Helena, MT

We left Kalispell somewhat reluctantly but were looking forward to seeing more of beautiful Montana. We had an incredible time in Kalispell and we loved the RV Park. The drive on the "Red Roads" from Kalispell to Helena was incredible! We drove south on highway 83 to Montana route 200 which we took west for a few miles to county road 141 which took us south to US Highway 12 which took us over Macdonald Pass and into Helena. The scenery was indescribable as we saw so many wonderful vistas, lakes, and wonderful tall pines. We had lunch at a rest area at the junction of CR 141 and Montana 200 and arrived in Helena by early afternoon.

Our RV park in Helena wasn't that great, too many trees to permit satellite TV reception but we did receive local channels from the regular antennae and watched plenty of TV anyhow. We took a city tour on Tuesday and a boat tour of The Gates to the Mountains on Wednesday. Both tours were excellent we enjoyed them very much. On the City Tour we saw 7 deer simply walking down city streets, in yards, and even a doe with two fawns in a school yard. Pretty cool!! We had Chinese food for lunch after the boat tour so Tippy got her Chinese food fix.

We had another beautiful drive today from Helena to Great Falls. The trip was only 80 miles but very scenic as we climbed some hills and went through several canyons. The Wolf Creek Canyon reminded us of the Virgin River canyon on I-15 going into Utah.

We are staying at Dick's RV park here in Helena and as I completed my check-in I turned around and met Judy Wattenburg, my former Office Manager at Dooley elementary. I haven't seen Judy for well over ten years but she still looked the same and has the same bright smile she had when we opened Dooley in 1989. She and her husband have a spot two away from us so we plan to share a glass of wine with them one of these evenings. I will add some pictures Tippy took as we drove into Great Falls. We followed the Missouri River for many miles and had many wonderful views of the river, mountains, and canyons. Enjoy and be safe.

Stu on Gates of the Mountains boat tour

Rocky Mountain Sheep seen on tour

Views from the Gates of the Mountains boat tour

Deer in the downtown area of Helena

Beauitiful hanging flower pots were all over town

One of the original miners cabins on Last Chance Creek

Tudor Mansion in Helena - One of many mansions

Montana Capitol Building

Governors Mansion in Helena, MT

Sample views from Kalispell to Helena

Last days in Kalispell

We had a terrific time at the show in Bigfork on Thursday! We saw Paint Your Wagon. The music was great and the cast was very enthusiastic and animated. Before the show we stopped at Carl and Barb's new home on the Eagle Bend Golf Course. They have a wonderful lot on the 14th hole and the house is quite spectacular. We had a quick drink and some chat while exploring the home and then headed for The Showthyme restaurant for dinner before the show. This restaurant is right next to the theatre and they guarantee they will get you fed and out in time for the show. We had wonderful meals and all left quite full. We walked around a bit, even found an ice cream store that had Huckleberry ice cream, and got to our seats in plenty of time for the show. After the show we dropped Carl and Barb off at their home and headed for our coach as Alex had been alone for about 6 1/2 hours and we were somewhat concerned. She was just fine when we got home and she seemed very happy to see us.

On Friday Carl and I played golf at the Big Mountain G.C. with Carl's friend Frank and a friend of Frank's, John. We had a great day and Carl and I separated the other guys from a beer as we beat them quite handily, due in large part to Carl shooting 34 on the front nine. Carl shot his age again today, 75, and continues to impress me with his flexibility and golf skills. On Saturday Carl and I played at the Buffalo Hills G.C. and we were paired with George and Jane Denison. George is the president of Montana University and it turned out that we had many friends in common. We enjoyed the day on a pretty course that has about 15 dog leg holes. A lot of local knowledge was necessary and fortunately George had played there before and proved very helpful to us.

Carl came back to the coach with me and after spending a little time chatting we grilled some steaks and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Barb was gone to Great Falls to help her mother for a few days so, unfortunately, she missed the steak fry.

Tippy and I are going out to lunch today, Sunday, and will hit Costco and a shopping center after eating. Enjoy the pictures below and be safe. We will head for Helena, MT tomorrow so our next report will come from there.

Carl Henry teeing off at Buffalo Hills G.C.

Buffalo Hills G.C. - Kalispell, MT

Big Mountain G.C. - Kalispell, MT