We routed East from Idaho and stopped in with some good friends, Hake and Monique, in Hamilton. We stayed a few days and enjoyed some normal life for a few days. I was able to remove Howie from the truck, take it in for a good wash, and get it cleaned up a bit. I also changed the oil and filter, while managing to spill the nasty stuff all over myself and the ground. I forgot to open the breather hole on the oil catch tub and the cold thick stuff couldn’t drain into the hole. I managed to shove my finger in the drain hole to stop the flow, but it still made a huge mess. Uggh. I had to toss a pair of shorts, shirt, and undies into the trash after that screw up.
So while we are staying there Monique used some of the wild plums to create a baked chicken with plum sauce and rice for dinner that was delicious. Jake and Monique paired up and made some sourdough huckleberry pancakes for breakfast using the wild huckleberries picked in the mountains.
Monique made some fresh bread on Saturday and used a friends recipe to make the most delectable huckleberry cheesecake, probably the best cheesecake we’ve ever tasted. And she showed us how to maintain a sourdough starter that we named Hamilton.
We ended up having to stay an extra night due to the USPS being slow for a delivery of medication Kathy needed. It was shipped the previous Wednesday from AZ and was supposed to take 3 days, but ended up taking 6.
We enjoyed hanging out with them, grilling steaks over a fire in the back yard, feeding the horses, doing projects around the house, and having in a great meal in Darby at the 406 restaurant on Sunday. We even met some interesting locals at a local bar across the street from the restaurant. On Tuesday, Jake and I headed up to Missoula to get supplies at Costco and Walmart. It was great spending time with some good people.
Here are some photos from the weekend.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250919-23-hamilton-montana