The Pony Express

Virginia City is a lonely town at 7:30 in the morning; no traffic, no people, just peace and quiet. We took advantage of the tranquility to snap a few photos along the boardwalks and enjoyed having the town to ourselves. My hunger could not be satisfied with two granola bars and a cup of coffee, then out came the words "breakfast" and I had biscuits and gravy on the brain. Within minutes we were packed and ready for the last leg of our adventure. 

Boardwalks of Virginia City

Fairweather Inn

The next stop on the adventure was to be the town of Ennis, in the Madison River Valley; arguably the most beautiful valley in Montana. This is a small ranching community which is known for its seasonal influxes of hunters and anglers. Having never spent more than 10 minutes passing through, I knew nothing of Ennis and where to get a good, hot breakfast. Biker mantra number two states: "ask the locals, they know" and heeding that advice we made a hasty stop at a local coffee shack. A very attractive, middle aged woman slides the window open with a strange look on her face; She must be thinking "How are these guys gonna drink coffee on their bikes?"

"Hi there! Where can we get the best breakfast in town?" I ask.

Quickly and confidently she replies, "The Sportman's Lodge, don't go anywhere else."

"Wow! That good..?"

"It's that good."

The Sportsman's Lodge didnt disappoint; the breakfast was hardy, service was excellent and we were happy with the check. On our way out the door we were greeted by a fellow who ask about our bikes, "Love your bikes, where ya headed?"
"We're headed to Pony and want to take Meadow Road to Norris. Are you a local?" I asked.
"Yep, I live around here, and thats a great road with very distinctive rock formations; the Indians used it as a landmark, you two will love it!"
Joel had been watching a storm build over the Tobacco Roots all morning and now the darkest part was over our planned route. "Looking pretty dark over there." he stated.
"No worries, I'm sure it will be fine."

Prepare for the emerging storm!

At the town of McAllister, we pulled over to make last minute preparations before turning onto Meadow Road and into the storm. Meadow Road heads west skirting closer to the mountains and is dotted with ranches and vacation homes. As we enjoyed the scenery, I spotted some large birds and decided to stop and take a closer look. Perched in a tree were three Bald Eagles above the pasture looking for a noon meal. Though I live in Montana, Joel sees far more Eagles than I do as they have become quite common along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis. Joel was burning up inside his rain gear and wanted to get going, so we only stopped long enough to take a few photos.

A bird in hand...

From here, the road narrows and snakes its way up through rock formations that resemble military fortifications. This ridge would be easily defendable and hard to ambush; no wonder the Indians used this area. Meadow Road changes names to Warm Springs Road, but also changes characteristics from packed shale to loose sand. If you are not used to it, loose sand is intimidating; but once you learn to  lighten the front wheel by staying on the throttle, sand can be fun. Eventually we made to Norris without getting wet, the fast moving storm out ran us; poor Joel sweated in his rain suit for nothing.

The next destination was Pony, our fourth old mining town but not quite a ghost town. It was just before noon when we arrived at the Pony Bar and folks were already waiting for the bar to open... hmmm, they start early in Pony. Turns out these folks were members of the band that played a gig the night before; they were waiting for the bar to open so they could pack their equipment. Seems as though the band camped out that evening, and having been kept awake by a fierce thunderstorm, were still reeling from the effects of too much gin. When the bar opened, they had Bloody Mary's, we stayed with Root Beer.

The Pony Bar

After discussing Wine, Women and Motorcycles, Joel and I departed on our last leg of the day to the Ghost Town of Comet, near Boulder, MT.

Comet had two boom year's, one during the mid-1880's and the second in the 1920's and 30's. Ore mined here was shipped by rope tram, down the steep hill, to the nearby smelter at Wickes, MT. As many as 300 residents lived here patronizing 22 saloons... wow! Sadly, all that is left of the town is the old mill and company buildings (built in 1926), some store fronts and homes. The mine is on private property, but the public is welcome to visit. Please respect these treasures and tread lightly.

Comet, MT

(Note: It is NOT recommended to travel the road from Comet to Wickes, down the steep hill mentioned above.

"How do I know this?" You ask.

I travelled this road against the recommendation of a local.

Fellow bike riders: this was the steepest hill I have ever descended, comprised of the slipperiest shale. I locked up and slid both tires the entire slope. When I surprisingly reached the flat ground at Wickes, I dismounted my bike and kissed the ground.)

Joel's Montana trip was quickly coming to an end. It was getting late and we had to make a break for it to avoid an incoming storm. Reluctantly we took the Interstate back into Helena and made our way to the Sushi Bar for dinner.
"We saw five ghost towns, a bear, a moose, some eagles; lots of mountains, lots of sky and lots of mosquitos. So, what was your favorite part of your trip?" I asked.
"Comet," he replied, "was just what I came to see."
Happy to know that the last site we visited was icing on the cake, we toasted the last three days with a bottle of beer.

Tuesday morning, Joel left Montana, back into the heat of the mid-west summer. Driving back home from the Airport, I started to reflect on MY favorite part of the trip; was it the bear, the mountains, the ghost towns? Nah... my favorite part was riding with a good friend. Come back soon, Joel! I'll have the bikes ready for another Big Sky Adventure.