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Helena, Montana – 8/10/2016

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August 10, 2016 (Wednesday)

We left our cute little AirBnB home at around 9:00 AM. We stopped for a quick bite and then headed to Helena, Montana (about 300 miles). Still raining in Idaho but we were hopeful we would find some sun along the way. The drive was beautiful, along rivers, lakes, trees and pastures. Very lovely but it put both Michael and I to sleep so we had to switch drivers and take turns napping.

It's a rainy start to the day.
It’s a rainy start to the day.
We actually ran the heater a bit.
We actually ran the heater a bit.
The trees were beautiful.
The trees were beautiful.
Lake Coeur d'Alene is beautiful and huge.
Lake Coeur d’Alene is beautiful and huge.

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As we headed east the countryside changed.
As we headed East, the countryside changed.
The trees thinned way out and brown showed up.
The trees thinned way out and brown showed up.

On the road to Helena (after we left Highway 90), we saw a horrible, horrible accident. What made it worse was that there was a baby car seat next to a totally demolished automobile, we thought a SUV. Sure hope they’re okay, or will be okay but it looked bad. Michael and I both said a little prayer for them and reminded ourselves that the most dangerous thing we do is drive so we must always have our wits about us. (I read later that a car was passing in a no passing zone and hit a small SUV head on. Mind you, the speed on roads in Montana is 80 MPH and you see crosses alongside the road everywhere.)

The wreak had tied the two way road up for quite some time.
The wreck had tied the two way road up for quite some time.
We were just sick to see the child's car seat next to the wreak.
We were just sick to see the child’s car seat next to the wreck.
The small SUV was already loaded up.
The small SUV was already loaded up.
The sun finally came out just before we got into Helena.
The sun finally came out just before we got into Helena.

We got into Helena, Montana at about 4:00 PM. Michael and I both decided we had been here before but when we were here before we didn’t go inside the Capitol because it was closed. It’s a beautiful building from the outside. The inside was not one of my favorites (I did like the stained glass though) but it’s a lovely building. If you go into the Secretary of State’s Office, they will give you a pin with the Montana flag and the US flag. Kinda fun.

Nice town.
Nice town, apparently with a sense of humor.
Grand capitol.
Grand Capitol.
A pretty woman checking it out.
A pretty woman checking it out.
Plain door knobs throughout.
Plain doorknobs throughout.
Custom door mat.
Custom door mat.
Lots of dark colors.
Lots of dark colors.
Kind of stoic statues.
Kind of stoic statues.
Pantheon style interior dome.
Pantheon style interior dome.
Interesting art portraits.
Interesting art portraits.
The stained glass window was our favorite.
The stained glass window was our favorite.
Nice touch skylights.
Nice touch skylights.
Heavy ornate things.
Heavy ornate things.
Odd proportions.
Odd proportions.

While we were walking around and exploring, we met a lady – Arlene Creighton, from Frederick, Maryland. She’s 79 years old and said she has only one more State Capitol to go (Idaho) and she’s seen them all. She said she’s been going to different State Capitols since she was “knee high to a grasshopper” and loves it. She said she gets to see Idaho within the next couple of days. What a neat little lady. Loved her and loved hearing her story.

Arlene Crieghton, capital traveler to all the capitols.
Arlene Creighton, Capital traveler to all the Capitols.

We left the Capitol and Michael wanted something to eat as he was getting shaky. We headed off and found a little Mexican placed called Taco John’s (much like Taco Bell). After we ate, we drove a few blocks and stopped at a nearby Safeway to get a little dessert for later. We were both pretty tired and ready to go to bed early. Tomorrow will be another long day to Sheridan, Wyoming to visit a beloved cousin.

Pretty woman checking us in to today's motel.
Pretty woman checking us in to today’s motel.

We settled into our hotel – Shiloh Inn. The poor lady at the front desk was having a bad day. I half expected her to just walk out and leave us in the lobby. She was very flustered with a new computer system they had just put in, plus she didn’t have any backup.

Anyway, that was our day. Hope yours was great!

P.S. We found the sun in Montana!