Maude and I picked up beautiful Aunt Lynn and headed out on our adventure. It was a gorgeous morning. Actually it was a perfect Montana morning. Our first stop was the little town of Martinsdale where we visited the Charles M. Bair Family Museum that exhibits European and Western art collections. This collection also includes Indian art of intricate beadwork stitched into clothing and shoes. Shields, papooses and other items are protected behind glass. Navajo and European rugs line the walls. Western artists are featured with paintings from eyewitness accounts while other artists embellish stories on canvas.
Next door, we stepped into the Wild West pioneer home and were ushered into the halls furnished with the splendor of a palace. Who would expect to find a hidden trove of historical treasures and elegance in the middle of Montana? Rare paintings and exquisite dishes, door knobs of pure gold worth $70 grand a piece, Indian history, gifts from King Louis XV and King George III, a gun of Daniel Boone’s and photos of renown people that depict relationships of Bair are just a few items. The history of Bair alone is fascinating.
Just a short distance away we stepped back into the western frontier town of Martinsdale. The little town in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains was once a thriving train stop of the Milwaukee Road. Several abandoned buildings including the Stockman Bank are scattered among the homes of the local residents. There on the main street stands the rustic Crazy Mountain Inn that still offers lodging to weary travelers and those seeking adventures. A brush boot cleaner sits by the door and colorful flowers hang against the weathered boards. The adjoining little restaurant with its relaxed atmosphere has a bar and four tables for its guests. Coffee isn’t sold by the cup but the amount of time you stay. Listed on a board is a whole slate of homemade desserts. It was obvious our waitress was not mastered in the skill of waiting on tables, but her charm and kindness to please covered up any lack of expertise. The cook, who had been standing outside, entered the restaurant with a baby on her hip and began the meal preparation. It was delicious. Soon there were several travelers sitting and enjoying a tasty lunch.
We headed west and then cut off a road that weaves in and out of the Lewis & Clark National Forest. We dodged holes and bumps in the paved road that smoothed out for the most part whenever it turned to dirt and gravel. It led us into a narrow rocky canyon with majestic pinnacles of rock formations on each side of the road. We crossed the South Fork River and started to climb higher into the mountains. Campers were stopped at various random locations within the National Forest. The road took us to scenes of the Little Belts, Castle Mountains and grand views of the white peaked Crazies. Lush alpine meadows dotted with wildflowers waved at us in the breeze, and free range cattle grazed and claimed ownership of the mountain road.
The directions we had were a bit confusing. Just as a word from experience – when you cut off the main highway, stay on the main dirt road and don’t be fooled by signs that could easily be interpreted as the right road. If you follow such roads, you will definitely test your vehicle’s ability as a 4-wheel drive wanna-be when you find foreboding huge rocks and ruts in your path. We found a family camping in a lovely spot by the river to ask directions. I still haven’t figured out how they even got their camper down that road. Dogs tried to tear my legs off when I started to get out of the SUV. A man missing a few teeth walked over and asked where we wanted to go. The tags on our rental said Idaho. He was really confused when we said we were from Georgia. “So why are you out here?” “Because we wanted to take the Judith River Backcountry Drive.” He scratched his head, looked disgusted and directed me to go back and turn at the “main road.” After clarifying what he meant by the “main road,” we climbed back up the rutty rocky hill spitting rocks and kicking up dust while leaving the confused annoyed man muttering under his breath.
We breathed a bit easier knowing we were on the right road through the Judith River Valley. We had gone about 14 more miles and our elevation began to drop. We came over a hill and there in a hairpin turn was a truck with an empty cattle trailer that didn’t quite make the turn. The rear of the trailer was hanging precariously off the side of the mountain. The driver stopped us and asked if we would mind driving back out the way we came (since we obviously couldn’t go forward) and find a forest ranger or someone with a big truck to pull him out. We backtracked and finally got cell service. Maud called the ranger station, and they were zero help. We continued until we came to a campground where someone had a big truck. I pulled up to the camper and three little dirty-faced kids ran over to us. They acted like they had never seen people from the outside world before. One little kid jabbered away, and soon the other two joined in. I asked them to get their mom or dad, but they continued to talk. As I was chatting with them one little kid with spaghetti or something smeared all over his face bent down and said repeatedly, “What happened?” Then I noticed that he was rubbing the top of my toe. Maud started laughing, and I chuckled, “Oh, my toes are just deformed.” He climbed into the driver’s seat of the SUV banging on something with his stick but continued to ask, “What happened?” Finally his mom came out, and I told her the situation down the road. She got the dad, and he gave us a brochure with another number to call. A darker skinned boy with black eyes emerged from the woods. He began chattering as well. The little girl with the three boys was a bit younger, but she wasn’t quite as animated as the boys. Back in the car, we headed back to the real main road. After several miles, we finally got cell service, and Maud made another call. Though the ranger for the Musselshell district was limited as to what he could do, he did promise to pursue the situation.
Satisfied that we had taken a wrong path in order to be placed in the position to help the man stranded on the mountain, we went on our way. Maud continued to laugh at the top of her big voice and say, “What happened?”
Our road took us to the Sweet Grass Ranch, aka the Brannin Ranch where we shared a sumptuous meal with the dudes and the Carroccia family. We enjoyed the food, shared stories and had a memorable visit. That was a great way to end a day of another adventure with Maud & Me!