Day 31-Yellowstone!!! No, Not That One.

Our bodies seem to still be on Pacific Time as we didn’t get up until 5:30 (Doug) and 6:00 (me). We even went to bed pretty early because it was raining again. I fell asleep when it was still light out! Either that, or we are getting close to needing a rest day. Anyway, we were on the road at 8:00 after I chatted with a woman and her husband who were from Wisconsin. They had been to a mule whisperer with their two mules. Apparently, they plan their vacations around where this guy is. This week, he was in Corvallis, MT (just outside of Hamilton). Interestingly, they were headed to Wenatchee to visit some friends. I told them they should go to Leavenworth too. 

The route through Hamilton took us on side streets. We went by the Ravelli County Courthouse (Hamilton is the county seat). We returned to Hwy 93, but on another final section of the Bitterroot Trail. 

Shadows on the Bitterroots. 

And the end of the trail. Now onto the Hwy. 

We rolled into Darby just in time for a snack. Being too lazy to try and find a bakery, we just stopped at the grocery store and got some baked goodness (and chocolate milk!). In all fairness, the word “bakery” was on the front of the store!

Rolling through downtown Darby. 

We left Darby behind. Doug was ahead of me when we came upon some green cones, and some signage that said stuff like “No Crew Entrance, Use Shuttle”. Hmmm…curious…Then I saw a big gate and a security car sitting there. Then it hit me…this is where they film the show “Yellowstone”! Sure enough, I stopped, looked back, and could see this. 

See the sign? Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. I had caught a glimpse of the big white ranch mansion as I rode past the gate. I should have asked if I could take a photo. A little bit down the road, I could see this house. 

It might be the house where “Cole” lives…

Anyway, now I want to rewatch (and watch the new season) when I get home. It also made sense to me what the manager at Black Rabbit RV Park said when he was telling us where we could camp. He said, “Just don’t go down by the Yellowstone people.”

There were lots of old cabins/homesteads along the way today. 

James Mc…something Cabin

Creekside Homestead. 

We went by a view of Trapper Peak. 

It’s the highest peak in the Bitterroot Mountains at 10,157ft. 

For a long time today, on the highway, we had a good shoulder (some annoyingly placed rumble strips at times), then we didn’t. 

But, look!…A bike sign!

Just before reaching Sula, the shoulder returned. So much nicer. 

We passed a sign talking about a guy who was instrumental in bighorn sheep conservation. So then, of course, we started looking for sheep. As I was rolling along, looking up high in the rocks, I thought to myself, watch, they’ll probably be right on the road. 

Yup. 

They were in no hurry. 

Might as well do a selfie. 

They finally meandered off the road. 

In Sula (not much to it), we decided to eat some lunch at the store…Camp Sula. 

We bought stuff to drink, but ate what we were carrying. As we were eating, there was another bighorn sheep on the hillside. As it was walking across the bare rocky slope, rocks were falling down to the highway. Ah ha! So that’s what the signs mean when they say, “Watch for Rock”! I did a video which I will post on Facebook. But I took this photo too. 

See ya later! And we did, because it came back!

7 miles more up the road and we arrived at our home for tonight, Indian Trees Campground. Even though there is no shower (USFS), it’s nice to be back in a campground that is not an RV Park. There is even a biker campsite!

Today was a good day of interesting sights and sightings!