Back to work

Tomorrow I have to go back to work after a very nice eleven day vacation.  While I was gone my friend Jewel celebrated her 60th birthday.  I made some treats to share.  The roses on the top of the strawberry cupcakes are gummy worms and the chocolate balls on the top of the other cupcakes are fudge.  Yum Yum! 

Helena to Colbert

The next to the last leg of our vacation was from Helena to Marc and Tracie's house in Colbert.  We had plenty of time so we took the exit for Wallace, Idaho.  First time we've been through Wallace since the freeway bypassed it in 1991. 

 This little chipmunk was the only wildlife we saw all day. 

 Tribute to the Sunshine Mine Fire in 1972. 

 Outside of Kellogg.  This is the town founded by a jackass and inhabited by his descendants.  I remember that sign from when I was a kid.  I thought it was soooo funny!  Apparently still do!

Cataldo Mission founded in 1842

Inside the church the wallcoverings are still the original fabric bought from the Hudson Bay Company.  The blue boards are stained with huckleberry juice.  Interesting history. 

 Along with the church is the furnished parish house. 

 Retro photo - the brand new pickup gives away the age of the picture.

This group of classic cars arrived soon after we did.  I thought the photo with the cars in black and white was sort of classic.  The Old Mission State Park is well done.  The visitors center is full of history.  We have driven by this mission for more than 40 years without stopping.  I'm glad we finally had the time to visit. 

We headed down I-90 to the Oergel's our last stop on this vacation.  It was nice to get out of the truck and relax by the pool.   

 Emma showed us how to safely get into the pool. 

 Marcus showed us his diving ability.  He's aiming for the crab claw. 

This morning we got up to fresh fruit from the garden -

 and some veggies,

 Breakfast burrito with fresh ingredients. 

 3 happy kids and a couple of grandparents - Thanks Marc for breakfast!  Tracie had to go to work while we enjoyed another playday. 

After breakfast Marc and Marcus brought out Scott's tractor and mower to tame the field. 

The grass is so high you can barely see the boys working!

 Poppi and the girls

 Grami and the girls

 Olivia says Good-bye!

Almost home - picture of Vantage from the I-90 bridge.  We are now home and unpacked.  Such a great vacation - barely thought about work at all.  We enjoyed spending time with family, extended family and new friends.  Nothing like a beautiful wedding to bring a group together.  Thanks everyone!! 

Out and about near Helena

 We left the motel early this morning for a drive to a couple of ghost towns. 

 A young turkey - called a Jake.

 Momma bear and her four cubs

 Big bear

Poppi being silly. 

This was our first stop - the town of York.  After the town of York we headed to Canyon Ferry and on to Diamond City.  Canyon Ferry is a gorgeous lake with lots of recreational homes around it.  We missed the turn off for Diamond City.  I believe the directions to the Ghost Towns are well kept secrets.  No signs anywhere. 

Nice doe.

After missing the Ghost Towns we headed up to Iron Mask Mine.  Along the road were many memories of former mining operations.  Can't imagine how they built this retaining wall without heavy equipment. 

 Abandoned mine and cabin.  The entrance to the mine is the small pile of wood on the left in this photo. 

The stove was still in the cabin. 

 Bars on the window

 Most of the miners lived very close to their mine shafts to protect their property. 

 Montana fencing - giant rock as a balance for the posts.  The giant rock was held up by wires. 

Bruce decided to check out a mine shaft - thank goodness he didn't have a flashlight!  Lunch was in the town of Townsend and back up to Helena. 

Helena, Montana

 We left Great Falls this morning and headed to Helena.  This is a view of the Staybridge from across the Missouri river.  Super nice place, we  highly recommend staying there. 

 Stop along the road - you could climb to the top of this peak.  We didn't!

 We saw lots of fly fisherman.  I tried to catch the action but missed the boater every time!
 Our first stop in Helena was at the Last Chance Tour Train.  We boarded the train on the Capitol grounds.  This is the Montana State Capital.  Very beautiful in a classic way.

 St Helena Cathedral.  The train engineer told us the story of a Air Force Colonel flying his P-51 between the spires.  I googled the story and it is true! 

 Our engineer Lee.  Lee is a school teacher during the winter and is a tour guide in the summer.  He did a great job, very entertaining and informative. 

This the spire of the Civic Center  - originally built for the Shriner's.  Part of it is now a home for the fire department.  Super cool tile work on the building. We all agreed tiling the top of the spire had to have been a real challenge. 

 Art in the park

 The other train tour.

 One of the prospector's cabins still in use today. 

 Unusual building with the wood on the  bottom and brick on the top. 

 We drove by many historic houses  - this was one of my favorites. 

 Art work on a building.  After the tour we parked the truck in the Department of Corrections parking lot and toured The Last Chance Gulch. 

 Fire tower built in 1875. 

Entry to an old building.  The walls were amazingly thick. 

 We drove up to Marysville and toured some of the ghost town. 

Pretty worn down.  The insides of the buildings are torn apart and falling down.  Except for the red brick building on the end.  It is some kind of a private club. 

This sign says it all....  We checked into the Wingate tonight and were greeted with free chicken taco salads!  Such a great deal - dinner and breakfast included!