Tolkien wrote: “not all those who wander are lost.”  Ed and Rachel Barnhart are this sentiment sprung to vivid life. Says Ed: “As a little boy I drove my father nuts on road trips.  I always wanted to ‘drive up that road’ just to see where it went.”  Rachel suffered from a similar wanderlust.  Her initial aspiration was to “see the world as a flight attendant”.  Life had other plans, and she ended up working in banking and office management, but her desire to travel never waned. Now retired, the intrepid RVers hooked up their Alfa Gold fifth wheel on a mission to see all that God created and man constructed…and find the best pizza in the USA.  From the beaches of Seattle, Ed and Rachel set their sights on Maine. From there they would turn south toward the sunshine, only to be greeted by the worst Mother Nature had unleashed in decades.  Undaunted, the Barnharts headed off into the sunset, through the southwest and across the Rio Grande to the shores of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. From sea to shining sea and back again, all in one trip around the sun. Chapter 2 takes the couple from Spokane, Washington across the mighty Continental Divide.

The highway between Spokane and Missoula gave us our first two opportunities to see how our rig would tackle grade and elevation.  The first, Fourth of July Pass, is just east of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and climbs to just over 3,000 feet.  This was just a warm up.  The real test was Lookout Pass, just outside Mullen.  As the Pass climbs to over 4,000 feet even time changes.  The truck performed perfectly and we have adjusted to Mountain Time without a glitch.

We set up camp just outside of Missoula at Jellystone RV Park.  Nice place.  No sign of Yogi, Boo Boo or Ranger Smith, but we still kept a close watch on our picnic basket.  Once we unhooked we cruised up the road to Florence – down in the Bitterroot Valley – to celebrate Mother’s Day with Rachel’s folks, Bob and Margaret.
Rachel's Parents


After a short stay in Missoula we were back on the road, heading for the mining town of Butte, Montana. Some folks have said that Butte is one of the ugliest cities in the United States.  We respectfully disagree.  We find the place incredibly interesting.  When we set out on our trip, we said we wanted to see “God’s creation and man’s construction.”  Butte may not have postcard-pretty examples of the former, but it certainly boasts more than its fair share of the latter.

I’m a mining and railroad history buff, and Butte is second only to Virginia City, Nevada – home of the Comstock Lode – on my list of interesting historical mining destinations.  So, my expectations were high as we rolled into Butte on May 9th…what I didn’t expect was to be greeted by snow flurries.  Snow.  In May.  That’s Montana for you.  Well, we certainly were not going to let a little chilly precipitation cool our anticipation at exploring the rich history of this fabled frontier town.

Mine Headframe
And, with its dozen mine headframes – several smack in the middle of town – Butte did not disappoint. Even though the mines are – for the most part – closed, they capture the industrial essence of a booming time in American history.  At one of the mine sites we were treated to a few examples of the railroad cars used to transport ore from the mines in Butte to the smelter in Anaconda. These electric locomotives never made it all the way to the Pacific (though the line was called Butte Anaconda & Pacific Railway), but they did have to navigate a steep switchback line between mines.  Though the rails are gone, the roadbed has been made into an expansive asphalt trail system.

Butte is also the home of the World Museum of Mining, an extensive and interesting collection worthy of the culture and history of this industrial town.  Of course, if your tastes run more toward classic American architecture, there is plenty for you to see here as well.  Butte Water Company and Curtis Music Hall are highlights.


The single most dominant landmark in Butte is, without a doubt, the Berkeley Pit.  This huge pit mine began operating in 1955 and has been growing ever since. The largest open pit copper mine in the United States, during its life The Pit has subsumed many of the earlier underground mines, rerouted highways and swallowed entire neighborhoods.

On Saturday, we drove to the Lewis and Clark Caverns.  On the way we came across a black bear just standing in the road.  Watch out for those, they are rarely in a hurry to get out of the way.  One of Montana’s most popular state parks, the Caverns boasts one of the largest limestone caverns in the northwest.  The surroundings above are equally worth a look.  A portion of the nine-mile hiking trail winds around a campground offering flush toilets, showers, grills fire rings and picnic tables.  Although the park is open year-round, guided tours are only available between May and September.  Call 406.287.3541 for more information.
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We also stopped in Virginia City, Montana.  As opposed to the one in Nevada, this Virginia City is entirely placer mining – the “mining” method in which free gold is captured in river gravel.  After a quick grilled lunch, using the tailgate as our table, we rode through the town on a vintage fire truck.  After the riding tour, we walked through the town to get a closer look at everything.
One travel tip to mention here…

At this elevation, even in May, it is COLD!  Eighteen degrees as we crossed over Pipestone Pass on the way back to Butte.  As we descended, spring peeked out from winter’s skirts; but fair warning, if you are here you will want a coat – and likely a warm thermos of soup or coffee.

Our time in Butte at an end, a leg of the journey that, I admit, had been causing me a bit of apprehension was upon us.  It was time to cross the Continental Divide.  Our plan was to cross at Homestake Pass, an elevation of 6,368 feet.  Our F-350 was outfitted with a full Banks Power Pack for getting uphill and a PacBrake for slowing us on the descent.  Still, with these grades and the weight we were towing – 14,000 pounds at the axle and 3,500 at the hitch – it’s something to think about.

After some deliberation we headed into Helena to have a new PacBrake compressor installed.  While the work was being done we took the opportunity to explore Montana’s state capitol.  We walked the length of Helena’s historic town center, Last Chance Gulch.  We also toured Reeder’s Alley, a steep road on which Mr. Reeder, a mason, built many homes for the single miners in Helena’s earliest mining days.
Back at the repair shop we made a startling discovery: we had, in fact, already crossed the Continental Divide, just out of Butte on the way to Helena.  Armed with that information, our second “first crossing” was much easier than anticipated.  In fact, between Helena and our next stop in Billings, we only had to climb another 692 feet.  Accustomed to the sharp incline of the Cascades, the Rockies were a breeze.
Sunday we hitched up and made the 229-mile trip to Billings.  Of course, we crossed the Continental Divide…again…but, despite my earlier apprehension it was starting to feel like old hat.  The excellent performance of the PacBrake definitely boosted our confidence when tackling elevation.  Good thing, since the road from Butte to Billings is all downhill, a nearly 2,600-foot drop.

Aside from the changes in elevation and wide-open spaces, there are many four-legged indications that we are in Montana.  We have crossed paths with domestic bison, wild antelope and, in a rather ironic moment near Elk Park, a herd of fifteen or so…elk.  Who knew the wildlife in Montana was so literal?
As we explore the intriguing history and wonderful wild country that is Montana, we are traveling along a trail first blazed two centuries ago by another, braver pair of intrepid explorers, Lewis and Clark.  We have copies of their journals to refer to as we take our trip across this continent.  Though much has changed, and our guide is a GPS instead of a Shoshone interpreter, we wonder if Meriwether and William found this land as captivating as Ed and Rachel do.

Tomorrow brings more Montana and more freedom and discovery.  It may still be early in our journey, but we are loving every minute of it!


Read previous chapters by selecting one of the links below.

Chaper 1 - Pacific in the Rearview, We Wave Goodbye