Leaving Dillon, we rode down the main street past shops on the east side and the Chamber of Commerce and train station on the west. |
Dillon is home to the University of Montana Western and has wonderful residential streets. |
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This snow-capped peak is in the Eastern Pioneer Mountains. We gradually rode towards it as the day progressed. |
Immediately to the left of us were more low-lying hills with pasture land between them and the road. |
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The peak remained as the fields changed. |
Since there were no services for the forty-seven miles between Dillon and Jackson, our first opportunity to get water, we brought along extra in the Bob trailer. This was extra weight for the passes that loom up there to the west. |
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We'll be following Beaverhead Creek for the day. |
It was in this area that Ron first saw two bitterns. One on each side of the road. |
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This is one of many herds of cattle during the day. |
Old rusted out car frames formed a fence line for this house. |
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Interspersed in the "sagebrush" were clumps of lupine. In this area we saw a fox dash across the road, far too swift for me to watch and also to take a picture of at the same time |
As we ascended Badge Pass the trees came right out to the road in places. |
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Here is some lupine close up. |
In a "level" area the creek stayed with us for a while. |
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Many fences and gates were made with this type of pole construction. |
Small ranches dotted the valley. |
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Where the land gets farther away from the creek and there's no irrigation, the landscape is quite dry. |
We'll be starting to climb again away from the pastures, heading for Big Hole Pass. |
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A cost effective vacation home -- park the fifth wheel under a "carport". |
We're still climbing having left the "chains required" area for the next two miles to the pass. |
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The last 500 feet to the top of the pass before the descent into Jackson. |
We're climbing slow enough, you could almost count the pebbles. |
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I walked across the road to shoot this picture back down the hill from where we started. |
We'll soon be starting down this descent to Jackson and then onto Wisdom. |
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Bitterroot Mountains greeted us on our descent. |
To the east were a few of these ranch buildings. |
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Hay is important to the cattle raising in this valley and these haystacks are used to feed the livestock 7 months out of the year. They're made from Beaverslides and then fenced. |
Jackson is home to Jackson Hot Springs and a few residences. |
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Motorcyclists came from all ove to Jackson to celebrate July 4. |
Some of the cattle that will be using those haystacks. |
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As we get closer to Wisdom, the Bitteroot Range becomes more shallow. |
The restaurant we went to for lunch was almost up-scale and especially so considering the population of the town. |
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