Canyonwren Travels: Small Towns and Friends

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Small Towns and Friends

Whenever you travel, if you have been in that area before, you remember the different experiences you have had based on the towns you travel through. On this foray into Montana, my memory brought forth images of me as a nine or ten-year-old traveling with my uncle Bill as he went from small town to a small town making his service/sales calls.

Our first campsite at Aspen Grove.

Uncle Bill was a Pfaff sewing machine sales and repair man. He would load me in his van and off we would go to Drummond, Deer Lodge, or Ronan, so he could make repairs or sell machines. I would wait in the van while he worked, but as soon as we finished business we would drive to the nearest river and spend a few hours fishing. My Uncle loved to fish and he always had his gear with him wherever he went. Those were great memories and fun times! I got to see a lot of country and fish some great rivers.

Traveling with John and Loretta Sutherland to visit our friend, Dan Breeden, took us along the Clark Fork River on I-90, through Missoula to HWY 200 where we then followed the Blackfoot River northeast. We climbed over the Continental Divide and dropped into the Missouri River valley. We stopped for the night at a Forest Service campground called Aspen Grove. We got out of our rigs and, oh boy, was it cold and windy. Our exploration of this area was short and sweet. That night the temperatures dropped into the mid-thirties and we all scrambled for our winter blankets to keep us warm.

We woke up and got on the road to Great Falls. We did some shopping and used the rest room and then it was back on the road for the final leg. Leaving the big city we followed HWY 87 farther north to the quiet little town of Fort Benton where Danbo has chosen to settle in and establish his home.

As we drove we kept our eyes open for wildlife along the highways on the open grasslands. Just outside of Ft. Benton we pulled over at a scenic viewpoint to take a closer look at the panorama provided by the river valley. As we took our photos a group of three domestic goats came wandering toward us along the railroad tracks. Our first big game! To say the least, we were a little disappointed when we saw that they were domesticated goats, but we counted them as big game anyway.

The basis for this adventure developed when Dan bought a parcel of land that included a house, a large outbuilding, and ten city lots for his retirement home. John, Loretta, Dan, Linda, and I had just gotten through with a river trip where we all talked about Dan's new home and we made plans to drive over and explore the town and area around his property.

View from the scenic overlook west.

We spent two days exploring the area near his new place. We got a good feeling about the town, checked out the work he had completed on his new home, and laid to rest many questions we had been asking concerning the location.

Fort Benton is a pretty cool place. It is a small farming community where everyone waves at everyone else. The town has a lot of history and is known for being the oldest continually established town in Montana. The Mullan Road begins in Ft. Benton and runs from there to Coeur d'Alene and beyond. This was a fascinating bit of history that tied the town to our area as everyone is familiar with Mullan Road.

Looking east over the Missouri River.

During our stay, we walked along the Missouri River to the heart of downtown. Then the next day we all got on our bikes and extended our exploration of Dan's new home to include the southern part of town where the fairgrounds are located.

Each night we would gather outside around the fire and talk and laugh. It was good to see Dan so happy!

On our final morning, we went into Dan's favorite coffee shop and had a big breakfast. We all packed up and said our goodbyes. We now know enough about this small town to understand the draw Dan had pulling him to the area. We get it. We feel happy for Dan and this next chapter of his life, though we'll miss having him here in Coeur d'Alene.

Wild goats? Nope!

After we left Ft. Benton we drove back via the Wolf Creek area, HWY 15. The drive would have been beautiful. We followed the creek and wound through jagged rock formations and lush green meadows. Unfortunately, the smoke from forest fires in Idaho and Oregon was blocking the sun and skies.

At Drummond, we pulled off the highway and found the city park/fairgrounds. John and Loretta had used this hidden spot many times for overnight boondocks when they traveled back to the midwest. It was a nice spot, close to the Clark Fork River, but far enough away from the railroad tracks so the trains didn't bother you. The cost was $10 a site which was fairly inexpensive. The restrooms were not the best, but we were heading home and very much self-contained, so that was not a big problem.

On the final day, we hugged John and Loretta and headed home.