We miss our road trips.  So last Wednesday we hit the road east for a four-day mini-Western history adventure in Montana.  We hit the road around 10.  I’d collected info on local museums, the Charles Russell museum and gallery, and even a dinosaur center.  I informed the guys that the trip was designed to be relaxing, with plenty of free time built in for the occasional spontaneous activity.  I brought a deck of cards just in case we had time to kill in the evenings.  There were snacks in the cooler and a large map of Montana folded up between the car seats.

First stop:  St. Regis.  There’s a massive gift shop complex there and we’d heard good things about the huckleberry shakes.

Guess who was happy he ordered a shake.

Masks are required in most counties in Montana.

We left I-90 near Garrison, crossed the Continental Divide on Highway 12.  We stopped to detour to a “vista”, via an uphill dirt track filled with holes and rocks.  I was not impressed.  Here is Will after we finally arrived at the top.

After the “vista” it seemed to take a long time to get to Great Falls even though I was behind the wheel and refused to stop at any more scenic viewpoints no matter who begged.

Our hotel, a remodeled historic building, was downtown.  We loved it.  Next to the Hotel Arvon was their restaurant, The Celtic Cowboy, which had a small sidewalk patio and four tables.  So we had real food!  And we ate safely outdoors without having to venture inside the restaurant while wearing our masks.

I was too hungry to take pictures.

Our rooms were beautiful and there was even an elevator.  The works of local artists covered the hallways.  I found more touristy brochures in the lobby.  The showers were enormous, the beds comfy and we all went to bed early after deciding to fit in a visit to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at 9 AM the next day before heading to the Charles Russell museum, which was actually the focal point of our trip.

To be continued…