Copper King Mansion Butte

Okay, montana is wonderful and all, but i'm sooo ready to go home and get ready for our trip. as of yesterday, both of us finally hold the ticket for our flights, at least the international part (JFK-IST). i'm stoked to see ny on the way. now to tackle the rest of my to-do list!

... the drive West and after several hours, just as we went up over the continental divide, it began to act up again ! We were 20 miles outside Butte so I called ahead and the lady on the phone was so genuinely concerned and willing to help anyway she could. I agreed to let it cool down and try again in a few minutes. It started up and I literally got within a few miles of the dealership when it would not turn over ! I called the lady again (Laurie) and she called a ...

... and Motel. Great food and the owner is a very nice older lady. She knew almost all the customers by name and was great to us.<br><br>We got into Butte in the early evening and this is where I-90 and I-15 cross. I asked Barb if she wanted to take I-15 south to Vegas and she emphatically said NO! I told her she was committed if we go east of I-15 and she said she was going without me if I headed home. I of course, was testing her and she passed with ...

Today we left the vast openness of Montana and climbed into the mountains, through Idaho and into Washington. We crossed the Columbia Plateau in Washington with its huge wheat fields and semi-arid range land for about 100 miles. Besides wheat we passed fields of alfalfa, corn soy beans, peas, as well as vineyards. After crossing the Columbia River at the Gorge we again climbed into the mountains. The day was very hot until we stopped at Cle Elum in the mountains, where it was very pleasant

... go back.<br><br>You really should go tour the Copper Kings Mansion. Staying there, we felt a lot like the kids in "The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler", who stayed in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. We only stayed one night but it was a fun and memorable experience to get us in a historical mood. Breakfast was served Victorian style, on a lacy cloth. They made extra waffles for the boys, which was much appreciated by them for sure.

... things in good repair. It was quite a city in its day! Butte is still quite a city, just not as fancy as it was in that time. .<br><br>Checked in to the Super 8 where the boys and H declared a siesta. Mom, Dad and I went up to see the Berkeley Pit, even though it was really hot outside. Had to do something, y'know! It only costs a couple of bucks to get in, and has a much appreciated cool viewing stand on the far ...

... the city. I was wrong.<br> <br> It is a town steeped in history with over 4000 historic buildings (the most of any place in the US - it use to be New Orleans but since Katrina their number was lowered). There are mining museums, historic houses, hot springs (always my favourite), a 90 ft statue of the Virgin Mary on the hill, walking trails, a Chinese museum and an old brothel - just to name a few.<br> <br> On the advice of our ...

... we were going to be here a week, that might be an option, but when you&#8217;ve got as many miles ahead of you as we do, it just didn&#8217;t seem that appealing. Besides the Soda Springs geyser has been capped so that it will not deplete Old Faithful and other smaller ones in the area. Now, Soda Springs is a controlled release every hour. Besides, if you&#8217;ve seen Old Faithful, how many more geysers do you need to look at? Instead, we picked up some ...

... and enjoyable. In the afternoon, we took a boat ride down the Missouri River through the Mississippi limestone canyon that was named by Lewis and Clark "The Gates of the Mountains." Very impressive, although once again, an important site for Lewis and Clark is now underwater due to a dam upriver. We saw lots of osprey (their nests are huge, since most are on top of outcroppings and ...

... Campground in Basin, MT between Butte and Helena and has cost us the huge sum of $11 per night. The wash facilities are good and the scenery amazing. We took a walk down the river about half a mile and there was no-one around. MJ was here 5 years ago and it hasn't changed - in fact the wash facilities look like they've been upgraded. It is definitely a place we'll keep coming back to - maybe spend a few weeks ...