Day 27 - Travel Day to Helena, Montana

    17th - Happy Father’s Day!!   Leaving the grassy plains behind us, going south to Helena, Montana.  The wind was very gusty from the west.   I-15 slices & snakes through the Big Belt Mountains at an elevation of 3400‘.  We crossed the Missouri again & It seems that on this route we will do it many times since it also snakes through the valley.  Such a pretty drive today.  The farther West we go, the  more clouds we are beginning to see.  

    Came out of the mountains into the rolling hills where the elevation was 4125’ at MM 215 & we kept climbing.  A few miles before our exit, 200, we got into the clouds and the rain & as we entered the park at 1:00 PM the skies were clearing.   Our highest elevation for the day was 4643‘.

    3:30 PM the group carpooled to the Gates of the Rocky Mountains and did a boat cruise, about 6 miles up the Missouri River.  It was the area of the river where Lewis and Clark saw the canyon and called it the “Gates of the Rocky Mountains“.  We had an informative guide that told us all about the 325 million year old rock formations.  He also showed us the petroglyphs on the side of the mountain and told us all about the Mann Gulch Fire.

Osprey Nest

Upper Holter Lake

Natural Bridge

Phil trying to point

out natural bridge

Petroglyphs

After the boat trip we had a nice hamburger dinner.  Tom Burns had a problem going back to the campground.  His clutch gave up just one day before it was scheduled to be fixed.

Tow truck to the rescue

Tom and Peggy Burns #7