ATS: Bitterroot

This is a trip in ATS exploring some of the borderland between Salmon, Idaho and Butte Montana.

The load is a trailer of live cattle from the Bushnell farm at the northern edge of Salmon. I leave there at 11:14 on a sunny day. The first part of the trip is north along the US-93.

The highway follows the course of the North Fork Salmon River about 36 miles until it starts climbing towards the Lost Trail Pass (7,014 ft) in the Bitterroot range of the Rocky Mountains. The pass is reached at the Idaho/ Montana border. There is a right turn (route 43) down to Wisdom then the Big Hole River valley to the I-15 but this is blocked and unavailable in ATS.

There is a turn on the left just past the other road. Our driver takes this to a parking area which turns out to be the main parking area for the Lost Trail Ski Resort.

Our driver just passes through the park and gets back onto US-93. It descends the range first to the NE then the NW, going into the Bitterroot River valley. At the 124 mile mark, the US-93 joins with US-12 at Lolo. Our driver has to get weighed close by the intersection.

The US-93/ 12 continues into the Missoula suburbs, and at the 132 mile mark the routes split. Our driver follows the US-12 into downtown Missoula. He crosses the Clark Fork River on the Madison St Bridge, and makes his way to the I-90 at the 136 mile mark.

The interstate follows the Clark Fork River around some mountains in a SE direction to the 199 mile mark. Shortly after that the road turns more south before going east towards Butte. It reaches the junction with the I-15 at the 248 mile mark.

Our driver turns onto the I-15 which goes SW just a short way before he turns off to a business park at Silver Bow. He takes German Gulch Road W and NW before turning into the Port Of Montana rail yard.

He gets weighed on a scale and I eventually let him auto-park at 22:07. It has been a 251 mile trip for which our driver gets $27,121 and 713 XP.

*****

This was driven in ATS version 1.46.

Mods are as follows from top to bottom in the following order:
01. Top Corner F2 Mirrors
02. Minimal Adviser Interface