Weekend Rundown

Lots going on this weekend, so here we go with another Weekend Rundown.

Friday July 24th

Tai Chi (free classes) 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM Dillon Elks Lodge Free Tai Chi classes continue. Please practice social distancing.

Kick-Off Celebration - Ride for Respect 11 AM – 1 PM Our amazing Butte Law Enforcement will kick-off the Ride for Respect to welcome riders and to fellowship with fans of Special Olympics at Copper Canyon Harley on Friday, July 24th from 11-1

To support a rider you can make a flat donation or sponsor a rider on a per mile basis. To donate click or copy & paste this link: https://www.classy.org/campaign/2020-ride-for-respect/c283118

Join in on the celebration and enjoy a grab and go lunch from OMG food truck.

See ya there! 🏍 ❤️ 🏃

Free Yoga in the Garden 12 PM – 1 PM Free gentle yoga in the garden, taught by yoga instructor, Joan Hendrickson. Enjoy the beautiful creekside setting, and living things growing all around. Children welcomed.

Dillon History Days The event is centered in downtown Dillon, but includes all businesses and organizations in Beaverhead County. Tours of historic buildings and houses will be conducted throughout the area. Living history demonstrations will be developed based on railroad, agriculture, mining, logging, and more. Attendees are encouraged to dress in vintage clothing.

This event is extremely important to the area, as it builds a strong community by celebrating Dillon and Beaverhead County, beginning with settlement in the Beaverhead Valley and the founding of Dillon in 1880. Dillon History Days will highlight the way progress has changed and shaped the town and area throughout the years. All businesses and organizations are called upon to prepare activities to show how they began, how they have evolved, and what they now bring to the community.

Water to Whiskey 5K - 25th Annual Madison River Run 6 PM – 9 PM For many years, the Madison River Run was a local fun run that generally attracted 50 to 60 runners from Madison County and the rest of Southwest Montana. It is still a local fun run and it still attracts runners from Southwest Montana, but this is just the beginning. We have a new cool tag line name - the Water to Whiskey 5K - to reflect the Greater Yellowstone Adventure Series (GYAS) collaboration with Willies Distillery. For this 25th running of the event, we will start on the

waters of the Madison and finish as close as possible to the tasting room of Willies Distillery. We got runners from all across the country coming to this one.

Here’s a chance to do a 5K, take part in a community event, and taste some of Montana’s finest spirits at Willies Distillery and also grab a burger at the G Bar in downtown Ennis. The rest of Main Street is open for business. After that, you can fly fish the Madison, one of the best blue ribbon trout streams in the USA or make a day trip to Yellowstone.

Strollers, walkers, kids, and all are completely welcome. It’s a fantastic way to spend a weekend in Southwest Montana.

Live W/beth Millick @jackson Hot Springs Lodge 9 PM good times , people , staff and music and lets not forget the food and drinks!!!

Saturday July 25th

Dillon Farmers' Market 9 AM – 1 PM Hand made and home grown local specialties offered by up to 20 vendors.

Bird's Eye View Guided Hike 10 AM – 12 PM Join us Saturday the 25th @10 for a guided hike of the Birds Eye View Trail!

Learn more about the history of the park, the flora and fauna, and take in the amazing views!

The 2 mile hike does has significant incline so please dress appropriately and bring water

The Inaugural Madison Ultra Up - 50K straight up 5:30 AM – 1 PMBy definition, an Ultra is any race longer than 26.2 miles or 42 kilometers. Most Ultras are either nice round numbers such as 50K, 100K, 50 Miles, 100 Miles and even 24 hours, or they are a specific distance between two points, e.g. the Badwater Ultra is 135 miles which is the distance from the lowest point in Death Valley to the highest point (original route) at Mount Whitney in the contiguous United States.

That's most Ultras - a nice round number or a specific distance between two unique and iconic spots on a map. Because Montana is so awesome and has so much fantastic public land (Thank you Teddy Roosevelt!), we are doubly blessed. We are going to do both in one route and in two directions.

One start/finish line is on the banks of the Madison River and one start/finish line is at Monument Ridge on top of the Gravelly Range.

The Madison River is already famous among fly fishing aficionados. It's a blue ribbon trout stream. This means it's a fast flowing, cold water, not too deep, high elevation river with incredible rainbow, brown, and cut throat trout. People from around the world come to Southwest Montana for the sole purpose of casting a dry fly onto its waters.

Monument Ridge is the highest point on the Gravelly Range Road. It is 9,587 feet above the oceans. When all the ups and downs are calculated, it's about 6,000 net vertical feet above the Madison River.

Here's the cool part. The road distance between the banks of the Madison River and Monument Ridge?

50 kilometers.

So you have a choice. A 50K uphill that starts on the cool, calming and tranquil waters of the Madison River and finishes at Monument Ridge, or a 50K downhill that starts at 9,587 feet and offers view sheds where you can see 100 miles on a clear day and finishes on the banks of the Madison River.

How cool is that?

Choose wisely. The route, obviously in either direction, is entirely on a decent quality gravel road. A regular car can travel on this road. In no way are these trail Ultras. There is basically no flat ground on the entire route. It's either leaning or crazily going uphill or downhill. If you're an Upper, there will be some downhill stretches, but not too many over the 50K. If you're a Downer the same thing holds in reverse. According to Garmin data collected from the Tour de Gravelly which covers the same route, the net gain/loss from the Madison River to Monument Ridge is 6,061 feet. That's a shitload of net gain/loss over 50K on a road.

If you've never done an Ultra before, here's your chance. Sometimes you gotta say WTF. We've never been an RD for an Ultra and we’re saying WTF to two of 'em!

Just those three words sound cool. They're even cooler sounding when you can add "and it had a 6,000 foot net gain on the route."

Dillon History Days at the Dillon Elks The street will be closed and many events are happening both inside and outside of the Lodge to celebrate Dillon History Days. Come join us!

Bannack camp trip ghost investigation 11 AM THERE ARE NO TICKETS REQUIRED. Just have to get a camp site or come up for the day with us. We will camp, tell stories, and ghost investigate during the day. In the evening we will have the telescope set up and look for ufos also go to the cemetery outskirts of town and investigate it. leave time we will meet at Belgrade albertsons at 11am or in the town about 1pm my camp spot is number 14 under Adams. I will give you guys directions and instructions before the camping and reminders this is coming up. I put the link to the campground in this event and on here. But you do not need a ticket. Any questions message us.

https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/bannack-state-park/MT/630310/overview

Sunday July 26th

4th Annual Tour de Gravelly 6:30 AM – 3 PMMontana's newest and coolest gravel road cycling race

Okay, we got our first three done. We're growing, getting good at this, and we are definitely onto something big. The net gain on this route is over 6,000 feet. That's one incredible uphill. The net drop is over 4,800 feet so after a huge uphill you get a white-knuckle downhill.

Get ready for a cycling adventure of a lifetime.

Beginning in 2020, there will be a choice of two routes for the Tour de Gravelly. These are ‘The Beast’ which is the original route of the first three years, and ‘The Animal’ which is about 20 miles shorter than the original but also goes up and over the Gravelly Range Road. Both races start at the same time and at the same place (6:30 AM at Lion’s Club Park in Ennis). Both races have the same finish line (Vigilante Station in the Ruby Valley). The routes are the same for the first 28 or so miles. The net elevation gain for The Beast is just over 6,000 feet. The net gain for The Animal is probably closer to 5,000 feet net gain though this has not yet been adequately measured nor has the total mileage – 35 miles is an estimate at this time.

The Greater Yellowstone Adventure Series (GYAS) slogan lives up to its reputation with this race. It’s basically all uphill, and then there's one hell of a downhill. There will be water jugs at roughly five mile increments along the route. There will likely be huge gaps between yourself and other cyclists. There will be roving aid stations – volunteers in trucks – covering as much ground as possible, but we can’t be everywhere at the same time.

If you’re the type of cyclists that needs a very defined and detailed agenda as well as support crews, this might not yet be the race for you. We’re just in year four and are still working things out. But if you want to join the fun and break some new ground with us, please do. The more, the merrier. Someone has to go first and you will be more than welcome to be part of the group.

The race packets have the details as well as a route map.

Suffice to say, this is a Bucket List kind of gravel road cycling race. Our vision is that it will be a national destination race. The route is just too damn beautiful and challenging for it not to be.

Come see for yourself!

Dont forget this weekend is the first Dillon Days, they will have a car show, car smash, many vendors, and a Mechanical Bull. There is also plenty to do around Dillon head to the hills and enjoy the cool air. Take a float down the river or head to the lake. If you have an upcoming event and want it in the weekend rundown or our events calendar email us atsouthwesternmtnews@gmail.com

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