Our object this day was to walk the volksmarch in Virginia City, Montana . At one time this volksmarch was the number one volksmarch in the American Volksssport Association. It was one of the earliest year-round-events in the country. For those volksmarchers who needed to get credit for the state of Montana, Virginia City was the place.
To get there we had to drive through Yellowstone again. We previously drove on a circular route that went around Yellowstone Lake. This time we turned west instead of east and headed for West Yellowstone.
West Yellowstone looks very different from the rest of the park. There are no Old Faithfuls, no paint pots, no waterfalls. It could be interchangeable with lots of sites in that part of the country. About the only interesting thing was the speeding ticket I got within sight of the exit to Yellowstone and Montana. Fortunately, I didn't think about making a run for it in the rental car. After all, I really wanted IVV credit for Montana.
West Yellowstone, Montana, is a tourist trap type of town. Motels, fast food places, souvenir shops, gas stations, arcade games, and movie theaters. I would have been so disappointed if that part of Wyoming is all that I had seen. It could have been anywhere in the United States.
Montana is so beautiful.
In the early 60s we drove across country to see my grandmother in Centralia, Washington. We had a Florida tent camper which we had to put up every night. Mom and I cooked dinner every night on the little gas stove in the camper. It was the best vacation I have ever had.
One of the places we stayed on that trip was in Billings, Montana. We camped next to a ranch with horses and had a bluff overlooking us. The sky was so clear and the air so fresh. It was heaven.
There is a beautiful movie called "A River Runs Through It". It stars Tom Skerit and Brad Pitt. And the rivers of Montana! The movie is about a minister, his two sons, and fly fishing in Montana. If you watch only the scenes on the water, it is beautiful. I thought of this while we were driving along the Madison River.
We came across Hebgen Dam and the mountain collapse that caused it.
After about a half an hour stop at the NPS visitors center, we got back in the car and headed to Virginia City. We arrived there in the early afternoon, promptly went to the start point to register,
and then to Main Street for some lunch. As you can see from the pictures above, it was not the sunny day we had hoped for. In fact, it was iffy as to whether we would have to walk in the rain.
After lunch, we drove back to the start and began the walk. After looping a bit through town, the trail went up the hill overlooking the city, around the baseball field, and down to the cemetery.
The cemetery is really two cemeteries: one modern and one touristy. Here is one of the tombstones in the more modern cemetery:
The tourist cemetery contains the graves of gunslingers and outloaws and such --not toursists.
After leaving the cemeteries, the trail goes down into the town and heads to Nevada City, passing the town swimming hole, the town recycling center, a place where you can mine for gold a la Sutter's Mill, and Nevada City, a "theme park" which is in the state of development. Right now there is one street of buildings which you can tour. After passing by Nevada City, you go into another much smaller cemetery which is the checkpoint. Then back to Virginia City, by going through Nevada City and back by many of the attractions you passed on the way there. The trail deviates pass the swimming hole and goes to a memorial to the founder of Virginia City. From the monument, the trail finishes up by walking through town.
We returned to the car and headed back to Wyoming. We hit West Yellowstone at about 8 PM. We stopped at Dairy Queen for something to eat. Then back through Yellowstone to Flagg Ranch. Another late night.
When we got back, Sue told us that the Kagans would be coming by on Monday the 10th for the reunion.