We pull into the visitor center building where there is plenty of parking for RV’s.  The flags are at half staff as today is 9/11.

A beautiful day to look out over a serene valley full of a river with plenty of willows, beaver dams and houses everywhere.  There are Tipi structures out in the valley where the Nez Perce were camped.  This battlefield portrayed some of the best and worst of human behavior during the formation of this country.  The army, chasing the Nez Perce, thought they had them caught.  They tried an attack which went absolutely awry, the Indians counterattacking and running the army off while the non-combatants retired from the field.  This was a chapter in the saga of one of the greatest escapes/running battles in American history.  The whole scene is truly a surreal way to spend this day.  A beautiful, very peaceful valley, the sun shining down on us warming the valley.  We took the walk down through the valley and watched the water flow through the valley.  We saw where the battles took place and the fighting was heaviest.  We left the area with a new appreciation of the conflict and a lasting memory of the area.

Jackson Sundown

I include Jackson here as this is the first time I’ve seen a picture of him outside of rodeo context.  My mother (the internationally collected artist) did a well received bronze sculpture of him in the late 70’s.

a working pay phone

Yea, a working pay phone at the Big Hole visitor’s center.  Still takes coins and has a dial tone.  and for you youngsters, that is a printed phone book of the local area hanging in a cover below it.

We pointed Beastie Boy back up that beautiful valley and hung a left on highway 93 and southbound to Idaho, specifically the town of Arco.  We pulled into Arco to the Craters of the Moon KOA Kampground and got set up.  It’s a typical KOA with the usual amenities and a couple of extras.  They provide a kitchen with limited to go menu for delivery to your campsite and they serve waffles from 9 to 10 am.

A good nights sleep and out to the Craters of the Moon National Park.

Next installment soon….

See ya out there.

BFD