Montana
has so much beautiful scenery it is a challenge to keep your eyes on the
road. Fortunately, there are many places to pull off the Interstate, get
out and let all your senses go to work before resuming your drive.
I-15 enters Montana by topping the Western Continental
Divide (at nearly 6,900 feet) then slips down
the Red Rock River Valley to the Clark Canyon Reservoir near Clark. $0
miles to the north you'll pass by a promontory to the east. This is Bell
Peak. Though only about 7,900 tall, it stands almost alone making it
impossible to miss. The I-90 interchange is almost 40 miles further. Here,
I-15 and I-90 share the same pavement for about 10 miles where, on the
east side of Butte, I-15 again strikes out on its own. Twisting through
some spectacular country, I-15 skirts Helena 65 miles later, joins the
Missouri River and enters Great Falls (about 87 miles from Helena. Now you
leave these beautiful mountains and enter the great Canadian prairie and,
about 117 mile on, you'll enter Canada.
Bozeman
Gateway to
Yosemite - Bozeman, historically, is a gateway. Bozeman is located
in a very fertile valley surrounded by mountains and mountain passes
through which humans have journeyed since before recorded history. This
is a major access point to the western entrance (via US-191) of Yosemite
National Park (just to the south in Wyoming). A few miles east (via
US-89) is access to the northern entrance to the Yosemite National Park.
Museum of the
Rockies - Bozeman is a university town. Site of the largest campus
in the state university system, its Montana State University campus also
invites non-students and, yes, non-residents, to utilize many of its
many resources.
The
Museum of the Rockies at MSU has an excellent display of dinosaur bones.
What seemed to intrigue our young companions much more was the huge
display of Native American things including some in depth displays
showing how they lived, their social life and tribal interrelationships.
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The Museum also has an excellent - and very modern - planetarium.
They have added computerized graphics to the conventional projector and
all of us thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Museum is located opposite the stadium at South 7th Avenue
and East Kagy Boulevard in the south end of Bozemen.
From I-90 take exit 306 and drive south on 7th Avenue. When you
get to Main Street, turn right (7th is not a through street south of
here). Follow Main westbound to 11th Avenue, turn left and follow 11th
to its end at Kagy Boulevard. Turn left and follow Kagy back to 7th
Avenue and the museum. (You'll see the stadium before you see the
Museum.)
Note: if you are on your way to Yellowstone National Park, just
turn around and go back out Kagy to 11th Avenue. Turn right on 11th and
follow it to W. College Street. Turn left and drive westbound on College
to US-191 (which takes you to Yellowstone National Park.
For more information, phone 1-406-994-3466 or visit them on the
web at MRMSU.
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Helena
Helena is a major tourist center and for excellent reasons. One would
expect Helena to have a good variety of outdoor attractions and
activities and they would certainly not be disappointed. But Helena,
itself, also has its attractions. The central focal point is, for many,
the Saint Helena Cathedral. Then, not to be eclipsed, is the Montana
State Capitol building. Across the street from the State Capitol
building is the Montana Historical Society Museum. Exhibits range form
the expected natural science to original painting by Montana's most
famous artist, C. M. Russell.
We associate the gold rush era with casinos. Well, Helena still has
casinos and many establishments include video slot machines as part and
parcel of their furnishings.
Helena is located in the Missouri River valley - surrounded by
mountains. Out-of-doors enthusiasts love this spot where activities
range from hunting and fishing to bird watching.
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