Helena Montana

Next step was another State capitol......Helena Montana. It is another beautiful building with no security to speak of.  It has more beautiful stained glass ceilings and windows than we have seen in any other.

 The statue of Mike & Maureen Mansfield can be seen from most points inside.  he was a very important politician in Montana history.

 We were able to walk in and out of the Senate and House freely as there was a mock sessions taking place with the local high school students.  They were on lunch recess so we had free reign!

 The view out of the 3rd floor window

 That crazy politician always gets in the picture!

 AND......the picture of the bell is a must at all the Capitols.  This is the first one that was inside.

 This was a beautiful Cathedral not far from the Capitol

Dan looks for small local music stores wherever we go......and just couldn't resist their sign.





Butte MT with Jim & Nancy Tidball

 After hearing that our friends Jim & Nancy were in Butte, MT for a few days we decided to hurry up and meet up with them.  We were battling weather that would not allow us to do some of the things we had planned, so it was perfect.

 Butte is a great little mining town full of history.  The original part of town is a thriving area which is good to see.  There are these headframes all over town with the name of the mine they were for and how deep they were and how many men died mining them.

 A walk down the street makes you feel like you were in the 1800's

There is a college of Mining here that has been there since the old mining days.  It is a great campus with a terrific view of the valley and the snow covered mountains

 We decided to try some local brews at the Quarry Brewery.....not bad!! 

 While posing for our picture Nanc & I discovered we were in front of the men's bathroom.  Luckily no one walked out!

  Then to dinner where Jim had BBQ which they are known for and the rest of us had a great salad

Oh yeah....and another local brew......

The town is filled with so many old historical landmarks like this hotel.  The sign lights up at night still!

 We drove up to the memorial to all the miners who died in a huge fire underground in 1917.  It is quite touching with recordings of the letters they wrote to their wives when they knew they weren't going to make it out.

Again there is a beautiful view from there

 The mine today, which is an open pit encompassing where many of the underground mines were.  You can see the headframes from them all over the hills. 

 Another great building 

 Another night of fun at the distillery (actually we went there 2 nights!)

 Our "tastes"

 Oh yeah....we can't take him anywhere!!

 Then to the Metals Sports Bar & Grill for dinner 

 We wanted to eat in the vault!

After dinner we heard live music playing at the bar across the street so we enjoyed the rest of the evening dancing and having another local brew.



Wyoming at last!

We finally got a break in the weather and headed towards Wyoming although we started getting some pretty strong wind as we neared the border.  By the time we got into Cheyenne we were in some pretty nasty wind.

 But we did finally make it to Wyoming to check that state off on our quest to see all the states. 

 Wyoming has a terrific Visitor center in Cheyenne and really tells you a lot about the state.

 The fugitives!

 

 The Capitol is the most unpretentious one we have visited.....elegant but simple.....and no security and you can go anywhere and talk to anyone.

The original building





Our picture by their bell....as always! 

 

Stuffed Bison!

 Beautiful stained glass!

 We got a real treat....we started following a woman showing family members the capitol to hear the stories and got to go into the dome with them!!

 That's that beautiful dome you see from the inside!

It was truly a treat!!!

 We then visited the original Governors mansion

The house was decorated in different periods that it was in service.

 We stopped at a small museum in Hardin, WY.  They have moved historical buildings to a large piece of property to spare them from being torn down.....  Very interesting history here.