Lewis and Clark Trail Back Home 1805 — 1806

Day 31: September 11th, 2001 Glasgow — Malta

Despite my fears to not sleep well because of the room location I slept pretty good. I am already awake before seven. Looks like I will have a good chance to leave early. I load my stuff into my little truck and walk to the reception to check out. A bunch of people are around the TV in the lobby. I see from the corner of my eye how a building collapses. Maybe a spectacular detonation. I think I also hear something like “World Trade Center”, but that’s propably wrong — I thought!

I am checking out and ask for a beakfast recommendation. They suggest to go to the Oasis at the next crossing. Let’s see how I like that. The server is very friendly and the breakfast tastes great. I overhear a conversation from the table next to me from some older guys about Vietnam and other trouble spots the US was involved in the past. I think, they have pretty weird breakfast talks around here!

I pay around half past eight and leave the Oasis Restaurant. Now it’s time to go back to this fateful road from two years ago. I have not been driven too far when I hear in the radio that the World Trade Center has been hit by a passenger plane. For a moment I am absolutely speechless. I start to concentrate more on the radio than on my highway…

Then they say that the second building has also been hit by a plane. This looks not like an accident now. The buldings tumbled down not long after they have been hit. These news almost made me sick. I cannot believe what I hear.

Willow Creek Road, MT

I think about if I should really do my planned journey after I entered the first backroad. I park at the side of the road and listen to the news for a while. But eventually I decide to continue my journey. But I listen more to the radio than enjoying the road. Just a day ago I was thinking about going to New York to retrace my steps from a student exchange 15 years ago…

Willow Creek Road, MT

When I leave the car to take pictures I almost run in an automatic mode. One ear is always tied to the radio. These special announcements continue until noon. Then they slowly start to play some music again. But they play patriotic songs most of the time to show that this nation is tied together. Slowly I realize what has happened and start to deal with this.

I almost arrived at the banks of Fort Peck Lake on my backroads. I plan to follow the lake and river as close as possible. First I turn onto NWR 213. Now the road is getting rougher and I start to concentrate on the road. I am still thinking about what has happened in New York. But the present around here is getting back into my thoughts.

After a short distance I turn onto NWR 324. I only travel a short distance to make the next turn on Trail 37. I don’t find this name on my map but according to my GPS coordinates it should be the road which takes me up to Plum Coulee. At the beginning of this road is a sign that motorized traffic is only allowed from September on. Seems like I have been lucky. I should learn later that this is due to the hunting season starting in September.

Trail 37, MT

I travel for a short distance through a plane on Trail 37. Suddenly I am in front of a deep creek, called Timber Creek. The road almost goes perpendicular down and immediately up the 7ft high canyon walls. I am afraid that my little truck is too long and I will hit ground at the front and the rear.

Trail 37 through Timber Creek, MT

I leave the car and take a careful look on how this road goes down and up. At least the creek bed is dry. I kick in 4WD and give it a try. I think to myself that I should have bought the winch before. But now it is too late. Now I have to deal with it. I slowly crawl over the ridge and drive carefully down. After I have reached the bottom, the road takes me immediately almost perpendicular up. Let’s see if my little truck is able to climb up this steep incline. But I have to say, almost like usual, this little truck is really able to go up there without any problems. I feel that at some point one tire started to spin, but it is easy to get through with my 4WD. This would have not been easy if there would have been water in the creek bed. I stop at the other side and take a picture of the whole thing. I am really anxious to see how the video tape will look like!

Trail 37, MT

Then I pass again several short planes and a bunch of almost perpendicular inclines to the little hills. I travel along these ridges for several miles. At some spots the truck is extremely tilting where I am starting to get afraid of turning over. But even this is not a problem for my little Blazer. I slowly get the impression that I did the right thing by buying this truck!

88 S10 Blazer on Trail 37, MT

I have great views of the landscape and the slowly disappearing Fort Peck Lake from these ridges. At the first opportunity I make a turn to get closer to the lake shores. Suddenly I am in front of a barbed wire, which can be released and opened like a gate to drive through. There is a warning sign that no hunters are allowed in that area. But there are no signs which say no trespassing. I also know from other travel documentations I have read that these kind of gates is used in less traveled areas instead of cattle guards. So I open the gate, drive through and close it again.

Trail 37, MT

Then I travel on in the same beautiful and picturesque landscape like before. I have to pass two other gates before I am back on a regular gravel road. According to my map I have to make another turn to the left and follow this road. There are also no signs forbidding trespassing.

After passing a small hill on this road and driving into the valley I see a trailer modified for permanent resident. When driving on i see that the road is passing this house right in front. Now it is too late to turn around. Also there were no signs forbidding trespassing. Therefore I slowly and carefully continue to pass this house.

A dog jumped barking beside my car. Just past the house is an open gate. At this point is a very washed out sign showing Private Property. Usually there are always additional signs like “No Trespassing” or similar to see, if the land owner don’t want people to drive through his property. But things are getting to look scary for me.

I roll on for a short distance before I stop to take another look in my map. While I am trying to figure out where I am right now I see that a car is leaving the house. Let’s see if I am in trouble now…

He stops beside my car and tells me that I am on Private Property. I ask him if I am allowed to travel through this area and he simply says No! I should have already passed two further Private Propety signs! I was looking pretty weird at him. Therefore he asks which way I have entered his property. I try to show him the way on my map. When he realises that I have crossed Timber Creek his eyes were getting really big. It seems that even locals have respect of crossing this creek.

Then he says that I have most likely not seen any of his signs when traveling on this road. On the road from his neighbour are no further signs. We start a nice conversation and I explain him the trail I am following.

Then he asks if I have seen the news. I have only heard the radio, but have not really seen it at television. Now he invites me for a sandwich at his home. His wife is pretty amazed to see me. She immediately prepares a nice sandwich with chips and banana. They also give me something to drink. I am pretty amazed by so much hospitality. Now we start a real conversation, of course with the main topic of what has happened today. There is a news station tuned in which we are listening for an hour. Then we talk on. They also do some small amounts of liquor and wine. This is something I definitely have to try. I carefully try a nip and it tastes great!

Both are very happy that I like it. They immediately offer more to taste, but I have to drive and therefore cannot drink more. Honestly, I could have drunk much more. It tasted so good.

Then he aks me if I want to visit some Coulees. He knows some with real great views, which I will not be able to reach alone. I happily say yes. But I leave my camera in my car. I don’t know if he would be happy if I take all my equipment with me. Then we travel on roads similar to these I have been on. But he is driving a full size Ford Pickup Truck with the biggest engine Ford has ever built: 450cui with manual shift!

Manual transmissions are more common here in Montana than in the civilized East. We drive for a while until we reach a canyon. He has his field glasses with him and he tells me that we should be able to see some deer around here.

But we wait for more than half an hour without success. No deer shows up. He is a bit disappointed but I tell him that the landscape is already georgous. Then we drive back to his house.

Back at his house we talk on about a thousand things. He once drove semi-trucks. But eventually he ended up here again, because he loved more to live in nature. The country around his house is BLM land. There he has some livestock and horses.

There is also a cabin in one of the canyons. Every year a hunter comes in and rents his cabin. He is hunting only with bow and arrows. That’s why he don’t want traffic on his property to keep everything quiet around his guest.

Sunset Backroad, MT

Slowly we are approaching 6pm and they recommend to leave if I want to reach the next village by daylight. I originally planned to stay tonight at Lewistown, like two years ago. But he suggests to drive to Malta, because this is way shorter. What I don’t like is that there are no big motel chains around and I have to search and find a small privately operated one.

Sunset Backroad, MT

So I decide for me to drive to Lewistown and hope the best. We exchange our addresses, then I hit the road. It feels like I have found new friends over here. Unfortunately they don’t have email. But I think to myself I will have to send at least a Christmas Card to them.

Sunset Backroad, MT

I follow his way description which takes me on the usual gravel roads back to civilization. Just before Sun Prairie I have to make a decision. Shall I go to Malta or Lewistown. But by looking at the sun I decide to follow his advice and just drive the way to Malta.

Sunset Backroad, MT

It doesn’t take long until the sun fully disappeard. I even have to travel the last part on gravel roads by night. Now I see the deers which I haven’t seen during the day — in front of my car. Lucky me I am not driving fast and everything goes fine.

Sunset Backroad, MT

I arrive in Malta around half past eight. As usual I drive through the whole village to get an overview. Only one motel looks really nice — the Riverside Motel. They have motel rooms as well as camping spots. The office is currently really busy. I am third in line!

Sunset Backroad, MT

Also here is what happened today the conversation topic number one. One mentioned if we know which day is today. It is the 11th of September, which is written in American notation 9–11, the number for emergency calls. I didn’t had this association yet — and it seems like noone else in this room, too.

After waiting for a while it is eventually my turn. It seems that the lady in the office is also the owner. She has a walking aid and you can see how strenous everything is for her. But she is self–conscious and she don’t want any help.

She is getting really excited when she sees that I am from Germany. She tells me that she had been in Germany in the fifties with her husband. At this time she bought a lot of Hummel figures. While she is taking care of my credit card she invites me to enter her house and take a look at her collection in the backroom. I double check if she is really comfortable if I enter her house. Don’t forget, I am a complete stranger for her. But it seems she really trusts people.

She stays at the front while I take a look at her figures in the glass case. After I have taken a look at everything I go back to the front. I congratulate her to this real nice collection and we chat a little bit. Then I ask how long the restaurant next door is open. It should not be a problem until ten. This should be ok. I put my stuff in my room and drive on.

But when I arrive they just turn off the lights. So I have no other choice than to look for another restaurant. But no other restaurant is open and looks like a nice dinner place. Eventually I give up and return to my motel. At least I can take the rest of my fruits from Missoula up to my room. I have to eat these before they are getting bad. Especially my oranges which have been laying in the melted ice water of my cooling box are in danger. The TV also has a Weather Channel which I would have not expected here. All in all this little motel looks like a nice secret with reasonable prices. I go to bed around eleven and fall asleep immediately.