Sweetwater Road

 Today, Quinn and I set off on yet another dirt road adventure!  I expect this to be the last one.  I am losing my enthusiasm for rattling over bad roads!  Also, we're leaving Dillon tomorrow for West Yellowstone and the Tetons before heading south and west mostly on major highways, like Interstates!

This drive though took us to Ruby Lake, though the Ruby mountains-or maybe it was over them.
The first photo is from the "Top" of the drive looking west towards the Pioneer mountains and Dillon in the valley along the Beaverhead river.

Also from the top, the big hole of a Talc mine.  There are several up there but I only saw this one.

That's the road stretching out in front of us.  Deeply rutted in places, muddy still in places-really a good thing I gave it a couple of days to dry out after all the rain last week.  Four wheel drive would have been necessary then!  When I asked Suzie about this drive she said this was the "good" road-one of us needs to adjust our definition of a good road!

I love the way the center section of what looks like a mesa is so contoured-such texture!

We passed an abandoned homestead.  All log construction but at one time quite productive it seemed.

Then this log shelter for animals and perhaps the wagon.  Just beyond was a mine opening into the mountain.  This area has many garnets, found laying on the road and I supposed mined for at some point.  (Montana has natural sapphires and amethysts as well as other crystals-along with gold, copper etc so it's appropriately named the "Treasure State")

Towards the end of the dirt road this long valley-see that green?  That's irrigation!  Boy were there a bunch of Antelope down there in that green!

I just really liked this Cupola on a barn right before we hit pavement!  Against that blue Montana sky! 

Not long after this we hit pavement and rather than return over the tooth loosening road we came back to Dillon on State highways.  Have to say Ruby Lake is VERY low!