"Back to the Pen" ~ Montana District Rally 2020

The Adventure Begins

Our journey kicked off on the morning of July 23rd. Lesley and I met our good friends, the Schmidts from Chapter N, Spokane. We were geared up in chaps and riding jackets; they arrived in Frogg Toggs. Gary warned rain was on the way, timed perfectly with our arrival in Deer Lodge, Montana, for the GWRRA District Rally. I disagreed—clear skies, sunny weather. But time would tell.

First stop: breakfast/lunch at the iconic 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar in Haugan, MT. Good food, a little shopping, and back on the road. As we neared Deer Lodge, the southern sky grew ominously dark. Rain squalls loomed. Gary’s prediction started looking spot-on. Lightning struck nearby, and soon enough, we rode straight into a classic Montana gully washer—hail and all. Toggs vs. leathers? Let’s just say hail hurts, and we got soaked. At last, we reached Deer Lodge, checked in at the Travelodge, and changed into dry clothes.

Rally Time

After registering and collecting our packets at the convention center, we explored the Brown Bag auction and scored a few deals. Lesley nabbed a new jacket for a steal. Dinner and socializing wrapped up our first evening—much-needed rest after a wild ride.

Friday morning, the rally officially opened with breakfast and a fun skit by the district team. The agenda was packed: plenty to see and do. Our group—Gary, Kim, Pat, Debbie Holmes, Lesley, and I—ventured to the Old Pen Museum. Antique cars, vintage vehicles, and a raffle for a 1970s yellow Corvette. Lesley shopped for onesies for her newborn nephew, and we all wandered through fascinating prison artifacts. The Vintage Car Museum is a must-see, with vehicles spanning steam to muscle car eras. Memories flooded in!

We toured the old prison (“the Pen”)—a powerful reminder of the harsh conditions inmates once endured. Tiny cells, the infamous “Holes,” and even gallows in the so-called “Theater.” If modern prisoners saw this, they’d count their blessings. Thanks to Debbie for sharing so much history!

Garnet Ghost Town: A True Adventure

Lesley wanted to visit Garnet Ghost Town. Why not? After fueling up, off we went. I mistakenly thought Garnet was south of Drummond, so we stopped in Hall for directions. The local advice sent us back toward Drummond, then onto a gravel road. The sign warned: “No RVs. Best access via Highway 200.” We shrugged it off—gravel roads weren’t new to us.

But this road was a challenge: potholes, rocks, stream crossings, and narrow passes. At one point, a four-wheeler driver joked about needing “three-wheel drive”—in hindsight, I should’ve listened! The rough road tested our nerves (and Ms. Ruby, our bike). Finally, we reached Garnet, surprised to see RVs parked comfortably—clearly, they’d come via Highway 200. The ride down was smoother, eventually turning to pavement. Lesson learned: trust the signs!

Heading Home

Sunday morning, we packed up but discovered a headlight out. The new LED Pathfinders were supposed to last—doubts crept in. Worse, the trailer lights were dead. No fixing it on a Sunday, so we led the group home, relying on hand signals. Breakfast at Four B’s brought more mechanical mysteries—Steve’s bike wouldn’t start until we discovered the reverse switch hadn’t fully disengaged.

Our homeward route took us south on I-90, then along the scenic Pintler Veterans Memorial Highway through Anaconda, Porter Corner, and Philipsburg. Silver Lake and Georgetown Lake offered breathtaking views. We stopped at The Sweet Palace candy store and Sapphire Gallery in Philipsburg, marveling at the turn-of-the-century décor—and a $15,000 sapphire ring!

After fueling up in Drummond, we made our final push home, with a rest stop (thankfully with a potty!) and lunch at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar. Spokane greeted us with warm goodbyes to Kim & Gary and a well-earned return to our garage.

Epilogue

A few days later, I solved the headlight mystery—an unplugged OEM connector from the Garnet trip. With the trailer, the cable had been shredded on that rough road. New cable installed, all lights working again. Ms. Ruby got a thorough cleaning and a well-deserved rubdown, ready for the next adventure.

**Takeaway:**

If you want to experience wild Montana weather, historic prisons, ghost towns, and scenic byways, the GWRRA Montana District Rally delivers. Just watch the skies, trust the road signs, and take care of your bike!

--- *Ready to ride again…until next time!*  

August 16, 2017 ~ Lesley & I left Spokane and were bound for Tillamook to the Region "I" Rally, and were fortunate enough to score an Aspen Tent camper for this trip.  If memory serves, it was a pretty day.  Everything was going well until we got to around the Tri-Cities when I realized that we had a little problem.  I stepped on the foot brake and it went all the way to the bottom.  The words that I uttered in the Intercom system would make a sailor blush.  If I pumped the brake, I could get rear brake action.  The problem came when I had to make a quick stop.  Not sure if I would have enough time to pump up the brakes, so I decided to keep the distance between us and the vehicle in front of me larger than normal.  The front brake was just fine, and it actually did a very good job at stopping the bike, even in a panic stop.  This did surprise me, and I was thankful that these actions were few and far between.  We stopped for the night at "The Dalles" at the Motel 6. Got checked in and got some things out for the night. I still wasn't sure what the cause of the brake failure was.  I looked under the back of the bike, and I couldn't see any brake fluid on the ground, even after pumping the brakes several times.  I checked the master cylinder and found it was low on fluid.  Well, there was nothing to be done since it was too late to see the service folks at the Honda shop. So, we decided to get some dinner and enjoy the night in a soft bed, soothing our aching backsides. We visited the folks at the front desk and asked where a good place to eat was. They pointed us in the direction of "Cousin's Restaurant & Saloon." They are within walking distance, so off we went.  Now I must admit that I was quite impressed with this establishment. This is a place to go back to for sure. If memory serves, I had "Tom's Turkey with Dressing" and Lesley had the "Home Style Pot Roast." But then again, it could be vice versa for sure. I do know that the dinner was wonderful.

August 18, 2017 ~ We started the day with opening ceremonies at the rally, preceded by breakfast. After all that was completed, we were left to enjoy the rest of the day. If memory serves, we made our way towards the Tillamook Creamery, but it was being remodeled and the parking was crazy, as in none available. So, we decided to check out the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. We did purchase a couple of items, but we did have fun looking around at all the items for sale. Oh, let's not forget the tasting area where you can sample their products. From here, we made our way up to Garibaldi to take a look around. We stopped at a local cafe for a bite to eat, and for the life of me, I can't remember the location, but it was pretty good. Cape Meares Light House, then journeyed down to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. Not only was it a beautiful ride to the lighthouse, but the lighthouse itself was quite spectacular. We walked down the path, and interestingly enough, there are "Turn Outs" along the way to rest and check out the scenery. I made use of both ways to be sure. I don't remember ever seeing a lighthouse up close and personal. I've seen a couple in the distance when I was a lot younger, but this is the first one up close. To see the workmanship that goes into one of these structures and to see up close the safety they provide to passing ships in the night is awe-inspiring. What was a hoot was that while we were at the landing behind the lighthouse, a few whales were playing in the surf out towards Pillar Rock.