Day 20 – Ghost Towns and Awful Paths

This day was a rough one. No matter which so-called bike path Our Hero took, it was a mess. Rocks, gravel, stones, whatever you can think of that would hinder biking, these paths put it before him. Poor Art was exhausted! Still, he rode fifty-eight and one-third miles. That’s pretty impressive.

These paths are terrible:

So much rock and sand to slide in:

I’m pretty sure a bike path can’t get any worse than this one, either. Look at all those rocks:

I will tell you, Art looks for the positive in all of this, so we don’t only have pictures of terrible bike paths. We get to see the Clark Fork River again:

There is no denying that Montana is a beautiful state. Despite that, I think Art will be happy to be out of it. Of course, we’re not even halfway yet. More Clark Fork River, which is rocky because Art is climbing up a bunch of false summits:

I can’t miss sharing his smiling face in one, though:

Of course, that simply proves how crazy he is on this amazing journey. He had hoped to hit the Continental Divide soon and finally made it on Saturday (Day 23) after taking two days off. The summit he was on kept going. He was climbing one false summit after another:

He was nearing the top and then, oh, still climbing around the bend:

Again, not the summit. Maybe the next one, but…

Did he ever reach it? Of course. He wasn’t going to stop until he did, even though there were thirteen or fourteen false ones. The secret of the joy of biking is the downhill!

Montana is a state with a rich history rooted in the Old West, and based on mining and logging. The area we are staying in has the Garnet Ghost Town nearby. We plan to visit on Sunday after church. I’ll be sure to take photos, but Art was able to get some on his ride, too:

The sign leading you toward it:

And a biking tour you can take:

Additional information about daily life there:

But you can also drive up to the parking area. The parking lot signage:

I would NOT take my RV up there. We’ll drive our four-wheel truck and have a nice walk around. The actual parking lot:

The road leading up to it, and why I wouldn’t haul our RV with us:

Use a bus tour or a four-wheel drive. This sign gives a warning for the area. You’re in the true wilderness in this state:

The town has historical information posted, as it has been well kept by a special preservation society. I’m so excited to see it. Here are some photos Art took. This signage tells about the mining of barite after the gold rush was well over:

This next one discusses the types of people coming to Garnet:

Logging in the area also employed many settlers:

A beacon in a cold, lonely land:

The old cabin the fire warden lived in:

Preservation information:

And a bit more about the preservation:

I’m a bit of a history buff, and I love this time in American history, so this visit will be right up my alley.

Next Up: A Couple of Days off and a Change in Plans