Centennial Valley

The road from Highway 20 is nice and paved all the way to Red Rock Campground. Keep going down that road and eventually it turns to gravel. Take the first left and you'll find yourself on a rougher road heading toward Red Rock Pass and the gorgeous Centennial Valley. Like Sawtelle Peak, this is a drive that has been calling Rocky's name. So, today we treated the squirrel for an off-road trek over the Continental Divide.

We spotted this mom and baby pronghorn just past the divide.

This little creek caught our attention. It's name is Hell Roaring Creek, which is an awfully big name for such a cute little creek. The even bigger news is that creek is the "utmost source of the Missouri River" and its headwaters spring from just up the hill. The water you see here has a mere 3,745 miles to go before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.

Centennial Valley is sparsely populated, which makes this drive a bit feel like you're exploring the Wild West. We came upon an abandoned ranch that reminded us that life in this little corner of Montana can be rough.

The abandoned property has a stunning view of the Centennial Mountains and Lower Red Rock Lake.

Our plans to make the drive past the lakes and up to a wildlife reserve were axed by wind. See how that grass is slanted? That's the wind! Oh yeah, and see the dust blowing in the background? We were starting to eat that stuff! So, we cut our trip short and headed back to camp.

Of course, we had to to stop just a couple of more times to enjoy the beautiful view.