Sept 10th - Arriving at Paradise for the start of the Big Sky Oil Leak

Welcome to the blog for the 2017 Big Sky Oil Leak (BSOL) which will take place from September 11th - September 15th visiting some of the roads and National Parks of Montana and Wyoming. This year we are indebted to Christine and Rick Kuschel for all their efforts in organizing this trip. We hope to have 17 Jaguars (all but one E-Types), and around 30 participants. Most of us found our way to tomorrow's starting point at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort in Paradise, Montana in solo drives across fairly desolate landscapes in 50 year old cars. It is therefore pretty amazing that everyone appears to have made it without too many problems. May our luck continue for the next 5 days, and the days that follow as we find our way back to our respective homes. 

To start things off here a re a few photos of my (David) and Debbie's experience getting to the start:

Roads that go straight as far as the eye can see - ID-28 in this case

Rain squalls provided a pleasant cooling effect at the expense of a little discomfort in an open-topped car!

Some very pleasant driving country along the way - US-93 north of Salmon, ID

As Missoula approaches the smoke from wild-fires in the area fills the air

Debbie and I spent Saturday night at the Gibson Mansion B&B in Missoula which we would recommend

This year's bear, Wembly will have to sit on the lid of the cubby. Note his suitcase on the trunk lid. He doesn't pack light...

Debbie made a new friend Maggie while exploring the beautiful gardens before leaving the Gibson Mansion B&B

Everyone made the effort to arrive at the starting point earlier than usual this year. This was to enjoy the hot springs resort, and have a little time to relax before the tour starts tomorrow. The smoke that filled the Missoula area yesterday blew away overnight to a large extent. So, the short drive to Paradise was enjoyable, and we were soon rolling into the resort individually or in groups. The afternoon was spent enjoying the resort, or the surrounding countryside, or preparing our cars for tomorrow. We met for dinner at the resort in a private room and deck overlooking the river.

Enjoying pre-dinner drinks overlooking the Clark Fork River at Quinn's Resort

Tomorrow the tour starts officially, and we will be taking the following route, or not, as the case may be.....

Sept 11th - Paradise to Whitefish, Montana

It is with great sadness that I have to report that Jerry Mouton, the kingpin of the series of "Oil Leaks" since 2011, passed away in his sleep on the eve of the BSOL in Paradise, Montana. It's hard to imagine how the 6 past Oil Leaks could have been as successful and enjoyable without Jerry's enthusiastic participation and leadership, and at the moment it's equally hard to imagine how we can continue them without him. However, as his son James (who Jerry visited in Missoula only 70 miles away, on the way to the start of BSOL) reminded us when he spoke to the assembled "Leakers" later that morning, Jerry would have wanted us to continue the BSOL adventure, and future Oil Leaks.

Jerry Mouton - Jag Lover and Dear Friend

We all send our sincere condolences to Jerry's family - Jerry was one in a million, and will be greatly missed.

Jerry's unexpected passing came as a shock to us all, and we each had to decide how best to proceed. David Drake stayed behind to assist with the arrangements. Lynn and Jan generously chose to help James transport Jerry's beloved "MIK Jaguar" to Missoula and then return to Boise. Others chose to find their own way to our next stopover in Whitefish, Montana and rejoin the group there. Debbie and I left Paradise, Montana with the rest of the Leakers with heavy hearts, and a sense of disbelief...


We left Paradise heading north-west on Hwy 200. The road travels along a valley surrounded by impressive craggy mountains which were largely invisible due to smoke from wildfires...

Typical view looking back on Hwy 200 - smoke filled valleys

One of the characteristics of all past Oil Leaks, is that everyone (or nearly everyone) travels large distances to get to the starting point with few if any car problems, but as soon as we set out on Day 1 of the tour proper, we almost immediately have a breakdown. This year, it was Michael and Denise's turn....

Michael and Denise by the side of the road with a poor fuel pump connection, soon cured...

Turning north on Hwy 56 we came to our first stop at the Ross Creek Cedars.  This is a grove of Western Red Cedars some of which are more than 400 years old, and more than 8 feet in diameter. There we took a short hike through the trees - it would have been shorter if we hadn't taken a "short cut"!

Ross Creek Cedars - with an collection of E-Types

A hollowed-out cedar by the trail 

From the Ross Creek Cedars we continued north on Hwy 56, before turning East on Hwy 2 towards Libby. We stopped along the way to hike to the Kootenai Falls, and Swinging Bridge.

At the trail-head to the Kootenai Falls

Kootenai Falls

Following the hike we drove into Libby where we were joined by three more Leakers from Canada, namely Phil Sandham, Dennis Billo and Tony Koschinsky. We had lunch together at the Venture Motor Inn in Libby before setting out nothwards on Hwy 37 to Eureka. This road provided opportunity for some "enthusiastic" driving for 60 miles or so alongside Lake Koocanusa. The challenges of keeping up with the rest of the group (at which I failed!) means that I have no photos of this section of the drive! At Eureka, we turned south on Hwy 93 and headed for Whitefish. The pace was more relaxed, in part due to warning we'd received concerning frequent encounters with deer on this road. The freedom from smoke, and gentler pace made for a pleasantly relaxing drive, and we drove into Whitefish around 7pm to separate to our various hotels for the night. The end of a long and unreal day...

Sept 12th - Whitefish to East Glacier

The original plan for this second day of the Big Sky Oil Leak was to drive the Going-to-the-Sun road through Glacier National Park, and then drive north into Canada, explore Waterton Park, and stay overnight. Fires in Glacier Park closed the Going-to-the-Sun road, and caused Waterton Park to be evacuated. As a result, our plans had to change, but we made the best of a bad situation.

We started the day by driving as far into the park on the west side as smoke conditions permitted. The road was closed at the end of Lake McDonald and the village of Apgar.

This is the view we could expect to see on a clear day....

This is what we saw today... 

Once again, Christine's forethought came to our assistance, as she provided everyone with masks to protect us from inhaling the smoke. Given the reports we'd received, the smoke was less pervasive than we'd expected here, though we were grateful for the masks later in the day. No stop would be complete without a little under-bonnet tinkering....

Rick and Glen in silent prayer as Norm tightens a leaky fuel banjo

As the Going-to-the-Sun road through Glacier Park was closed, we had to make a diversion to reach the East side of the Park. This was accomplished via Hwy 2, Hwy 49, and Hwy 89 which brought us to the Eastern Entrance to the park in St Mary. The drive on Hwy 49 was particularly enjoyable with spectacular mountain views and very little smoke. As St Mary, we regrouped and took the Going-to-the-Sun Road westbound into the park as far as Logan Pass where the road was closed. The smoke was pretty bad, but this meant that traffic was greatly reduced from usual levels, so at least we were able to find space in the parking lot.

This view doesn't look too smoky, but on a clear day this peak would be topped by others on either side in the background

One of the vintage 1930's tour buses used throughout the park

Just before we left the Logan Pass parking lot, we were fortunate enough to be visited by a Bighorn Sheep who posed for photos for several minutes, before wandering off into the bush.

Bighorn sheep at Logan Pass

From Logan Pass we headed to our overnight hotels. Most of the group stayed in East Glacier, where we will assemble again tomorrow morning. Debbie and I stayed in St Mary, so we have a bit of a drive early tomorrow morning to catch up with the group. Maybe the smoke will clear overnight, and we'll get a few clear photos before we set off...

Sept 13th - East Glacia to Great Falls, Montana

Our overnight accommodations having been selected at short notice due to the evacuation of Waterton Park, several of the Leakers had good stories to tell about their lodging experiences when we got back together on Wednesday morning. I don't have room to recount any of them here, but if you get a chance ask Glen Wior about his delightful B&B.....

In contrast Debbie and I enjoyed our room at the Lodge on St Mary, where the view from our room was very appealing.

View towards Glacier Park from Lodge at St Mary

That said, we paid for the view with a very cold drive into East Glacier to link up with the main group. We finally caught them up at the first stop of the day at the  Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning.

A parking lot of E's at the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning. MT

 At the museum we saw many artifacts, and learned much about the history of the Plains Indian Tribes, as well as an exhibition of current arts and crafts. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited in the museum, so this photo from a web site was all I could find to illustrate our visit.

Part of a large display of Indian costumes including amazing fine bead work.

After our visit to the museum, we headed south east on Hwy 89 to our next stop in Bynum to visit the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center and the adjacent Rock Shop. Some visited one location, some the other, and some just took the opportunity to stretch their legs.

Two Medicine Dinosaur Center

 By now the weather had warmed to the point where driving an open topped car was enjoyable, and we headed in convoy south on Hwy 89 and then Hwy 287 to our lunch location in Augusta.

Flat landscape contrasts with the dramatic mountains of the previous two days

 Lunch was enjoyed at the Buckhorn Bar in Augusta. We were made to feel very welcome there, to the point that the entire group was invited to stand behind the bar for a group photo, which I hope to post here later if I can get a copy.

The Buckhorn Bar in Augusta

After visiting some of the small stores in Augusta, we took the road eastward to Great Falls for our overnight stop. Many of us are staying at the O'Haires Motor Inn, which features the Sip'n Dip Lounge which dates back to the 60's. It is decorated in Hawaian style, and features a pool tank where Mermaids swim to entertain the clientelle!

Relaxing at the Sip'n Dip Lounge

A swimmer in full Mermaid outfit blows bubbles in the tank behind the bar!

Christine and Rick Kuschel, who have planned this Oil Leak for us, relax in the Sip'n Dip Lounge

Tomorrow we head for Bozeman, with cold temperatures and rain anticipated. There is even the prospect of snow on our drive to Yellowstone the following day....

Sept 14th - Great Falls to Bozeman, Montana

We awoke in Great Falls to the sound of falling rain, and a forecast of little change throughout the day. For several of us, this was our first experience of driving our E's in steady rain all day. A few lessons were learned...

Lesson 1 - just because your parking lot is covered, doesn't mean your open topped car doesn't need covering...

Our route took us south on Hwy 87 and Hwy 89. The rain was steady, but progress was good apart from several stoppages for road works.

A long line of E-Types wait for the flag to fall on Hwy 89

As we headed south on Hwy 89 the altitude steadily increased until the summit was reached at over 7000 feet. By then, the rain had turned to snow. Close to the summit, we were halted again for road works....

Debbie and David with the convertible top up - a first on 7 Oil Leaks...

Waiting to proceed at the summit on Hwy 89. It's your choice whether you zoom in on the individual standing to the right...

Summit of Hwy 89 - do zoom in on Christine's left had to see a very small snowman!

Soon the snow turned back to rain as we descended to our lunch venue in White Sulphur Springs. It was great to get inside out of the cold and wet to enjoy a relaxed lunch with no time pressure. The food was good and helpings generous...

Now that's a wedge salad!

After lunch we continued our drive to Bozeman, Montana via a variety of routes and reached our hotels by mid-afternoon. We had been invited to join Gary and Nancy Herzberg and family for drinks at their home in Bozeman. Gary participated in the North-West Oil Leak in 2012 in his FHC E-Type, and has been involved with the local Going To The Sun Rally for many years. We were made to feel very welcome in their magnificent house. In particular, the family's Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever/Poodle mix) Pepe was a great hit with everyone and stole a few hearts! We all had a great evening, and hope to meet up with Gary, Nancy and family again tomorrow in Yellowstone.

Entryway of Gary and Nancy's magnificent home

Gary (back to camera) talks with Drew, Don and Christine

And so, it was back to our hotels to rest prior to tomorrow's final leg to Yellowstone National Park. The likely rain and snow tomorrow has caused us to modify our route plans to avoid  the high passes at close to 11,000 feet where significant snowfall is likely. The good news is that this should give us more time to explore the park and it's many attractions.

Wembly has a bed all to himself this evening!

Sept 15th - Bozeman to Yellowstone National Park

The final day of the 2017 BSOL promised to be another wet one. The weather forecast in Bozeman was for steady rain, and snow at higher altitudes. The original plan of entering Yellowstone National Park via the Beartooth Highway (212) with a section at 11,000 feet altitude had been abandoned a day or so earlier as the road was closed, but the backup plan of entering from the north at Gardiner also had to be dropped due to snow on a 8800 foot pass. We therefore all opted for Hwy 191 to the West Yellowstone entrance. This still involved some rain and light snow, but nothing too untoward. Some of us then broke for lunch, whilst others drove on into the park. After lunch we opted to first visit Old Faithful, before checking out some of the other features of the park.

Steam rising above our bonnet from some of the many hot water features

After circling the parking lot for 15 minutes to find a free spot, we finally walked towards Old Faithful. It's hard to imagine how busy it would have been if the weather had been better...

A large audience awaits the old geyser...

A circle three deep waiting for up to 90 minutes for...

...this. There was so much steam that most of the water went unseen

Having never visited Yellowstone before, one of the surprises to us was the generally high altitude of the park. Much of it is at 8,000 feet or more. As a result, road closures for snow are very common late in the season. By the time we'd seen Old Faithful "perform", we had to head for our hotel which took us 90 minutes or so to reach in the snowy conditions. Bison roam the park, and often stand close to, or on the roads. As a result, there are frequent hold-ups. Park Rangers try to move folk along, but were often unsuccessful, and became frustrated at motorists...

A bison approaches the E-Type for a closer look

We finally made it to the hotel at around 5pm. The Lake Yellowstone Hotel, is set right by shores of the large Lake Yellowstone at 8,000 feet.

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

On close inspection we found our headlights to be totally covered with ice, which probably meant they were invisible

We each stayed in "Frontier Cabins", which turned out to be cozy and warm 

The group, which by now was down to 16 strong, got together for a final dinner at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. At the conclusion of our dinner, we got together in the lounge and toasted our dear departed friend Jerry, with a bottle of Glenfiddich kindly donated for the purpose by Lynn Gardner at the start of the tour.

A final toast...

And so, with thanks to Christine and Rick for organizing this tour of the sights and roads of Montana and Wyoming, we said our goodbyes. Many of us have several days of driving to go before we reach home, but have a lot of memories to take with us. Though some of these memories will, no doubt, fade over time, our fond memories of Jerry Mouton will endure. We will memorialize him in future tours, and hope to join together again in October 2018 in Arizona and Utah. Safe travels home to everyone...