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…