The next morning we headed for Philipsburg and breakfast, exploring a series of old mine buildings in nearby Granite. Kim and I ignored the No Trespassing signs and tentatively wandered through a couple of the structures which looked as if they'd collapse at any moment.
I shot a couple of pics of The Butterfly in one, and as we looked at the ceiling there came the sound of snapping wood... We both stopped and turned to look out a window, when suddenly a large yearling mule deer came bolting through the door of the building at a full run. Kim screamed simultaneously at the surprise, which made the deer begin doing the springbok type bounding as he rocketed right past us. Kim was bounding as well, only backwards into me almost knocking me down.
Just before the mule deer came running through the building
After the shock wore off we both died laughing at the event and we weren't sure which of the three were more surprised. The snapping wood sounds had been the deer breaking branches but it damn sure got our attention in a rickety old building.
We wandered out to spot the deer high up in the ruins of the mine, apparently lost and stuck there having run up the cliffside in fear. He ran back and forth unsure where to go until finally scampering over some rubble.
Once again the heat got us moving for Skalkaho Pass, a beautiful pass road that cuts west across the Bitterroot mountains into Hamilton. The road works up high with stunning views and sheer drops, as well as thick forest on all sides. On the Hamilton slope side we stopped for a respite in the cool air of the waterfall before continuing back down for the town of Hamilton.
Two years previous, I'd met a bounty hunter in Hamilton when passing through for Texas and wanted to swing in and say hello again.
The bounty hunter and his Caddy
Luckily he was in his office and we got the chance to talk a while, the place festooned with images of Eastwood, Wayne, Confederate flags and more interesting collections of things than you can imagine. He showed us his artistic side, a workroom where he covered elk and bison skulls in turquoise. He was proud to tell the story of his recent acceptance into a very exclusive gallery in Jackson Hole, cracking Kim and I up with a feigned hoity-toity Cape Cod accent. In my initial visit to his office there had been loaded handguns and shotguns within arms reach everywhere, but this time there were less.
After shaking hands and saying goodbyes we headed out to find some shade in the late afternoon heat and to try to find a dive in Missoula for the night.
The courthouse lawn offered a bit o' shade
We found a crappy hotel near downtown Missoula, and it was one of those places where the owners should pay the guests to stay there.
The Beemer parked in front of America's Best Vagrant Inn