Day Excursion

August 2 – At about 2 this morning I think I figured out $100 of the $110 I was short last night.  It was site A6 and his name was Dykstra or something like that.  He was late bringing me his key deposit and I held out his reservation all day and I don’t think I listed his $100 deposit on my sheet.  So I was up by 8 and as soon as we had breakfast I dressed and went over to check it my self.  Elaine had come back in last night and took the bag so I told Becky what I thought it was so she was going to check it for me.

Male Pronghorn

We did 2 loads of laundry and straightened up a bit and

His harem

after showers and lunch we left on a Scenic/Wildlife excursion.  It was in one of the many magazines we have collected and it started just a mile up the road from us.  We did see 3 herds of pronghorn antelope during the ride but no moose, bear, buffalo, or anything else except horses and cattle.  We stopped in the little town of Ennis, MT for an ice cream.  We had huge 2 scoop servings of hand dipped

Main street Ennis, MT

Montana made ice cream for $2.50.  It was yummy.  I bought some blood orange olive oil and peach balsamic white vinegar at a shop next door.  I was excited and surprised to find a gourmet type shop in the town of 631.  It’s mainly a trout fishing and hunting town.  They have a decent grocery store that we made good use of also.  We carry our insulated bag and have used it a lot.

We headed from there to Earthquake Lake in Madison

Huge Landslide

Canyon which was formed due to an earthquake (not a surprise) on August 17, 1959.  The earthquake occurred at 11:37 p.m. with a Richter magnitude estimated between 7.3 and 7.5.  The quake lasted 30–40 seconds. During the earthquake the surrounding landscape dropped as much as 20 feet and shockwaves caused numerous seiches  which are inland water waves, to surge across Hebgen Lake for 12 hours. Water pushed by the seiches poured over the dam which luckily did not collapse. Several aftershocks ranging from 5.8 to 6.3 were reported after the quake.

End where slide blocked 

Landslides caused by the quake carried 80 million tons of rock, mud and debris down into the valley and created hurricane force winds strong enough to toss cars. In Madison Canyon, the landslide swept away a family of seven, five of whom perished. Two more fatalities were also reported in nearby Cliff Lake to the south. In Rock Creek, tourists camping there were caught off guard by the quake and landslide, which swept them into the creek. The seiches inundated trailers and tents, uprooted trees, and injured one additional person.

Areas around Hebgen Lake were also hard hit as the quake caused parts of the lake to rise

Cabin in Ghost Village

eight feet. Roads and highways running along the shores of the lake collapsed into the water. Landslides in surrounding areas caused the death toll to increase to 28.  A huge bolder that was uprooted from one side of the river and left high on a bank on the other side has been made a memorial to those who perished.  The names of all 28 are on the plaque. 

Memorial boulder

There is a Ghost Village of cabins uprooted by the high waters that now rest still in a meadow once some of the water subsided.  The lake was as deep as 190 feet and they say it will take 150 years to totally subside.  You can see the change in the tree line from its highest point to now.  The next day the Corp of

Tree line showing water level de-
crease in the last 55 years

Engineers came and dug a run off ditch to keep the water from continuing to rise and reconnect to the Madison River.

It’s truly an amazing event and that so few died.  The Visitor Center has a good movie on it and several exhibits and all glass walls for great overlooks to the slides and lake.

As we continued up 287 we came to Hebgen Lake and Dam and drove some on the old 287 that most of was destroyed.  The lake is huge and a beautiful spot with lots of summer homes and guest houses on both sides.

Just past the lake we came to 191 and a left takes you to Bozeman, MT and a right takes you back into West Yellowstone and home.  We thought we would be later getting home but it worked out fine to grill some brats and burgers and rest up.