Day 11: Bowman, ND to Butte, MT — 522 miles
We got out of Bowman early as we had a fairly full day’s worth of miles to cover to get to Butte.
Early start — On the road at 6:45 local time.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/7.1, 1/500sec, 18mm focal L. @71 MPH, ~12mi from prev photo, map
It was chilly in the morning, mid 50′s — I had all my layers on, including the top and bottom of my rain suit. Looking west, I was glad to have already been dressed for rain.
Looking ominous — We’re gonna get wet.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/5.6, 1/250sec, 29mm focal L. @69 MPH, ~25mi from prev photo, map
The terrain in in this area was a welcome change from that of the last few days heading across the Midwest.
Dirt mounds — These were all over. What’s with the “ledges” sticking out of them?
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.5, 1/250sec, 18mm focal L. @65 MPH, ~1.9mi from prev photo, map
So, welcome to Montana, and all that … lousy amateur with a camera who couldn’t shoot the broadside of a barn if it was standing still.
Alkali beds at the bottom of the wash
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.5, 1/500sec, 18mm focal L. @71 MPH, ~14mi from prev photo, map
Rain — just a brief pause allowing me to snap a photo. Still got water on the lens…
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.5, 1/400sec, 24mm focal L. @58 MPH, ~71mi from prev photo, map
We stopped in Miles City to get gas and breakfast. It was one of those long, lingering breakfasts where you look outside the window and then try to get the waitress to bring by some more coffee just to have an excuse to linger some more. She became wise to the ruse by the second or third cup after we’d already finished eating. With the cold shoulder from the waitress, we finally motivated and took the cold shoulder of the weather.
Strata buttes — I like how the layers continue into the next peak at the same elevation.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/5.6, 1/1000sec, 55mm focal L. ~55mi from prev photo, map
After a brief run down I-94, we took a right at Forsyth to continue on down US-12. It finally stopped raining and it was time to shed a layer — which amounted to me changing my gloves since I still wanted the rain suit for warmth. Gave me a moment to look over the train yard from the bridge.
Coal yard
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/400sec, 44mm focal L. ~56mi from prev photo, map
This part of US-12 through Montana was all kinds of fun. Narrow, marginally maintained, and full of stuff to look at. My kind of road!
Gnarly outcropping
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/2000sec, 18mm focal L. @63 MPH, ~5.6mi from prev photo, map
Old school house? — Note the boot on the fence post in the foreground.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/1600sec, 65mm focal L. @74 MPH, ~18mi from prev photo, map
But, there was one heck of a wind from the cold front that was pushing the rain through. The strong crosswind keeps you nimble on the bars.
Crosswind — A nice lean into the gusts.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/7.1, 1/1000sec, 18mm focal L. @79 MPH, ~64mi from prev photo, map
US-12 through Montana had quickly become a favorite road of mine thus far on the trip. Something about high, often rolling plains that were interspersed with hills and peaks. Few towns and very little traffic — what more could you want?
US-12 — One of the many hills between the valley planes.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/7.1, 1/1250sec, 50mm focal L. @79 MPH, ~10mi from prev photo, map
Eroded cliffs
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/7.1, 1/1250sec, 18mm focal L. @75 MPH, ~6.3mi from prev photo, map
Seeing all the river/water erosion through this valley made me wonder at the time if it could have been part of the Glacial Lake Missoula flood that shaped the scab lands of eastern Washington. Judging by this map, it clearly wasn’t.
Must have been one heck of a river through here once upon time.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/7.1, 1/1250sec, 35mm focal L. @79 MPH, ~1.7mi from prev photo, map
The windsock at this small grass airport was pointing about 60-70˙ to the runway (and the road in that area). Good day to practice crosswind landings 
Crosswind — It wasn’t howling, but, it was a good stiff breeze.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/5.0, 1/2000sec, 50mm focal L. @60 MPH, ~56mi from prev photo, map
Sandstone ledges
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/1250sec, 29mm focal L. @65 MPH, ~5.2mi from prev photo, map
It fascinates me why different layers of the strata can be strong enough to resist the erosion and form the ledges at the top. Or, maybe it’s just that the water cut down below and spent more time chewing on the lower layers?
More evidence of an old river wash
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/1250sec, 25mm focal L. @64 MPH, ~0.7mi from prev photo, map
Rock climbers paradise?
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/800sec, 70mm focal L. @76 MPH, ~16mi from prev photo, map
It was pushing 1300 local time and I was hitting the “need food now, don’t talk to me” wall. My stomach turns off my brain and I lose all patience and manors; it’s not my best character trait. I don’t remember what it was that set me off, but it ended about halfway through a roast beef sandwich at a cafe across the street from this locomotive in Harlowton.
Sorry, Dad, for not quite growing up yet after all these years.
Electric locomotive
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/500sec, 18mm focal L. ~40mi from prev photo, map
After lunch, I was in much better spirits to check out the prime mover.
3000 Volts DC — That’ll light you up!
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/1000sec, 18mm focal L. map
And now, the rest of the story — beats typing
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/1250sec, 18mm focal L. map
Back on the road, I couldn’t get enough of the wide open spaces, capped off with formidable hills in the distance.
High plains
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/2500sec, 24mm focal L. @74 MPH, ~27mi from prev photo, map
And, occasionally, those hills cross our path.
Rolling hills
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/1600sec, 40mm focal L. @73 MPH, ~13mi from prev photo, map
Continuing west through Montana on US-12. The cold front was passing through well behind us and, save the wind, the weather was fantastic; warm when we stopped, slightly cool down the road.
And more long straight roads…
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/2500sec, 34mm focal L. @75 MPH, ~25mi from prev photo, map
Prior to this trip, I hadn’t spent any significant time traveling through Montana. I couldn’t get enough of the scenery.
Gorgeous countryside
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/1250sec, 70mm focal L. @78 MPH, ~8.8mi from prev photo, map
I think they get some snow here — and wind, too.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/2000sec, 65mm focal L. @68 MPH, ~14mi from prev photo, map
My favorite sign — Now, if only there wasn’t a truck just ahead in the corner.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/1600sec, 18mm focal L. @67 MPH, ~20mi from prev photo, map
Hardly a knee dragging corner. Gonna have to get a fixed camera mount one of these times to get some better action shots.
Foolishness — 2 hands on the bars…
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/2000sec, 18mm focal L. @67 MPH, ~397ft from prev photo, map
Gett’n bored heading in to Townsend. Took a while to get the camera angle just right.
More bugs — Mmmm, they’d be tasty treats with an open face helmet.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/9.0, 1/400sec, 70mm focal L. @67 MPH, ~12mi from prev photo, map
A left at Townsend onto MT-287 and a quick stop for petrol to make it into to Butte.
I-90 — Through Cottonwood Canyon into Boulder Valley towards Whitehall.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/1000sec, 44mm focal L. @79 MPH, ~46mi from prev photo, map
This absolutely cracked me up. My first thought was that they were saving themselves some work not actually putting the rooftop bag, ya know, on the *roof*. But, turns out it’s legit and that’s the way it’s supposed to be!
I dunno, seems awfully sketch to me. Especially since they didn’t bother using the bottom straps to keep it from swinging side-to-side around corners.
Fanny pack — Ya know, for cars!
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/800sec, 18mm focal L. @80 MPH, ~2.8mi from prev photo, map
Such a lovely name for a strip mine: Golden Sunlight. But, golden it most definitely is — let’s see 500K ounces of gold reserves times $1k/oz minus extraction costs of $392/oz is a nice cool $300 million in profit. Yeah, that’d qualify as Golden Sunlight to me!
Interestingly enough, in looking up some info on this mine, I learned that Montana is the only state that has banned open pit, cyanide leach mining to extract minerals from ore. Of course, it’s probably also one of the few states that actually has gold reserves sufficient to have a problem with OPCLM. What with gold at $1K/oz, clearly they can afford to use more modern (and costly) methods that do a better job of containing the cyanide.
Click the map link under the photo and go to satellite view to see the extent of the mine.
Golden Sunlight Mine — Formerly one of the largest open pit cyanide leach gold mines before the ban.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/640sec, 70mm focal L. @79 MPH, ~1.6mi from prev photo, map
Crazy rock formations — Didn’t get a good picture, but, you get the idea…
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/500sec, 40mm focal L. @76 MPH, ~21mi from prev photo, map
Heading along I-90, there some awesome rock formations that I just wasn’t able to get pictures of while on the move. Anyway, you can sorta get a small glimpse from the above/below pics. Love the vertical points.
Spires of rock — knife edge vertical slabs.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/1000sec, 31mm focal L. @70 MPH, ~4.1mi from prev photo, map
Down we go — Almost into Butte
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/1000sec, 24mm focal L. @66 MPH, ~5.4mi from prev photo, map
We checked into yet another Motel 8 and I asked the nice lady at the desk where I might go to get a looksee at the Berkeley Pit. She looked at me like I must have been blind and gave me a good jovial rib’n:
“How could you possibly miss it!?!”
Silly me, that’s a darned good point; it’s supposedly ginormous. “There must be a decent place to look down over it”
“I don’t know what all the fuss is, it’s just a big hole in the ground”
“Yes, but, it’s not everyday you get to see a Superfund site in person. What else is there to do in town?”
At which point she concedes that’s about all there is and whips out a map and points to the Pit visitor’s center then runs her pen down the best roads to take there.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I have a thing for mining. Back in my younger and dumber days, we used to go spelunking into abandoned or inactive mine shafts just to see how far back they’d go.
Visitor’s entrance to a Superfund site
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/8.0, 1/250sec, 18mm focal L. ~8.2mi from prev photo, map
Panorama — 1.25 miles across, 1780 feet deep, over 1000 ft of which has filled in with water.
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/13.0, 1/320sec, 18mm focal L. Panorama merge of 5 images.
Quite literally, this mountain supplied the copper that electrified America: 22 billion pounds of copper (22,000,000,000)have been recovered since the first mines started in 1880 through 2000 — enough to pave a 4″ thick 2-lane road 900 miles long!
The PH of the water is 2.5 and there is so much copper in solution that they are mining the pit *water* for the copper it holds!
The water level is currently below the water table, leaving the local ground water uncontaminated. When it rises another 130 ft, (estimated to reach that around 2023), they’ll have to bring the water treatment plant (shown below) to full capacity in order to keep the water level below the critical height that would contaminate the aquifer. Lots more info here.
Mining the water for copper
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/13.0, 1/320sec, 70mm focal L. map
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/40sec, 22mm focal L., map
The other interesting factoid is the amount of shaft mining that went on prior to the strip mining operation. Anaconda Copper Mining Company claims there were 42 miles of vertical shafts, and 10,000 miles of horizontal shafts in the Butte Hill!
Note below that the pit is 1780 ft deep and that’s barely scratching at the surface compared to the shaft mines.
The dark blue lines at the bottom are over a mile underground!
NIKON D70, ISO 500, ƒ/6.3, 1/30sec, 40mm focal L. ~0ft from prev photo, map
Back from dinner and sight seeing, the parking lot for the hotel had filled with bikes heading to Sturgis. However, this is the guy that got my attention.
My local Yamaha shop that I visited as a teenager had a poster of Vmax boiling the rear tire (pretty sure this was it) that forever cemented the bike as totally bad ass in my mind — no matter how impractical it may or may not be when the first corner comes around.
I got to chatting with the guy and he’d hauled that trailer West across Canada and was making his way back east. Note the gas can in the back. What does a Vmax have, a 4 gallon tank? And gets mid 30′s MPG? Crappy range — even without the trailer!
Ballsy
iPhone, map
Another day down. The battery in Dad’s Goldwing was holding up fine and hadn’t given us any trouble from the reduced charge it was getting.
The old schoolhouse picture is my favorite. Thanks for posting it.
The Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming are my favorite states. Your photography really drives the point home that I need to hit the road again
Have you ever been to the Borax mine in Boron? I don’t know if it’s as big as Berkeley, but it’s a sight to behold nonetheless. It’s about 6 hours away from you…..it’s been over 11 years since I’ve been there so I’m sure it’s grown some
There’s the Tehachapi Loop that you might be interested in:
http://hewgill.com/photo/trips/tehachapi-loop/
Thanks for the comment Julee. I had never heard of the Tehachapi loop — it’s a brilliant way to get the elevation change needed.
Someday, yes, I want to hit up the mine in Boron. Passed by it a few times, but, never stopped.