Exploring Montana

Wednesday, July 12, 2012--Yellowstone to Virginia City to Nevada City to Butte to Helena

Before going to bed last night, I looked at the maps and considered my options.  I knew I would not have a place to sleep inside Yellowstone if I returned today, so I decided just to turn the opposite direction and start touring Montana.  I may return to Yellowstone in a couple of days if I can make contact and get a reservation for a camping site.

I drove to Virginia City and Nevada City, two old mining towns that are mostly ghost towns today.  Many of the buildings are dilapidated and maintained with the old furnishings and merchandise from long ago.  It was fascinating to walk the wooden sidewalks and peek into them.  There were clothing stores, a barber shop, grocery stores, etc.  What made it so special was all the authentic merchandise that could be seen on the shelves.  I walked the streets of both towns and took photos.

From there, I headed to Butte.  It's an interesting town.  It seems mostly poor, and it is not very large today. However, the downtown area is many blocks in size and filled very many huge brick buildings (5-6 stories tall) from its heyday as a copper mining town.  Some of these buildings now house apartments or lofts.  Most have either shops or offices on the ground floor and are abandoned above that level.  I spent a long time walking the streets and taking photos of the interesting architecture of the city.  I went inside the old Fox Theater where they were rehearsing a play.  I also went inside a modern grocery store, Hennessy Market,  that serves the people living downtown--something many cities do not have for their downtown residents.  The view of the town is dominated by the huge mountainside which was carved out for its copper in the 1800s.

From Butte, I continued to Helena, the capital.  I arrived too late to explore the city.  I checked into the Howard Johnson and got directions to Costco where I went to have a hot dog for dinner.

Steps Walked:  14,207
Miles Driven:  238