Tuesday, July 2, 2013 (White Sulphur Springs, MT)

We had our normal start to the day with our walk/jog routine and then breakfast.  The plan today was to pack a picnic lunch and do some sight seeing in the area. 

We headed out around 11:00ish and took hwy 89 north toward Great Falls.  This stretch of highway from White Sulphur Springs to Belt is called the Kings Hill Scenic Byway.  We didn't get  very far down the road before we ran into road construction.  Looks like we found out where all that recycled asphalt that they are putting on the roads around here is coming from.  We had a bit of a wait and then were off following the pilot car.  They sure do things different here in Montana as far as road construction.  They had two pilot cars, one from each direction and at one point we had to stop to let them go by before we could continue on.  Granted, the construction zone was quite long, there were sections where they were taking up the old asphalt and then a section where they were putting down the new pavement. 

After we got past the construction zone we were able to stop and check out a couple of campgrounds and the local ski resort - Showdown.  The ski resort didn't have anything going on in the summer, but looked like it would be a fun place to ski in the winter.  The couple of campgrounds we stopped to check out didn't look like our 5er would easily fit in them.  They sure weren't very full, especially with the holiday coming up.  

The road was very scenic and pretty, it reminded us both of Central Oregon and Paulina Lake where we spent a lot of time in the summer.  It made us both homesick.  We got to the trailhead for Memorial Falls and there were only a couple cars in the parking lot....doesn't look like it will be too crowded today.  The hike was beautiful, it was more like a short little walk, the whole hike there and back was probably less than a mile, but it sure felt good to be outdoors and around water.

Start of the trail to Memorial Falls

Rock formation along trail

More rock formations - you can't tell in these pictures, but the rocks are Neihart quartzsite and are very pretty and sparkly.  I came home with a handful of pretty rocks.  It's a good thing we are in the 5er or I would have hauled away a big chunk of rock.

View of the lower falls

Another view of lower Memorial Falls - it wasn't very big, but it was nice and cool around the water. 

A pretty rock

Upper Memorial Falls

We stopped and had our picnic lunch along side the falls, it was very relaxing.  The water was pretty cold, so all I did was dip my toes in the creek.  There was one family there with a bunch of younger girls and they were brave and stood under the waterfall and got cooled off. 

After we got back to the truck, we drove up the road to the town of Neihart, there wasn't much to see there, they didn't even have a grocery store or gas station.  There was a historical marker that pointed to this building, but there was no information explaining what the building was for.  I guess you use your imagination.

On our way back to the 5er we also stopped to check out Newlan Creek Reservoir which is pretty close to White Sulphur Springs.  It was a surprise, it was much bigger than it first appeared and they had camping areas at one end, near the dam.  We stopped and Gracie and I waded in the water for a bit - it was 90 degrees out and that cold water felt good on my feet.  There were quite a few campers but they still had a few spots available, if you camped there it would be without electrical or water connections.  One of these days we will have to try boondocking or dry camping with our 5er.  We may have to go back tomorrow for a picnic and a swim.