Woke up at 6:30 AM. Gayla made coffee and we went and sat by the creek. Then we had a second cup of coffee and slowly packed up to travel.
We left camp about 9 AM and headed back out the way we came in. The long washboard road.
Eventually we made it out to Anaconda, MT for some fuel and a general pit stop.
Made it to I-90 eastbound for a few miles. Then it was I-15 southbound for a few miles.
Gayla’s phone had going to the Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns.
Evidently her phone doesn’t care if the road is overgrown and very narrow with water crossings. So after 6 miles down a narrowing road we called it and turned around.
We stopped at a campsite that we’d passed several miles on the way in. We talked about what we wanted to do while we had a snack.
After conversing we decided to try a different approach to the kilns.
We went north to Divide, MT then west to Dewey, MT. Just outside of Dewey was a dirt road no. 187! We stayed on that for 17 miles in low range and second gear for all of that. Sometimes in low gear too.
We found ourselves eventually on a shelf road. A very steep and narrow shelf road. Elevation drop was about 1000 feet in about a mile.
Eventually we made it to the Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns.
Touring the kilns was really neat. There was 23 kilns at one point in time. Seeing this was worth the white knuckle drive here.
There was a couple there I spoke with and they asked where we’re from and we said Missouri. They had a grandmother that was from Joplin, Missouri. Small world. We also asked if there was an easier way to get outta here. They said stay straight on this road then take a left when you see it.
Turned out that way out was easy as eating cheesecake. I don’t understand why the GPS didn’t take us this way. Way easier way.
Eventually we made it to Melrose, MT and for the Hitching Post Restaurant and Saloon. We had a so called date night. I had a 14 ounce ribeye steak and Gayla had 9 ounce steak with a huckleberry sauce.
After dinner we went back to the campsite where we made our decision to approach the kilns from a different direction.
117.23 miles driven today
3078.78 total miles
