Bozeman to Bannack

Above: We awoke to a winter wonderland this morning. There were at least 2 new inches of snow in Bozeman. This is our view from the room over I-90.



Above: We drove west out of Bozeman on Montana 84 and then south on Montana 287 at Norris. In places it was desolate. In other places there were cows as far as the eye could see. The towns were tiny collections of a few houses and maybe a general store.



Above: Sometimes it felt like springtime with temperatures in the 40s, at other times the snow came down heavy and the temperature dropped into the 20s. Mostly it depended on the altitude. We stayed mostly in the valleys heading south to Ennis, Montana.



Above: At Ennis we turned west toward Virginia City on Montana 287 and made a steep climb so that the Madison Valley was visible to the east when we weren't in the snow. Across the valley to the east rises Lone Mountain and the Big Sky ski resort that we'd visited the prior day.



Above: When we got to one of the highest points between Ennis and Virginia City there was a scenic overlook and loads of fluffy snow coming down. While I couldn't see much across the valley I did enjoy the snow.

Settlement of the Madison Valley followed on the heels of the Gold Rush to Alder Gulch in the mid-1860s. Homesteaders grazed their livestock in the lush meadows of the valley and surrounding mountains, raising beef and mutton to feed the miners. Today, in addition to meat production, the ranches in this part of Montana serve another important ecological role -- maintaining open space and a place for wildlife to prosper.



Above: We'd made a miscalculation with Virginia City and Nevada City, thinking them present-day ghost towns. They were pretty well deserted . . . but still inhabited. After a bit of review of the guidebooks we realized our mistake and plotted a new route to the ghost town at Bannack, Montana by a convoluted route through the Tobacco Root Mountains and the Ruby Mountains in the Beaverhead National Forest.

We drove north to Twin Bridges and then took route 41 south to Dillion, Montana (below). Dillon was nothing more than a gas station and a few stores. . . . and another sun-snow shower with a big white dog in the middle of the road. We stopped to rest and the dog wanted in the truck. I would have loved to accommodate him. . . but. . . I gave him a treat and sent him on his way.



From Dillion we drove west on Montana 278 in the vast Beaverhead National Forest toward the ghost town of Bannack (below). Beaverhead covers 3.35 million acres.

I was the coldest I've been this entire trip while in Bannack. I don't think it was the weather. Perhaps it was the spirits of the dead that gave me such a chill. For more photos of our time in Bannack go to: Phillip's Natural World II.