After the heavy rain in Great Falls yesterday we were delighted to see clear blue skies this morning. Before leaving Great Falls we decided to visit several of the local sights, starting with the Great Falls Giant Springs State Park. The freshwater springs are one of the largest in the country, producing over 156 million gallons of water per day, with the clear water cascading into the adjacent Missouri River via the Roe River once described as "the shortest river in the world" in the Guinness Book of Records.
Georgia, Glen and Rick view the water cascading from the Giant Springs
The water bubbles up into the spring (top left) and then cascades down the "river" into the Missouri
Debbie walks the causeway over the water running from the Springs into the Missouri River
Next to the Giant Springs is a Fish Hatchery which we also visited. We were able to view the show pool where 4 varieties of trout circulate in the pool.
Trout swim in the show pool of the Fish Hatchery
A mile or so downstream we visited the dam on the Missouri River at the location of the "great falls" that gave the city it's name. Drought conditions mean that very little water is currently flowing over the falls, which must be spectacular during the rainy season.
Dam on the Missouri River at Great Falls
The Leakers return to their cars for the drive north - down to 4 E-Types, 2 F-Types and one XK8
For the drive south towards Bozeman we had selected Rte-87 leading to Rte-89. These roads were ideal for our Jaguars with lots of sweeping curves in forested scenery with virtually no traffic. As we rose in elevation the clear blue skies were replaced by heavy clouds and the temperature dropped dramatically. With Earl's sun roof open, we had to turn on the heater - not something that is often required in the hot interior of an E-Type. As we descended the clouds cleared and we warmed up again. Michael had somehow researched a suitable spot for lunch in the tiny community of Wilsall, MT - population 237 in the 2000 census. The Bank Bar and Vault Restaurant features on most web sites if you Google Wilsall, so it clearly has a positive reputation. The staff were very welcoming and friendly, and we enjoyed a great lunch. Greg and Debbie Childs had left for home a little earlier at White Sulfur Springs - we wish them a safe return home.
Bank Bar Vault Restaurant in Wilsall
The post-lunch drive to Bozeman took a little less than an hour on Rte-86. We checked into our hotel at the Best Western Plus Grantree Inn and were free to relax for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we met in the hotel bar/restaurant for dinner. The food portions defeated most of us.
Dinner at the Best Western Grantree Inn
An example of the portion size - Denise's Nacho Plate!
Tomorrow morning Rick and Patrick head for home, and the rest of the leakers head for Jackson via Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
TO SEE POSTS FOR THE FOLLOWING DAYS CLICK THE "OLDER POSTS" BUTTON BELOW. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE BUT THE BLOGGER SOFTWARE HAS A FEW ISSUES.....
As our convoy of 5 remaining cars left the Best Western in Bozeman the sun streamed down from a clear blue sky. Our drive today was to take us through Yellowstone and The Grand Teton National Parks. One could easily spend several days in each, but we would have to be satisfied a short stops at some of the highlights along the way. After stopping in Livingstone to visit a supermarket for picnic provisions, we drove to the park's northern entrance at Gardiner.
Following Glen and Georgia's F-Type on the road to Yellowstone
As we drove through the small town of Gardiner we were greeted by some of the local residents out for an early morning stroll:
Good to see that the elk keep to the left, and no overtaking on a double yellow...!
Yellowstone is truly enormous - 2.2 million acres, and attracts a huge number of visitors each year. The roads we drove were far from empty, but being somewhat late in the season we were able to find parking spots for our group of cars without a lot of trouble. Yellowstone is famous for its widespread geothermal activity including geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and steam vents. Our first stop inside the park was to view a group of fumeroles in the hillside alongside the road.
Steam escaping from fumeroles in the hillside
Our drive on Rte-89 south then took us through Canyon Village to the Upper Yellowstone Falls. There are several viewing sites for the falls, some more accessible than others.
View of water disappearing over the top of the falls
Video of the top of the falls
The canyon below carved out by the river below the upper falls
This view of the upper falls may require a drone!
From the falls our route took us south on Rte-20 towards Yellowstone Lake, including an interesting circuit of the parking lots of one of the lodge complexes caused by a misguided GPS! The drive alongside the lake was enjoyable and relatively free of traffic. On leaving Yellowstone Park we immediately entered Grand Tetons National Park. By spending less time in Yellowstone than we had on the first BSOL (we had an overnight stay there in 2017), we had made time to drive past the Grand Tetons and into Jackson, WY. There are many viewing spots along Rte-191 south as you pass the majestic range of mountains, each more impressive than the last. Periodically, the road heads away to the east and you think that you've seen the last of the views, only to turn the next corner to find the mountains closer and more spectacular than before. Here are a few views that we took in along the way, with the mountains seen across Lake Jackson in the foreground.
The Grand Tetons across Lake Jackson
The five remaining cars, 2 Es, 2Fs, and an XK8 at Grand Tetons National Park
And so our Oil Leak came to an end in Jackson, Wyoming. In keeping with the tradition of the Oil Leak we all got together for one final dinner at the Whistling Grizzly restaurant. It was somewhat of a reprise of the opening dinner at Coeur d'Alene where the servers appeared to think that we were there for the night, but we didn't allow that to interfere with our enjoyment of the evening. Tomorrow everyone will make their own way onwards, some straight home, and others for one last stop in Boise, ID for the All British Car Show on Sunday. Thank you, once again, Michael for organizing this trip and safe travels home to everyone.
One final dinner in the "Whistling Grizzly" in Jackson
On Saturday Debbie and I drove Earl from Jackson, Wyoming to Boise, Idaho where Lynn and Mary had kindly invited us to stay. The drive of a little less than 400 miles was (fortunately) uneventful, though we were pretty warm by the time we arrived in the late afternoon. The following day was set aside for the 2024 South West Idaho All British Field Meet organized by the Idaho British Car Club of which Lynn is a member. The event was held at The Village at Meridian, a modern shopping center with a large number of up-market stores, which proved to be a great setting for around 100 British cars to be displayed and enjoyed. Members of the Idaho British Car Club had done a lot of preparation to make the event go smoothly, and promptly at 9:00am Lynn and I arrived at our designated spots to park Emmy (Lynn's 1968 Series 1.5 OTS), and Earl. Earl had been given a quick wash down earlier that morning to make him a little more presentable, but still carried some of the bug splatter of 2,600 miles driving if you cared to look more closely.
Class 6 - a group of E-Types, a Mark 1, and a Cobra. Emmy getting a lot of admiring attention
Earl, of course, received a lot of double takes with his quad headlights and shark's gills louvers in the bonnet. By the end of the day my throat was sore from repeating the story behind his creation and restoration.
One of the highlights of the show was an even rarer car - the very first TR2 off the production line, which has been beautifully restored:
The very first TR2 - note the unusual rear end and wheel spats
Holding the show in a modern shopping center had the upside of attracting a lot of younger people than the usual bunch of oldies seen at such events! Hopefully some of them will get the bug and start to show an interest in these classics. Mary and Debbie joined us later in the morning and we wandered around the show selecting our favorite cars in each class for the later awards. We then had a pleasant lunch at one of the many restaurants before we were joined by Michael and Denise who had driven over from Jackson earlier in the day. Later in the afternoon we were all entertained by a pipe band with Scottish dancers who paraded around the car display areas.
Scottish pipe band and dancers parading in front of the E-Types
As the show came to a close awards were presented in each of the 12 classes. Earl was flattered to be awarded second in class, but the top honor for the E-Types was justly picked up by Emmy. This was a very enjoyable car show with a lot of friendly folks and interesting car to see without any of the more serious "Concours" atmosphere.
In the evening we visited a local hostelry where Denise joined a group of local musicians to entertain the patrons:
What an enjoyable and relaxing way to end our Oil Leak trip. Tomorrow we will head home, Debbie by plane, with myself nursing Earl the 800 miles back to Monterey, CA.
The return home from the final day of an Oil Leak can easily become an anti-climax, as the desire to be home as quickly as possible leads to the selection of the fastest route which is usually largely freeways. When it also involves long mileages in high temperatures the only highlights are often the cool blast of the air conditioning as you enter the foyer of the next hotel/motel at the end of a long day's driving.
My lovely wife Debbie has the right idea. I drop her off at the nearest airport to the end of the Oil Leak, and she flies home. However, the car has to get home somehow, and so I drive... Where possible, I try to find a route that contains some interesting roads at the expense of a few additional miles/hours behind the wheel.
This year, having dropped Debbie off at Boise airport, I retraced the route I had used to get from Fernley, NV to Boise at the start of the trip. Though not freeway, the route has little of interest and I was glad to arrive in Fernley and get out of the heat. For the final day of the drive I did, however, have a treat in mind. Some of you will recall that on last year's Bass Lake to Mount Shasta Oil Leak (BLMSOL) our drive over Ebbett's Pass from Murphys to Lake Tahoe had to be abandoned when we found that the road was closed due to road works. I decided that the additional time that taking the pass would add to my return trip would be worthwhile, so on Tuesday morning I set out early for the east end of the pass. It proved to be good choice as I really enjoyed the drive. There were a couple of stops due to road works, but very little traffic. At the summit of the pass, I stopped for a couple of photos at the location where the 2013 California Oil Leak stopped when heading west for an impromptu snowball fight.
Memory from the 2013 Oil Leak at the summit of Ebbett's Pass
Earl takes a break at the summit after climbing Ebbett's Pass
The sign at the summit giving some of the history of the pass
Throughout the Oil Leak I have recorded the view through Earl's windshield on a dashcam. Sometimes this is the best way of capturing unexpected incidents or views. I rarely include much in the way of videos in the blog, but this time decided to let you see the drive over Ebbett's Pass in an extended video. Just click on the center of the video. It's long, so running it at double speed (settings on the Youtube Gear Wheel at the bottom of the screen) is a good idea, as well as making it more exciting! The summit of the pass is reached about 24 minutes into the video. The pass also has a second summit on the Pacific side which is reached about 39 minutes in. You will see two fishermen standing by the roadside fishing in the lake that is right at the summit there!
As I descended the pass the temperature rose and was in the 90s as I crossed the California Central Valley. I reached home in mid afternoon after 3.497 miles covered. I'm glad to say that everyone got home safely, and we look forward to the 2025 OL, wherever it is...
