Each fall, along with some good Helena friends, we head out for a fun weekend at some special place in Montana where at least some of the group have not visited previously. This year, we selected the Troy/Yaak countryside in the very NW corner of Montana. While there are numerous special attractions in this distant corner of the state, the Dirty Shame Saloon in Yaak was one of primary targets this year. I should mention here that in an earlier blog, I reported a visit to Alzada in the very SE corner of the state. Googlemaps calculates the highway driving distance from Alzada to Yaak at about 784 miles! Montana IS a large state!
After a rather long drive, partly lengthened when our GPS unit "Jane" tried to lead us astray, we neared one of our stopping points, the Ross Creek Cedar Grove near Bull Lake. This unique site harbors some huge Western red cedar trees up to eight feet in diameter and lets one imagine that they are actually someplace on the west coast of Washington or Oregon.
It is a must stop for anyone venturing through that part of Montana. After a leisurely walk among these giants, we headed a few miles north to our night's lodging, Swanson Lodge, just south of Troy. Then off to dinner. As we were entering a restaurant in Troy that evening, I decided to check my phone for messages. There were a half dozen voice messages that I decided I'd better check out. Most were from our son Matt. He urgently reported that there was a fire on McDonald Pass, just west of Helena, and very near the home of the good friends, Joan and Vern Schneider, who were enjoying the weekend with us. Residents and all animals in the area were under an evacuation warning. Joan is an equine aficionado and pastures several horses at their "ranchette".Our decision as to what to do was quite easy - head back to Helena the next morning! In the meantime, Schneider's son Brett drove up to Helena from Billings, and along with our son Matt and other friends, the horses were evacuated and other cherished possessions taken from their home to safe places. We left early the next morning - Saturday - for the 5 hour trip home. As we came down on the east side of McDonald Pass, the fire area was easy to spot. But fortunately, the smoke indicated that the fire was not totally out of control, as there were no billowing cumulus clouds of smoke arising from the area. Law enforcement officials allowed us on the road into their home and the threat didn't look too bad. Strong winds that materialized that afternoon didn't push the fire too much farther east as was feared.
So, no Dirty Shame Saloon this year, but maybe next? While our fun weekend was cut short, the story ends well with all safe and sounds at the Schneider residence. And the weather on this Sunday morning looks promising for helping to get the fire under control in the next few days!
Well, it's a dirty shame your weekend was cut short, but thank goodness the Schneider's and their animals survived the scare. - Flinch
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