Tours, Missions, Hikes, and Bison

(Sorry for the lame title; I'm still feeling a little worn out by all this vacationing.)

Anyhow, after Seeley Lake we spent a few days in Helena, doing things like catching up with old friends and (finally!) getting Emily on the Tour Train.




Mom and Joe are aboard!


Alas, here's what I saw while we waited to start the tour:

Nothing against Exodus, mind you; I just don't think it belongs on the grounds of the state capitol.


Fortunately, there were some great sites to see, including historic mansions, the cathedral, and even some great things on the train itself:

Did I ever mention that The Jayhawks Won the National Championship?



We also spent some time with Chet and his family; good people. Alas, I'm terrible with names (unless they're written on an class roster, of course), so I cannot remember the name of his niece . . .

Cute though, no?



And we spent some time way up at Marisa and Ryan's, where, among other things, we got to see Maraya enjoying her trampoline.




Marisa and Emily having a 3am (?) Redbull toast


I had some great shots of Ryan, but I'm dumb and accidentally deleted them . . . oh if only I had that Apple Time Capsule . . . some day (sigh).

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Next, we drove up toward Bigfork, with a brief stop on the way in St Ignatius to see the Mission there. Was the site of one of the first hospitals in Montana (right?), founded by the Sisters of Providence.

Here's some video:



And here's some of the church:




Then we got to stay in a hotel! And with a great view!

Thanks, Mountain Lake Lodge; and thanks Rhonda!


We had a fun and tasty dinner at the Tamarack Brewing Company, and then the next day it was off to Glacier for a 9-mile hike to Snyder Lake and back.




At the lake



At the lake (photo courtesy of my dad)



On the way back down. Lots of water on the trail this time of year.


That evening, we were treated to some great food followed by the Bigfork Summer Playhouse's production of Footloose. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area.


Finally (!), on our way home we stopped at the National Bison Range.



They also have a small museum, which we breezed through.



A little video? Sure:


Noble creatures. And you can buy them as meat just outside of the refuge, so that's really win-win.