Another road trip

I don't remember which road trip this is. 4 or 5 I think. I think have road trip #2 twice and now I've lost track. Anyway. Here's some pics from my last excursion.

As noted earlier the purpose of this trip was to play golf with my great friend Dan in the 40th annual Steamboat Two-Man Best Ball held at the Signal Point Golf Course in Fort Benton, Montana. Here's' a few action shots I took along the way.


The view of some field between Manhattan and Three Forks.

These next two pictures are of the little hamlet of Townsend, Montana. A nice little community enroute to my final destination.

This is the Missouri River. I will cross the Missouri nine times on this trip. I would have crossed it more but I took the Northwest Bypass in Great Falls thus eliminating two more crossings.

Entering Wolf Creek Canyon between Helena and Great Falls. I don't really want to own a motorcylce but this stretch of road is one where I always say to myself "It would be cool to have a bike here."

I stopped in Wolf Creek at the Oasis to have dinner with my buddy Jeff from Colorado. He was up visiting his brother in Craig. I'm trying to sell him a dozer so I could write off dinner. If you ever get the chance to stop here I highly recommend it. The prime rib sandwich is incredible and the horseradish is home made with plenty of bite. Mmm-mmm.

The Missouri.

The Missouri.

You can't really see it here but there is an old abandoned cabin in this picture. It looked way cooler than this. I need to update my camera but I'm cheap and want a new television more than a new camera.

The green at #1 at Signal Point. Yes, this is the scene that greeted Dan and I for our 11:40 tee time. On June 6th. JUNE FRIKKIN SIXTH!!!! I've never played with a "snow delay" before. The first person who says something about "playing with orange balls" is going to get kicked square in his. Hard.

You can't quite make it out but Signal Point was built in 1967 with some volunteers and funds. yada yada yada. That's not to say that Signal Point is a poor golf course. Quite the contrary. It's as good a nine hole track as there is in the state and this tourney is my favorite golf event of the year.

This is the old bridge that spanned the Missouri in downtown Fort Benton. It hasn't been used for traffic since the late 1960's but you can walk on it. No jumping from the bridge though. That's a rule.

View from the bridge.

Another view from the bridge.

When its 45 degrees outside and the windchill is 38 degrees, may I recommend going to Lehman's in downtown Fort Benton to pass a little time and get the necessary supplies to play today's round. That's right boys and girls 38 windchill. Did I mention that it was June 6th? Oh, and I'm not in Siberia.

Hand warmers and foot warmers. Not the best $7 I've ever spent but in the top 10 that's for sure.

The grave site of Old Shep. Fort Benton's most favorite and loved resident.

Ah, the snow has turned to rain and the course is clearing off. Amazingly, we were only running an hour and a half behind which is pretty amazing. 38 windchill, a steady wind and light, steady rain. You think you're a foul weather player Johnny Miller? Step up with your wallet ready you douchebag cause I'm gonna take your money today.

The next three pictures are of the original structures at Fort Benton.

The Missouri on the drive home Sunday.

A nice little shack not far from the Missouri.

The Commercial Bar in Townsend. Established in 1889. Slogan "Where you're only a stranger once." Well, I'm going to call bullshit on that slogan. In 1991, I stopped at the Commercial on my way to Adrian's wedding in Big Sandy. My brother was driving and I was getting divorced so beer was one of my staples back then. Anyway, I wanted to stop there and have a drink just because I had never been in there. That was 18 years ago and I guaranfuckingtee that if I walked in there today, not one person would look up and say "Hey Chip, good to see you again." So, the slogan is a little much. In my opinion.

Well, that's it. I didn't take any action shots of the tourney itself what with the rain and my numb fingers and all. Anyway, Dan and I put ourselves in contention and actually had a three shot lead with nine to play. With six to play, we were down two and that pretty much sums it up. Neither of us were very happy but like I told Dan "at least we didn't lose it on the front nine Saturday like we usually do." It's the little things.