Arriving in Helena, MT

Monday, August 1, 2016

We have been on the road for two months today and have seen so much and so many different landscapes from arid lands to forests to lakes and mountains and historic cities and buildings.  Today we leave Kalispell for a week in Helena, MT, the state capital. 

Our drive is along the east side of Flathead Lake through numerous little resort towns and many different lakes and rivers with raging rapids for kayaks and rafters to serene waters for boaters and water skiers.

We had no idea Montana had so many lakes and rivers.  The roads are all quite smooth but some narrower than others.  The road seems to be windy as we follow the shorelines of the various lakes. 

Stop for a lunch break along this lake.

We drive through forested areas for a while and cross the Continental Divide as we near Helena where we find the mountains with less trees and very dry grasses.  This area seems to be more cattle grazing. 

There is a fire danger alert on our weather station for the area and I can see why.  Hopefully, we will see no fires though several are raging to the west and south of this area.  

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

In 1864 four weary and discouraged southern prospectors stumbled upon a gulch and dubbed it “Last Chance Gulch” (the original name of the city) only to find gold.  This touched off the establishment of Helena as the “Queen City of the Rockies” which became the state capital in 1889.  The gold rush faded out quickly and Helena became a trade center for the surrounding goldfields.    

Drive through downtown today to get some literature  from the Visitor Center on sights to see for the next week.  The state capital is definitely on our list of things to see as well as taking a tour of the city on the Last Chance Train tour to see what there is to see and learn some history, etc. of the city itself. 

We take off on I-15 north to see the Gates of the Mountain which is located on Holter Lake created by the damming of the Missouri River which empties into this area.  It is at this Dam site (see picture below) that Meriwether Lewis camped (now under water) in July of 1805.  Boat rides are available to take you to see the limestone cliffs punctuated with small holes, caves and natural bridges.  The mouth of this area is just visible in the  second photo below. 

Leaving the Lake, we backtrack a bit to take the road to the town of Canyon Ferry and drive south along Canyon Ferry Lake (more than 30 miles long and up to 5 miles wide) though quite a distance above and away from it. 

This lake too was created by damming the Missouri River as well but farther south from the Holter Dam.    The lake is stocked with rainbow trout which grow quickly because of the lakes fertility.  The road takes us through a largely farming area with campgrounds located along the way.   Off and on we get views of the lake as along this largely deserted roadway.  Arrive in the community of Townsend at the far end of the Lake where we turn back north to Helena.