Yesterday I had meant to take Rt 43 at the top of Lost Trail Pass. I whizzed right past it before I saw it. There are few second chances out here with a large motorhome. The road was right at the summit of the mountain. We had already started our descent by the time I realized what I had done.
I was talking to a man at our last campground who has traveled the west all his life in a camper. He said there isn't a paved road he hasn't been on. He has also traveled a large number of the unpaved roads. I asked him if he had gone over the Escalante air road on Rt 12 in Utah. He lit right up. He said it was the most frightening piece of highway he had ever been on. Sitting high up in a MH gives you a vantage point you don't get from an automobile.
We shared our experiences on that little piece of highway. He assured me I would not ever find anything anywhere out west to compare with the fright that stretch will give you. I felt like the member of an exclusive club. Both of us agreed, had we known what was there before we went up we would not have gone up to begin with.
I tapped his knowledge of the area. He told me about Rt 43 in Montana. Take it over the pass to Wisdom. Then continue on until you come to Rt 569. It is a little narrow country road. He said that route would be one of the most scenic anywhere out west.
This morning I decided to retrace my path back to the top of Lost Trail Pass. It was only 15 miles back.
I would take Rt 43 as my friend had suggested. As we climbed the pass, clouds hung low over the peaks. Fresh fallen snow frosted the highest peaks. It was very cold for July 3rd.
We made our turn at the summit and began the climb up to Chief Joseph Pass. We crossed the summit at 7264 feet. We began a slow descent along a small crystal clear brook. It meandered through mountain meadows and marshy bogs. This looked like the moose country my friend told us about. As we drove along slowly, we scanned both sides of the road for a moose. We saw two turkeys and two sandhill cranes but no moose.
As we came down off the mountain to the little village of Wisdom, a valley stretched out for many miles in all directions. Snow covered peaks bordered this expanse of green. The sight was breathtaking.
It was like driving in the midst of a picture postcard. We crept along, letting cars pass, not wanting this moment to pass too quickly. We may never see this again. We drank in the sights, sounds and smells like an intoxicating liquor.
A van zoomed past very fast waking both of us from this scenic slumber we were in. The tag was from Vermont. That is the very first east coaster we have seen out here anywhere. They were in an awful hurry. I guess they weren't captivated as we were with this beautiful place.
A river followed along our route as we left Wisdom. We were told it was the Wise River. I thought that sounded like a proverb. A wise river runs out of wisdom.
Soon we reached Rt 569. I turned on to it and stopped. It was very narrow and rough. Do we really want to go this way? I reflected on my conversation with my friend. I was certain it would be ok. After all, he said there was no road like Escalante. I conquered Escalante. This will be a piece of cake.
Traffic was light. We poked along drinking in the view. Words fail me to describe what we saw. It must be experienced. We came to a scenic pull off in front of Mt Haggin. It is in excess of 10,000 feet. Its snow capped peak revealed a fresh dusting of snow.
Soon someone else pulled in. They were natives from LoLo up near Missoula. He said this little road is one of the best kept secrets in the whole state of Montana. Our conversation turned to the many red color trees on all the hillsides. He said, with a very downcast look, "pine bark beetles".
Note all the dying trees. Some areas are completely brown.
He said they are going to change the entire west. They are killing every conifer they invade. Some sections of northern Montana don't have a green tree left. Fire is a real worry. He said the beetles are marching across the west of Canada and the U.S.. My heart sank thinking of the majestic douglas firs, ponderosa pines, red cedars, redwoods and the sequoias we had seen.
He said the west will be changed for generations to come. The whole look will change. There is nothing that can stop it. When it first broke out, many wanted to log off the areas that were infected thereby stopping the spread from tree to tree. Environmentalist stopped the effort in its tracks. The people here hold the Sierra Club personally responsible for the demise of the conifer in western North America.
I talked to several people in this area about the problem. They all explained it the same way. The trees are going to die. Only one thing can stop them now. According to foresters, it would take three weeks of sub -30 temperatures to kill off the beetle larvae. To anyone's recollection that has never happened.
Free range cattle. You hit it, you own it.
We heard there are sapphire mines around Philipsburg, MT. Philipsburg has a very old mining history. Gold, silver, magnesium, copper, and sapphires brought miners here in search of riches. Only small amounts of precious metals were found. Sapphires were in abundance. Only one other area in the states has such an abundance of sapphires, North Carolina.
The old downtown if Philipsburg has been transformed into a series of gift shops, sapphire gem dealers and restaurants. You can buy a bag of gem dirt that comes from the mines. You wash it in screens like you would pan for gold. Then you dump the stones onto a table and pick through each little stone to find a sapphire. Unfortunately, all the big gems were removed before the sacks were filled. What searchers find are little chips that look like chips of glass. None of them would have any value.
We visited with a family who was sifting through sacks of dirt. Dad is disabled and not able to do too many things. Searching for sapphires with the family on the weekend is one of his favorite pastimes.
They showed us how they wash the dirt. They then flip the screen over onto the table. They said the sapphires are heavier than the stones so they settle to the bottom. Flipping the screen leaves most of the sapphires on top.
We milled around town. Ate dinner in a local restaurant. I had buffalo meat. Don't ask me why. Darlie thought I was nuts. She was right. I will prepare for a belly bomb later. We are camped at a very small RV park right next to main st. It is cool. Darlie has fallen asleep. My stomach is gurgling.
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