Sometimes I decide to divert from my road trip and explore a town, simply because I know there’s nothing there. Such was the case, when I drove upon Avon, Montana.
Avon has just a few streets, only some of which are paved.
There’s a church…
… a few buildings…
… and of course, a few old railroad tracks cut through the edge of town. As I recall, there were a couple of dogs here too, determined to bark away intruders. Business must be pretty slow for them.
Before I knew it, I was back at the railroad tracks again.
Aside from my desire to explore a small town where almost no one else has ever been, I also thought I’d try to find the convenience store, which was promised on a small sign at the side of US 12. I found it, right in the middle of downtown, but it was closed. There went my only excuse (other than picture-taking) for stopping in Avon.
As you continue east on US 12, you begin to gain altitude, until finally…
… you find yourself at the top of MacDonald Pass, elevation 6,325 ft. There’s a small side road that takes you up to a scenic viewpoint, overlooking the Continental Divide. On this particular day, however, it was not the least bit scenic. As I looked west, I saw the view in the picture above…
… and as I looked east, this is all I could see. The rain in these clouds didn’t have to fall far, to land astride the Continental Divide. I’m sure on a sunnier day, it would have been breathtaking. But, it was mid-September, 2006, and winter was already arriving.
From here, head downhill and eastward, and Helena isn’t far.
Note: This trip was first published in 2006. Much of the same area was covered in the Big Sky trip in 2014.
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