Wrapping Up Adventure One View at a Time - Day 6 through 9

Axel Rose belting out "Knocking on Heavens Door" on 101 The Fox, Kansas City's classic rock station...my paid for 2001 POS Chevy Cavalier rattling with the beat through it's cracked dashboard as I push it up to 80mph on I-29...my mind set on the ultimate end goal..a night on the couch with nothing to do, vegging my mind away in front of the boob tube...I'm going home!!!

The trip from the airport last night wasn't fast enough. I had just landed from three days at our Dallas office, which is a short trip, but the end to a long two weeks of travel. Kathy and I had just wrapped up our vacation Tuesday, and didn't get home until after 11pm. My flight to Dallas was the next morning at 6am, so I really didn't consider it being home...Might as well have been another Super 8 stop over. I was finally coming home though, at least for the next two weeks. As I made the exit from I-29 to 635, getting ever so closer to the Kansas border, my mind started sifting through the last few days of our Ghost Town adventures.

We got up early again last Friday, preparing to leave our new friend Albert and his beautiful cabin just off the continental divide deep in the wilderness of Montana. Our original plan was to shoot up north of there to Glacier National Park, but a couple of days at Alberts brought back some sanity and we realized we must slow our trip down for a while, and take some easy days back to Jackson Hole Wyoming. So we relaxed that morning with Albert's freshly ground espresso, chatted the morning away while Albert cooked up another great breakfast, this time fried waffles...ummmmmm.... took some pics for prosperities sake and hit the road toward Missoula.

Our plan was to backtrack down Highway 12, then down I-90 a short ways to Deer Lodge as our first stop. Home to the Old Montana Prison Museum, this was a great side trip to all the ghost town adventures, getting a good feel for life behind bars in a prison that was active for 100 years starting in 1871. Kathy proclaiming as we toured the cell blocks "Remind me to never kill you, I wouldn't want to wind up in a place like this!" Thanks babe, I know the trips been a long one, but it's nice to know you need a reminder ;).

After the prison adventure and a tour through another old west museum, we hit the road again back up I-90 with a just a few more ghost towns on the way, including Montana's first gold discovery at what's now called Gold Creek. Not a lot left there, and you really had to hunt for signs of yesteryear. After finally finding a pond with some old mining equipment in it, we set our sites for the treat of the day, Garnett.

This ghost town is one of Montana's best preserved and least visited, and is kept up by the BLM and a preservation society. On both public and private land, they won't let you drive into this town, but they have adequate parking just up the hill overlooking the town, and the short hike in is well worth the price of admission. They have plenty of buildings still with contents on display, including a large hotel and general store. We took our time going through most of the buildings that were open, and really enjoyed the history. Signs outside each building that told you about the proprietors and how the town rose then fell as most mining towns did. On the other side of the parking lot there's another hiking trail to take you to remants of the actual mining. It's only .2 miles and it was an easy hike into the past, with several interesting things to see.


By that time it was already getting later in the day than we wanted so off we went to our stop for the night in Missoula. Our last three days of the trip would take us down highway 93, west on 75 into Idaho. Saturday was full of beautiful scenic drives, but by this time in the trip it was just another mountain and trees. Lot's of historic places to see along the Salmon River Scenic Byway, including Gibbonsville Idaho. Not a complete ghost town with at least 100 residents still there, but we found the cemetery interesting. Sure it was historic, but it was a recent headstone that caught Kathy's eye. A husband and wife..each side of the stone showing when they came and left the world, each plot with a mound showing that someone was buried there, but flowers only on the husbands side. On closer inspection Kathy found that the husband died December 20, 2005, but the wife's marker showed December 20, 2008....wait, what's today? This interesting stop kept our minds occupied for a while as we moved on down the road.

The rest of our day would take us on a side trip along the Salmon river through some gorgeous country down to Shoup, then backtrack to 93 for our stop in the town of Salmon. Didn't have any hotel reservations, and there were only 3 or 4 to choose from, but we got lucky and landed at one right at the edge of town by the river. It's a crap shoot sometimes with locally owned hotels, and this one was on the edge. Good enough though for a nights rest, with the river right outside our door.

I'll attempt to brief this up on the next two day and just say "welcome to Idaho". Oh there was beauty, but there was also desolation. After a side trip just south of Challis on scenic highway 75, into the Yankee mining district and several more places of yesteryear, which by the way includes a wonderful information center that is a must stop for any ghost towner, we started getting into area's of the state that you could tell were no-mans land. It stayed pretty much mountainous around us as we traveled more of a valley through Ketchum (lots of highway traffic this Sunday as people must of been coming home from the Salmon River recreational areas), finally hitting more flat roads and feilds as we turned onto Highway 20 to our next overnight stay in Arco. Along the way you run into Craters of the Moon National monument. This area home to a lava field that covers thousands of acres and made for some interesting stories of pioneers trying to make their way through. It was an unexpected site in western Idaho, and a nice change of scenery to wrap up the say.

After a great stop in Arco it was finally Monday, our last day of travel. This day would take us through the farming areas toward Idaho Falls, then out to Swan Valley and back north a bit on highway 31 into Victor and Driggs. Our main goal of the day was the Grand Tetons, since our first day 9 days ago didn't provide the time needed to explore the area. Quirky Kathy of course was also on the search for one specific photo opp that she had seen on several post cards. A giant potato on the back of a flat bed truck. Yep, that's my wife, and I love her dearly. I was convinced she was crazy until just outside of Driggs I saw the truck. It was the Spud Drive In theater. Of course it wasn't a real potato, but it made Kathy happy that we found it. I'm sure she will be selling the fruits of our search soon on her Rocky Mountain General Store.

We were definitely through with the flat lands by this time, and going up into the mountain range just east of the Tetons, coming into Wyoming on highway 33. Incredible drive that finally brought us to a point overlooking Jackson Hole. Coming down the mountain we ventured off on to highway 390 toward Teton Village, then up into the Grand Teton National Park. It was a beautiful day and there were plenty of vacationers venturing the same way. This entry is a gateway not only into the Tetons but also Yellow Stone if you had the mind to keep heading north. Our goals weren't that lofty though so we targeted Jenny Lake as our deepest point into the park.
Along the way there are several pull outs and trail heads for visitors to stop and soak in the incredible views. It was at the first major pull out that we saw first hand how absolutely rediculous we humans are when it comes to animals. Cars and RV's packed the pull out, and several people, cameras in hand and kids in tow were running across the road in front of traffic to a river bridge. My immediate thought was that it was a bear maybe? I mean, why else would people risk life and limb, leaving their children behind them as they run to catch a quick pic of nature. I was duped into the frenzy, so I carefully pulled into one of the few remaining parking spots and joined the crowd at the other side of the road. At least 50 people by now pointing to the river bank, I draw up our new video camera thinking I was about to get something spectacular on film. Panning left to right as the gawkers pointing fingers moved I see it...a young moose drinking from the river. Hmmm...is there a bear or mountain lion about to eat the moose...no, it's just a moose. I guess I should have been more excited, but come on people, all this for a moose?

After soaking in the tranquil water of Jenny Lake and taking plenty of footage of the thousands of year old Ice still on top of the Tetons, we made our way back through the now even larger crowd at the side of the road still watching the moose almost an hour later, and into the bumper to bumper traffic of Jackson Hole. When we finally reach the Super 8 in Jackson, choking on the $200 dollar a night bill, we settled in for our last night before heading home.

I've already written about our experience with United Airlines the next day, the only thing I missed was that by the time we reached Kansas City on Frontier airlines, one of our bags was still in Jackson Hole, the other somewhere in Denver International Airport. Fine, I didn't need my deodorant anyway, despite the fact I was up at 4am Wednesday morning to hop another flight to Dallas on business. Luckily the Hilton Garden Inn up the road from the Dallas office had what I needed to get by.

No ghost towns on my agenda for quite a while. Finally home for the next two weeks before making business trips to Brazil, two trips to Dallas and Amsterdam all in a 4 week period. For now I'm enjoying the memories of a wonderful vacation and incredible adventure through yesteryear. Be sure to read all about the old west towns we visited on Kathy's blog and of course Legends of America. In the meantime I'll snap a few while out of the country and share, but it just isn't the same as this incredible nation we call home.

Butte to Marysville -Montana Day 4

Kathy has developed several 'internet' friendships over the past five years. Readers of her website that provide feedback and general information that occasionally check in on Legends Of America. She had told me of one specific reader in Montana a while back who said if we were ever there to look him up. As time drew closer for our trip, Kathy continued to communicate with him, and he actually invited us to stay in his mountain home near Marysville.

Being the joker that I am, I started teasing Kathy even before we left Kansas City. "So, you never met this guy right? And he has a home in the mountains, away from all other's, with no phone right? Does he have a dungeon as well..he he he?" I poured it on pretty good... in fact so well that by the time we drew closer to his home I started questioning things myself. What we knew was that he had internet, but no phone service. We knew he had to drive toward town to get calls, and that he was completely isolated somewhere in the Helena region. "So what happens if we get there and this guy is some kind of serial killer?" Kathy wasn't too phased by my rhetoric, and we pressed on Wednesday morning with her internet friend as our final destination (of the day that is).

We had made it to Butte the night before, and decided to spend a little time there before moving north on I-90 toward Deer Lodge. Butte was an interesting mining town and has some tragic history. It's open pit mine was the largest in the world when it closed in the early 1990's. During it's hey day around World War I, the copper mine employed about 14,000 miners, but later dwindled as ore production declined in the 1950's. It's also home to the worst hard rock mining disaster in US history. The Granite Mountain Mine Disaster in June of 1917 was a large fire 2,000 feet below the surface that sent flames, smoke and poisonous gas throughout the underground tunnels. Almost 170 men lost their lives, and today Butte has a monument overlooking the mining operation to honor them.


After Butte we move up I-90 and get off on Highway 1, the Pintler Scenic Route. Through Anacanda and up to Georgetown lake, this is another beautiful Montana drive. Once at the lake, turn right at the Ski Resort and just up the road a bit you run into Georgetown. This was on our list of ghost towns, but it isn't anymore. The resort area has taken over, and there are several homes there, but we didn't see any remnants of yesteryear. A short way's from Georgetown is Southern Cross, another mining ghost town. This one hasn't been taken over yet, however amidst the crumbling buildings of the 1800's were plenty of bull dozer's and workers clearing out places to build a new. It was one of those moments that you felt you may be one of the last people on earth to witness what Souther Cross was.



After Southern Cross it was back on Highway 1 with a stop in Phillipsburg. Another old mining town, however Phillipsburg still thrives today as a nice little tourist stop. Very cute downtown, almost like Virginia City, only more shopping than anything else. It's a good stop anyway, with a bit of history. Outside of Philipsburg about 5 miles, up a somewhat rough dirt mountain road, one lane most of the way, is Granite. This mountain top ghost town is very cool. Once a large thriving mining community back in the 1800's, several buildings remain, though many have been taken by the mountain side. You can take a 2 hour walking tour if your in shape to hike (we were there maybe 30 minutes and still got our fill of the history).

After Granite it was time to head back toward I-90 at Drummond, then down to Garrison where we cut off on Highway 12. We were supposed to meet Kathy's internet friend in Marysville, outside of Helena, at 4pm. Unfortunately as soon as we exited we hit road construction. 20 miles behind a follow me car that took an hour to get through. Quickly moving on to Helena, filling up with gas and a quick snak before hitting Birdseye Road past Fort Harrison on our way to the ghost town of Marysville.

Meet Albert, the Mountain Man of Montana....

The plan was in place. We had a good feeling about Albert through his emails. He was already generous with letting us stay in his cabin home, and had even planned on throwing some steaks on the grill that night for dinner. But one must be prepared, so we had already sent the exact location of his home via email to Kathy's daughter in Lawrence, and to my son back in Lenexa. Told them that if they didn't hear from us by Friday at noon to send out the search party. As we finally pulled into Marysville and found Albert sitting in his Jeep waiting, our paranoia was quickly alleviated. Let me describe my feelings about Albert in three words...Admiration, Envy and Awe.

Albert is a mountain man by choice. He had lived in California most of his life, with a career as a Sheriffs detective, artist and educator. He even got a few walk in roles in several movies, including City of Angels, along with his daughter. His acting stints started with her trying to get roles as a child and the casting director encouraging him to try out as well. He had the "detective/Sheriff" look down to a tee. With a clear vision of what he really wanted though, Albert spent years planning for his retirement. Then, when the time was right, he sold his home in California, bought an RV and spent two years traveling America searching for the perfect place. Somewhere completely off the grid. After the life of public service he had, I don't blame him.

It was by chance (payoff for a lot of hard work) that he found out about the home and land he has now. In fact, it almost didn't happen, as the real estate agent helping him couldn't find the place for several days. Both kept searching and had finally given up. Luckily though, the owners came back from the East Coast and guided them in. Getting to Albert's is an adventure in itself. Up from Marysville, then along the Continental Divide and back down just a bit into a small valley. As an 1863 mining claim, his home is completely surrounded by public lands. Not a neighbor in miles, completely isolated with nature.

Albert was easy on us, taking us in on the best roads possible, but definitely needed the SUV. When we arrived at his cabin, I was immediately overcome by the incredible beauty. A small spring behind his home provides all the water he needs. The mountain side behind the stream home to all the forest brings with it, including Mountain Lions, Elk, Bear and Deer. In front was just enough of the valley floor so you didn't feel claustrophobic, but not enough to give view to his home until your right on top of it. It's also enough to provide just the right wind's that allow him to generate electricity. That along with some hydro power. He's installing solar panels that follow the sun later this year.

Living in a place like this isn't something everyone could do. You have to plan, plan and plan some more. You also have to be in shape, as there is a lot of work that goes into living off the grid. He's fortunate in the fact he has satellite internet and can keep in touch with friends who check in on him daily. But you can tell that Albert will be just fine with or without that communication. After dinner that night he regaled stories of his past four years there, including the hard winters when he has to leave his Jeep closer to town and drive in for supplies using his Argo utility vehicle. He even had to buy tracks for it to get up and down the mountain, often times dealing with several feet of snow, finding himself stuck halfway home, having to walk back. Like I said, this isn't something everyone could do. But for Albert, it's a payoff for a the life he's led as a veteran and public servant.

He's not completely alone in the wilderness. Albert has Zach and Zoey, his dog and cat, that keep him company through those long winter weeks when he doesn't see anyone. At first I was completely envious of his life in the mountains, but after hearing some of the stories of the winters there, I can say for sure that I could come no where close to achieving what he has. I guess I'm still too plugged in and out of shape to consider moving that far off the grid. But for a moment there I was dreaming about it. I think for now I'll just have to dream through Albert's eyes.
Next blog: Ghost Towning in the Helena region with our new friend, and seeing first hand what happens when history isn't respected.

Wyoming's a long way from DIA

I can see the rockies in the distance. There's still snow on some of the peaks, but the view isn't that spectacular from this vantage point. In the fore ground, United Airlines has a plane at about every terminal, with B37 right in front of me. The fact that I'm posting a blog from the Smoking Lounge in Denver International Airport should tell you that something has gone awry in our travel plans today.

This mornings flight from KC to Jackson Hole Wyoming through Denver was supposed to be an early one. Kathy had saved a couple hundred bucks booking the 6:20am departure, but I think next time we'll kick in the extra to sleep in. Being excited about our upcoming adventure to Wyoming, Montana and parts of Idaho, I was up until almost 11 last night in anticipation. Then for what ever reason I was up and at'em at 2:30 this morning. Still had some packing to do, and needed some time to geek and get caffeinated anyway.

We finally got out the door and to the airport by 5:15, but we were greated with a very long, and slow moving line at the United counter. Don't know for sure what happened, but anyone with a connecting flight through Denver were being guided away from the check in kiosks and forced to wait. Bottom line, we didn't get out of KC until 7:45 this morning, and of course missed our connecting flight.

So, here we are connected to the fabulous wi-fi at DIA, drinking our tea and pop and hording a corner of the Smoking Lounge near an electrical outlet. Gonna be here until 1:30 this afternoon, so plenty of time to count the number of Southwest flights continually taking off while United planes still perch at the gates in front of us.

This changes our itinerary for the day a bit. Not a lot of time to spend in Jackson Hole on the front end, and we are going to try to push for Lander Wyoming by tonight. The Grand Tetons are on the way, so don't know for sure we'll make it. Lots of Ghost Towns on the agenda for Sunday in the Lander area, before we head up toward Cody. This is definitely going to be an adventure filled 10 days...but we have to get out of the Smoking Lounge first.

There's Treasure in Them There Hills

A good friend of mine pointed out this week that it's been a while since I posted a blog. It's not that I haven't had anything to say, but this summer is quickly sneaking by us at Legends of America, and I better catch up before it leaves me behind.

Readers of Legends of America are also busy dealing with the latest economics, politics and general mayhem 2008 is bringing, so the web site is starting to see a bit of a change in traffic. Primarily focused on travel to those out of the way places in the Old West and Route 66, the web site still draws thousands to read about places like Tombstone and Flagstaff, but readers are also starting to turn to treasure tales. Junes statistics saw just under 382,000 unique visitors, a 19% drop in traffic from May. Kathy tells me that's normal for summer months, but what caught my eye is the fact her treasure page has jumped into the top 10 most visited at number 8 in June (when excluding site search results and main page).

TOP 10 Pages in Legends of America - June 2008

/WE-JesseJames.html	23944
/66-Mainpage.html	15723
/LA-Ghosttowns.html	10706
/LA-OldWestLegends.html	10478
/GH-TwistedHistory3.html	10168
/NA-Totems.html	9167
/LA-VintagePhotos.html	8406
/LA-Treasures.html	8251
/postcards-descriptions/People-Postcards.html	8074
/LA-GhostlyLegends.html	8062

Search Terms also reflect the increasing interest in treasure, with the term treasure hunting making it in the top 10 as well.

Top 10 Search phrases on Legends of America - June 2008

76616 different keyphrases	Search
route 66	4554
jesse james	3537
la llorona	1773
robert ford	1487
dutch oven recipes	1199
geronimo	910
goldfield hotel	735
doc holiday	553
treasure hunting	519
old west	512

So maybe I should take a cue from the readers and consider doing some treasure hunting of my own. Could be a nice break from just taking pictures of Ghost Towns. Better check them rules though before I go, make sure I'm not upsetting any spirits or lawmen.

The rest of the summer is about to go at warp speed. Kathy and I spent most of June at Legends of America's future headquarters on the Lake of the Ozarks. Finally got a most of our landscaping done and now in the planning stages of building an additional office/garage for a shipping center. We have photo's of the latest work on our second home and I promise to post a link here as soon as they're up.

Tomorrow we fly out for a 10 day tour of Wyoming, Montana and all the incredible sites in-between. Definitely going to enjoy it as it promises to bring many new adventures. I'll be out of the loop most of August and September doing my corporate gig, but I'm sure Kathy will stay in the thick of things catching everyone up on our trip.

I'll try to post again within the next few days and let you know if I find any treasure in Yellowstone ;).