Day Two - Touristy Phillipsburg

Clear blue skies greeted us in the morning and followed us all day as we continued our journey to Phillipsburg. This quaint little town (and I mean little with one road, one 4-way stop, and in total it spans maybe five blocks) has a couple of claims to fame, the first is a nearby ski area and the second the local sapphire mines have stores there.  This is Montana, so it is cowboy country steeped in the history (dare I say history now with the recent cancel culture trying to re-write the American past?) of the old west.  While the town has many buildings that are spruced up for tourists, it also has a lot more that show the neglect of time.

We have been to Phillipsburg several times before to take our chances with buckets of dirt from the Gem Mountain Sapphire mine. While the mine  is actually about 30 minutes from town, we had to make what is now a mandatory stop at the Phillipsburg Brewery! Our favorite of their unique brews are the Razzu Raspberry Wheat Beer and the Coffe Porter.  Although we are not beer officionados, after sifting through buckets of dirt for hours in the hot sun looking for translucent sapphires, these two brews taste AMAZING.

Yes, the Cornonavirus has affected this town too. A sign at the edge of town read "STOP! If you have the Coronavirus, go home and come back when you are better". There were definitely fewer tourists,  some with masks and some without. A number of businesses are now open only Wednesday through Sunday while others appeared to be out of business. However, a few places, eateries, taverns, and such were open, including our favorite brewery.  There were changes though, no sitting inside at the bar and masks required to order.  With a smile though, our now full growlers fit perfectly into the camper's fridge.

Camp this night is just a pull off right before entering the mine property. Our rig fit perfectly into the sunny space and the price was right... free. And a bonus was the  private
beach on the rushing ice cold river. An evening stroll became quite interesting when we saw tracks that were most likely moose, along with droppings that looked similar to cow pies, just feet from our camp. We heard a huffing noise on the hillside across the road, but didn't catch a glimpse of the animal that made it. Maybe tomorrow!


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