Bannack State Park (Ghost Town), MT
The Pilgrimage: Day 33
When I got to Bannack and found a spot to set up camp, a fellow biker, with a Triumph Tiger, walked up and asked if I wanted to share a camp site with him so we could split the $18 camp fee ($28 for him since he had out of state plates.) I said sure, because a $9 campsite is much better than a $18 site.
We traded moto adventure stories and then explored Bannack the next morning, before splitting off again.
Our shared camping spot, in the Bannack Campground
(We actually lied to the camp hosts and told them he was my uncle so we could split the in-state cost for the campsite rather than the out-of-state cost. I also managed to ride my bike down the main road, before getting “chased out of town” by one of the park hosts lol Yup we’re awful people.)
I went off in search of Coolidge, a ghost town along the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway.
It’s normally a .75 mile hike into the town site, so I parked the bike and got ready to hike in. I got to the info sign and turns out motorcycles and snowmobiles can ride into town! Winning. The road is a little rough going in but nothing too crazy. The other tourists, who were up there when I rode through, were definitely jealous of my awesomeness.
Coolidge, MT
I rode the rest of the way to the Bitterroot Valley in a kind of daze. I’m not sure if I’m just that road tired, or my brain was going into shock that I only had one more day left.