Helena is the state capital of Montana, who knew. Formerly a gold rush town in the late 1800s, it is now an unassuming college town with a population around 30,000.
Notably, we arrived in Helena prior to Memorial Day weekend, when spring turns to summer across the US and with a flick of a switch every man and his dog want to go camping. For this very reason, we’d already made reservations for all of June. But for now, in Helena, we thought we’d be good.
Impressive building-size mural at the bus stop
We rocked up on Monday night after work to the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds. Side note, a fairground over here has nothing to do with roller coasters, Ferris wheels and bumper cars. It’s more what we call a showground in the UK. They often have a rural campground and are generally centrally located to boot.
Unfortunately for us, the campground was roped off and the place was deserted. We pulled over to consider what plan B might be. Out of nowhere, a security guard zoomed over in his car with flashing yellow lights. Uh-oh, are we in trouble?
The guy could not have been more helpful. He opened up the campground for us, explaining that they rope it off to stop the boy racers using it as a midnight racetrack.
For us, it turned out to be a very spacious, tranquil spot for the week.
Helena had its fair share of morning walks to choose from, with flat calm lakes and open meadows in Spring Meadow State Park, and a steep ascent up Mount Helena, with fantastic 360 views.
The co-working space was abuzz with the latest headline on the local news site: Two moose take a stroll through Helena fairgrounds. Of course not while we were in the vicinity, but maybe the BaseCamp saw them wander past.
Obviously, we made it to a couple of local craft breweries in Helena: Ten Mile Creek and Lewis & Clark brewing.
the reality of life on the road also includes hanging out in launderettes
The Beartooth Scenic Highway climbs over 5,000 ft through the Rockies, winding its way through lodgepole pine forests with switchbacks to rival the most precarious mountain roads in the Swiss Alps. Not quite our most direct route south after leaving Helena but hey, this is supposed to be a road trip. And we were in luck, the road had just opened for the season the day before.
All that remained was to find a boondocking spot for the night (ideally somewhere slightly warmer than the Beartooth pass), and chill out by the river.
Early start to hit Yellowstone the next day, to hopefully get there before the multitude of other holiday weekend tourists. It was below freezing, and for some reason Darren chose to de-ice the truck windows in his t-shirt.
The Lamar Valley in Yellowstone never disappoints. More than its fair share of bison and at this time of year, cute little calves lolloping along trying to keep up with the herd.
No wolves on our hike in the valley, but plenty of bison and pronghorn deer.
After an hour’s drive into the park and a six mile hike, it was time for breakfast. Found a quiet spot, and out came the grill.
With the remaining drive south through the National Park, that’s when we hit The Real Yellowstone. Otherwise known as The Bison Traffic Jam. Anyone would think they own the place.
