Blogs from Helena, Montana, United States, North America

Day: 6 & 7 Miles: 2187 After leaving Kemmerer, I took US 30 north, and ever so briefly went into Utah (really, like 1 mile). I took SR 61 at the border which dumped me onto US 89 on the inside border of Wyoming. My goal was to get to Yellowstone and camp for the night at one of their campgrounds before I hightailed it for Montana. The drive on 89 all he way to Jackson was scenic. I was making great time and was really thinking I would camp on the norther side of Yellowstone after taking the eastern loop (I've never done that). After a brief pit stop in Jackson, I headed north on US 191/89. The Tetons off to the west were very beautiful and I remembered nostalgically the time Emily and Luci ... read more

Catherine, ma compagne de voyage arrive a Bozeman le 13 septembre. Il me reste 3 jours et je me trouve a la ville d'Helena, qui est la capitale du Montana. J'ai du temps a ecouler et 100 options devant moi. Il y a 'the gate of the mountain' qui est a une journee de route vers le nord. C’est une croisiere en bateau sur la riviere du Missouri pour admirer les formations rocheuses (pour la modique somme de 6$). Sinon, il y a ces montagnes qui bordent la ville que je pourrais gravir. Il y a ces forets nationales qui offrent de nombreuses randonnees. Helena est la premiere grande ville qu’il m’est possible de visiter aux Etat-Unis, alors il me faut l'explorer pour m'en faire une opinons. Il y a ce projet de blog, ces associations ... read more

KALISPELL REST DAY Today was the rest day, coinciding with the county fair. It started with a parade of marching girls/boys and band, political party slogans and volunteers, business man of the year, chief of the year, police cars, fire trucks, dance groups, kindergarten groups, big trucks. Not like the Toowoomba parade, but interesting. Later heard they have 5 parades per year, all similar- Christmas, Easter, St Patricks Day, County Fair, July 4. They must get worn out by them! Rode the bike around the streets near the centre, some appealing old homes, and parks. Looks to be the commercial city of northern Montana. Montana state has a population of about 1 million people. Afterwards wandered down to the fairground, first collecting a US Sim, as for some unknown reason my existing sim stopped allowing me ... read more

Distance driven today: 377 miles / 607 km Cumulative distance driven: 2,590 miles / 4,168 km Today’s trip: Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Helena, Montana, USA International border crossings: 1 Today was a long, but otherwise pretty uneventful riding day. I left Calgary in the morning, and got a bit surprised over the intense morning traffic while I was driving through the city. After having spent a whole week riding in some of the most remote places in North America, it clearly felt a bit unusual to be in a big city, with lots of people and traffic. The border crossing to the US proceeded smoothly, and later in the afternoon I rode into the capital of Montana, Helena.... read more

Today is Saturday the 7thday on the road, so like some other guy we rested. Actually it was Helen’s idea to stay another day in Helena to explore the town named after her. Early this morning we went for a run (4th so far, not bad !! ) we managed to beat the heat. A quick breakfast and out exploring on foot. We asked the hotel desk clerk how far was it to town. “Just a mile down the road, you will love it. Lots of shops, an open market and a walking mall.” Wrong!!!!! It was actually about two and a half miles to town. There was a market, there was a walking mall and many shops. There were just no people. Shops were empty, the mall was deserted and there was zero traffic. It ... read more