Here in the Billings area we again find ourselves involved in Lewis and Clark history. On their return trip in 1806, they split up with Lewis following the Marais River and Clark the Yellowstone. When Clark found this sandstone formation, he named it after the son of Charbonneau and Sacagawea, Jean Baptiste. Clark nicknamed the 17-month old Pomp which means little chief.

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We climbed some 100 steps in the rain to see where William Clark carved his name and the date into the side of the sandstone formation.

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Lewis and Clark had observed the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians construct bullboats in North Dakota. They were constructed using the hide of a buffalo bull. Clark documented in his journal that his men had constructed two of these vessels at Pompeys Pillar in July of 1806.

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We are so enjoying seeing all the neat old barns that dot the landscape here in Montana.

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We decided to spend the four day Memorial Day weekend in a small town called White Sulphur Springs. We were delighted with our campsite and especially loved the view of the snow capped mountains out our front window...

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...these four beautiful horses grazing in the pasture out our side window...

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...and a beautiful big sky sunset at night!

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Charles Bair came west in 1883 as a conductor on the Northern Pacific Railroad, made his fortune in the Yukon Gold Rush and went on to become one of the largest sheep owners in the world. At one time he had over 300,000 sheep on his Martinsdale ranch.

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The sprawling ranch house is a visual record of the travels and family memories that began when Bair came west. His daughters would later travel to New York and Europe and collect 19th century Georgian furniture, decorative art objects and paintings for the house. As they amassed more and more, they added on to the house. The beautiful home with it's priceless furnishings is now over 20 rooms and 11,000 square feet. It is the legacy of a proud family heritage and an incredible gift to all of those who take the time to visit.

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A state-of-the-art museum sits on the grounds and features large galleries that present the Bair's Native American collection, western paintings by Charles Russell and Joseph Sharp, photogravures by Edward Curtis and modern European and American paintings.

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We were told that lunch at Crazy Mountain Inn with sour cream lemon pie for dessert would not only be tasty but also an experience to take home. It was both!

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We got to see lots of wildlife today. We saw sandhill cranes...

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...pronghorn...

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...mule deer...

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...and magpie.

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We ended an incredible day with this stormy sunset.

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Our trip to Helena took us on a scenic Federal highway where we got to see farmland, rivers and snow capped mountains.

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This Victorian Gothic structure was modeled after the Votive Church of the Sacred Heart in Vienna, Austria and completed in 1914. The interior is Carrara marble and the beautiful stained glass windows were made in Germany.

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Henry Sieben came to Helena as a 17-year old uneducated orphan and eventually became a pioneer in Montana's livestock industry. He built this Queen Anne style home in 1898 using local Kessler brick. He maintained the home until his death in 1937. His ranching legacy remains intact today and is managed by his daughter's descendant families.

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Another of the many beautiful mansions in the old historical district.

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Montana's American Renaissance neoclassical capitol was completed in 1902. Faced with sandstone and Montana granite, the completed building cost about $540,000. The building is topped with a dome of Montana copper.

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The Institution, founded by Archie Bray a brickmaker and ceramic artist in 1951, is dedicated to the enrichment of the ceramic arts. The 26 acre grounds in a former Western Clay Manufacturing brickyard features hundreds of whimsical sculptures created by resident artists over the years.

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A resident artist from Missouri at work.

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The Pioneer Cabin stands as one of the last remaining structures that represents early Helena. It was built in 1864 by miner Wilson Butts and was the first structure with large glass windows. The cabin serves as the gateway to Reeder's Alley, the oldest part of Helena.

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Although born in Missouri, Charlie Russell spent his adulthood in Montana painting and sculpting. He produced some 4000 works of art which included oils and watercolors, drawings and sculptures some of which were cast in bronze. The museum contained many of his pieces as well as this bigger then life-sized Charlie standing with Al.

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We were disappointed to learn that Going To The Sun Road in Glacier was not yet opened but decided we would go as far as we could. We got to Lake McDonald at just the right time for this great reflection shot. On our return trip we noticed that there were no reflections.

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We hiked in about a mile and were rewarded with this beautiful view of McDonald Falls. To be honest, this photo really doesn't reflect what we really saw and heard as we stood at the falls.

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Standing at the edge of McDonald Creek with the snow capped mountains surrounding you gives such a feeling of inner peace. Al was having so much fun pointing out all the waterfalls high up above us.

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Beautiful Sacred Dancing Cascade was mesmerizing.

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We set off this morning to day trip some back roads both in and out of the park. We followed the North Fork of the Flathead River to Polebridge Mercantile which is in the middle of nowhere but which has some delicious smelling baked goods (yes we were good and didn't sample them). We didn't see much in the way of wildlife but the scenery was beautiful.

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We came upon this beautiful horsetail waterfall right beside the road.

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The Hungry Horse Dam project was started in 1945 when workers spent 3-years of hard labor building an access road and digging a tunnel to divert the river away from the damsite. The dam was completed in 1953 and today produces 428,000 kilowats of electricity which is enough to supply some 270,000 homes. The dam itself is 564-feet high and 3,086,200 cubic yards of concrete was used to complete it.

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Returning from the dam, we came upon serene Lion Lake where one fisherman was spending his day.

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