Mount Carmel Junction ends the eastbound drive where Highway 9 meets US 89, 13 miles east of the East Entrance. The Thunderbird complex here has a restaurant, a Best Western and a Chevron, and the Thunderbird Restaurant dates to 1940. A Shell with a Subway and the Golden Hills Restaurant and Motel stand nearby on US 89.
Highway nine ends in about half a mile at Highway eighty-nine. Go right for the Thunderbird lodge, on that same side. Boone and I thank you for riding through the mountain with us. That lodge is Jack Morrison's bet. He and Fern started here with a gas station. Look for the Ho-Made Pies sign. It lost two letters to a wartime wood shortage, and Fern's fruit pies started as treats for truck drivers. We'd love some feedback on this tour, so if you enjoyed it, please leave a review.
Photo: Dougtone (Flickr 9081052506) · CC BY-SA 2.0