Cruising Route 2

8/4/2019

Other than the BNSF freight trains, it was a quiet night in the Chester City park.

Heading east on Route 2, we stopped in several small towns to see old homes, shops, and courthouses. Opened in 1919 as the Roosevelt Highway, Route 2 stretches 4,000 miles from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon. 750 miles of the route, almost 20%, passes through the state of Montana.

One of the disappointing turnouts was to see Sleeping Buffalo Rock. Revered by Native people, the rock now resides in a wooden shelter, that was sadly abused with cigarette buts and other litter.

We stopped and made sandwiches in Malta, a town that has seen better days. The Carnegie Library was boarded up and the front steps were falling off the building.

We left route 2 in Glasgow, heading south on route 24 towards Fort Peck Lake. A local artist erected interesting life sized sculptures of wildlife along the side of the road. This are only a couple of the creatures that added interest to the drive.

Back on the road, a car in front of us kicked up a rock that met our windshield.  A small chip spread to be an 18” crack by the end of the day.

Tonight we are watching ducks land on Fort Peck Lake at a free US Army Corp Of Engineers campground. Campers can stay for up to 14 days. We had the end of a peninsula all to ourselves! The lake is a 140 mile dammed section of the Missouri River.

After securing our overnight spot, we drove the short distance into the town of Fort Peck. There we found a good interpretive center with the history of the dam.

Several  local dinosaur fossils were on display. Signing up for a dam tour, we enjoyed looking at the exhibits while we waited.

Once again, we were the only two people on a dam tour. The guide actually let us touch the spinning shaft of the power turbine, far closer than we have ever been to a generator.

After an exciting tour, we returned to the wonderful COE campground for dinner and relaxing. Here's a photo of our little van on the banks of the wide Missouri.

Today's portion of Route 2 across Montana.