Today we’d like to wish Kathy’s parents a happy 60th anniversary
The trail camp was a bit noisy by the road, but given the name, there were some good trails. I walked a loop that was nearly 4 miles across streams and through lush forests. Immediately after breaking camp, we crossed into Idaho. Shortly into our days drive, we stopped at a grocery store and I found some issues with Howie and the lights. It took a bit to find the problem with the extension line which had wires that had become disconnected and shorted. Fortunately there was a Napa and Ace Hardware and I was able to fix the cable and replace the blown fuses in the parking lot. People were incredibly nice as two or three checked in on us as I made the repairs.
Along the way was Big Hole National Historic Park, another battlefield in the Indian Wars that led to Sitting Bull eventually laying down his weapons. A quick storm blew three and dropped some rain at the park just after the dogs got to stretch their legs.
We drove up this beautiful canyon and over a pass with a Ski Resort and then down a long canyon/valley towards Hamilton, MT, where an old friend has settled. We rolled in around 5 to their beautiful homestead and spent three nights there, taking in the local town, doing some fishing, and catching up.
Jake and Monique were married in Hamilton during Covid, after their original venue cancelled their wedding. They found an Air BnB in Hamilton that was available, sight unseen, and fell in love with the area and eventually bought a house and moved there with his daughter. The town is beautiful, and there is hunting and fishing 10 minutes from their home.
Jake and Monique took us down to their favorite restaurant, Naps, that had great hamburgers, salads, and nachos, and then Jake showed us around the area, including the river they frequently fish.
I was able to get some maintenance completed on Howie on Saturday, including my first diesel oil change, and one of the two fuel filters (I couldn’t get the cap off of the engine block one, uggh). Jake had the 1 1/8” socket I didn’t have and a step ladder to get into the engine compartment. He also took us for a ride in his Tesla, which kept a smile on Kathy’s face. I think she might want one when we return. Monique has a horse who became a quick friend of Kathy. She spent the several days feeding, petting, and conversing with him.
Saturday there was a town fest that had the streets in downtown closed so we had lunch at the food trucks and checked out Jake’s favorite store, Fords. The town oh Hamilton could pass for Bedford Falls, in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, and apparently in winter is is beautifully adorned with lights amidst the snow. Later on Saturday Jake loaded up his Side By Side and the four of us headed to to twin lakes, way up in the Bitterroot Mountains where they tried to catch some fish. Monique was successful back down near the dinner camp at the river. Jake lit a fire, cooked hamburgers and beans, and then we packed up and headed back. It’s nice up north where daylight extends to 10pm.
Sunday we parted ways, and headed east a bit to catch another national historic site. It was a great 4 days with two incredible people. We look forward to seeing them again soon.
here are some more pictures of the weekend in Hamilton. https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250626-28-idaho-and-hamilton-mt