Another Wrong turn adventure!

 Today, we set off to see Anaconda and Philipsburg, MT.  Both on the same circle Butte, Hwy 1 to both and back to Butte.  Simple right?  Nope.  Should have come to Philipsburg first but all of a sudden we were in Anaconda!  Hum, I read signs pretty well and the map showed Philipsburg right on the highway.  Anaconda has some pretty cool old building so camera around my neck and Quinn in hand we started walking and taking pictures.  Quinn found flowers to smell!  She ALWAYS stops to smell flowers-about 10 steps further she stopped to smell geraniums, those she didn't linger over!  A couple of doors away was a quilt shop, and Quinn got to go in-they said she could.  I asked them about Philipsburg and they said I had to turn off to the right to get there.

A collage of building in Anaconda-neat ones!

We drove back up the highway to look for Philipsburg, still didn't find it and finally gave up.  Decided to take the road to Wisdom.  I confused Wisdom's location with that of Wise but I am so glad I did.  I've just about decided that there is no wrong turn in Montana!  Gorgeous mountain valleys, beautiful, clear blue skies-NO SMOKE!   The aspen are turning yellow on the higher slopes of the mountains, the willows and cottonwoods by the streams as well-fall will be here soon.

Came to this wayside for a state recreation area-56,000 acres- and stopped for photos.

This abandoned farm was at that site as well.  Someone once lived in a very pretty place!

We came to a T in the road, to the left Divide, to the right Wisdom.  Showing no wisdom on my part and still having Wise and Wisdom switched in my head (I've actually been to Wisdom before) I turned right.

I was so excited to see this beaver slide and the haystack close by that I pulled off the road for photos.  

(you can see a video of a beaver slide in action here)

There was a wonderful river next to the road, and for the first time I saw no one fishing, no one floating.  I think it must have been private land.

As I kept on traveling I kept seeing more and more beaver slides and more and bigger haystacks.

Then I crossed the river-Big Hole River. (Really all the beaver slides should have been a clue as I've rarely seen them out of the Big Hole.)  At that point I realized that Wisdom was in the Big Hole valley and not on the Wise River (where Wise is-go figure!) And soon realized that I either had to go back the way we'd come or go on to Dillon to pick up the interstate about 60 miles south of Butte.

Really though I drove much further than I expected I love the Big Hole Valley-it's one of my favorite places in Montana.  I also had the best cheeseburger of the trip in Wisdom!