Day 38: Lost Trail Powder Mountain to West Glacier, MT

Today was a sleep in day, so we didn’t get going until 9am. Our first stop was a somber one, the site of the Battle of Big Hole (1877). It was a massacre of Indigenous People, mostly women and children, during the war between the Nez Perce tribe and the United States Army. The site is a cemetery of sorts since the Nez Perce tribe survivors were forced to leave their dead at the camping site as they fled for their lives. As we walked around the teepee structures that had been erected a few decades ago by Nez Perce community members in honour of their ancestors, two geese few overhead calling out to us. It felt like they were sharing their story of the event passed down by their ancestors as well. It was a sad though beautiful place, where awful things have happened. Even more sadly, the fate of the Nez Perce survivors didn’t improve much following this battle. They continued to be pursued and few members of this tribe ultimately survived after much hardship.

The weather declined steadily after this as we drove up into the clouds and then onwards into the rain. Our route took us through Missoula, which is under a flood warning. We passed a few places where the TV show Yellowstone was filmed, specifically the “train station” where they secretly dumped dead bodies in the show and even more interesting, the actual ranch that is the Dutton’s home. You are only allowed to see it from the main highway, so we snapped a quick photo and were on our way.

The “train station” in Yellowstone.

The Dutton Ranch.

It is raining hard!

We continued to drive and by the time we saw a sign for a cheese factory, we were ready to stretch our legs. We stopped in to visit Flathead Lake Cheese, a small mom and pop cheesemaking operation. We had a bit of trouble turning the trailer around the dead end street but the private cheese sampling and personalized tour was worth the hassle. We got to try all their cheeses, see their equipment and operation, and visit their cheese aging room. We stocked up on apple smoked Gouda and jalapeno and garlic cheese curds.

Finally, after passing loads of cherry orchards lining the lakeside, we arrived at the Glacier campground in West Glacier and pulled into site A10. The rain held off long enough for us to grill up some chicken for supper, take showers and get ready for bed. The rain is supposed to pick up tonight and continue into tomorrow, so that should offer a whole different kind of adventure as we attempt to visit Glacier National Park.