Day 7 Gillette WY to Helena MT (Motel 6 $45)
I love Montana. It even has a great name. It conjures up visions of ‘big country’ – rolling hills, buttes, mountains and cowboys.
We left Gillette on another fair weather winter day and followed the I90 to Billings. The drive into Billings is quite impressive as you follow an escarpment called the Rimrock all the way into town. Billings is the largest city in Montana with a population over 100,000, but the old downtown area had the feel of a town, and an Eastern town at that. I remember being surprised to see typical 19th century brick buildings in such ‘wild west’ surroundings. We parked and had a walk around. Lots of ‘culture’ and a good place to have a coffee, visit the Yellowstone Art Museum and do some window shopping. The lucky inhabitants also get to enjoy nearby Yellowstone National Park, Little Bighorn battlefield National Monument and the Pictograph Cave.(We visit Yellowstone on another trip.)
We continued up the I90 to about 10 or 20 miles before Butte where we turned north on the 15 toward Helena. We were taking this northern route as we were on our way to Lethbridge Alberta to visit family. By the time we got to the 15 it was getting dark. That’s an annoying thing about a winter road trip – the days are too short. I’m sure we missed some pretty good scenery during that last hour, between the I90 and Helena. I have to say I was a bit nervous driving on an unfamiliar road after dark and in winter – but we finally made it to a Motel 6 at Helena.
Day 8 Helena MO – Lethbridge Alberta
If Montana is one of my favorite states, Helena is one of my favorite towns. What a setting! The town is nestled into mountain foothills to the west, looking out over the Helena valley and the Missouri river (yes, way up here in Montana) to another range of mountains. The main street is still called Last Chance Gulch, reflecting it’s history as a gold mining town and it’s first, if short-lived, name of ‘Last Chance’. Apparently it was almost called Pumpkinville or Squashtown – thank heavens for small mercies! Those would never have matched the grandeur of the setting as ‘Helena’ does.
We walked around the main town in the morning and visited the State Capitol Building (Helena being the state Capitol.) You can just walk in and take a free self guided tour during office hours. The following pictures can speak for themselves of this architectural gem. It makes you realize that the people settling the west were after all easterners moving to new pastures and they brought their culture with them including architectural style.
As we drove out of Helena we saw a sign saying ‘Gates of the Mountains’ and decided to take a look. We drove a couple of miles down the road to what I thought was a lake at the time, with steep mountains on the far side. I took some pictures of the stunning scenery, then we had to move on. I have since discovered that the body of water we saw was actually the Missouri, and that we were standing at one end of a stretch of the river that runs through magnificent limestone cliffs. It was named The Gates of the Mountains by Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition west. Just another example of the number of historic, and otherwise interesting places we drive by on the highway everyday without knowing.
The scenery is ‘canyonesque’ for a half hour or so out of Helena, then becomes flatter towards Great Falls. We carried on up the 15 to the border through very flat prairie scenery. The only highlight for the rest of that day happened at the duty free at the Canadian border. I had just bought a 1.5 litre bottle of wine, put it in the back of the van and pulled the door closed. A few minutes later, when something else had to go in the trunk and the door was opened, I remember watching in horror as the bottle rolled out and smashed all over the pavement! It was such a dissappointment, not to mention embarrassing! I am just a social drinker, honestly, but the prices of wine in the U.S. make me feel like a kid in a candy shop at the beer and wine store. I had actually picked out 4 or 5 bottles, but then Don pointed out a small matter of customs limits! I guess I could have bought another, but that would have defeated the purpose really.
For the next two nights we visited family in snowy and wintery Lethbridge. Then at the end of February headed for the Canadian Rockies.
For the last two days of this trip click here: https://wandersome.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/route-1-days-10-11-bc-rockies-grand-forks-osoyoos-cascades-seattle/
Have Van, Will Travel 
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