Helena, Montana, the Big Sky State Capital - Summer 2020 Episode 17
[Music] in this episode we are going to visit helena montana's capital but first we have to get there so enjoy the ride [Music] rv [Music] we're still in medora north dakota let's cook some dinner i'm grilling some potatoes i bought at a supermarket at a small town called cavalier and the pork chops steve gave me in des moines actually this is one of the best potatoes i've ever had [Music] someone forgot to clean the lens on the gopro good morning i already said good morning to you or did i i don't remember it's one of those mornings anyway medora hardly new year i wanted to go to that medora musical i've heard is really good but we'll be back one of these [Music] to the days from here to helena is about 480 miles which is 80 miles more than my preferred daily maximum cafe texas as i'd like to say but it is early we'll make it look at that sign coming up and the crease on the pavement we are now in montana big sky country now crossing the yellowstone river which we are going to be crisscrossing a couple more times during this part of the trip it is starting to get smoky the sunset driving to the west driving to the west into the sunset driving to the west driving through montana or wyoming tell the folks in idaho i'm coming all the way to the pacific let me be specific anywhere out here would be terrific driving to the west in my rv is where i wanna be [Music] i'm gonna put gas here in forsyth because now we begin the more remote section of this trip on us [Music] sunset 12. to the west driving to the west well this is more or less where i pulled over had a quick lunch but before we continue i'd like to tell you about skillshare sponsoring this episode and skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of inspiring classes so you can explore new skills develop existing interests and get lost in creativity and you know i'm always trying to learn new things and there's a class that i wish i would have taken years ago called creativity unleashed discover hone and share your voice online by nathaniel drew and it is always good to further develop one's own voice as a content creator or whatever it is you want to pursue so yeah skillshare really useful resource they have all kinds of courses writing music photography also business productivity the first 1 000 people to use the link in my description will get a free trial of skillshare premium membership and after that it is only around 10 a month and i want to thank them for sponsoring this episode [Music] well took a break since i had to change the the memory card on the gopro anyways and well i had a quick lunch i reheated some of those pork chops i did yesterday delicious courtesy of our friend from des moines steve and i haven't been in such a desolate piece of highway in a very long time it's kind of bumpy [Music] it is getting increasingly smokier and this is the thing we're here in late august 2020 and there are wildfires raging all over the west particularly colorado california oregon we're surrounded by them i mean we could be surrounded by beautiful mountains and we wouldn't know it does give the atmosphere a special unique quality also a uniquely bad air quality you can smell it in the air [Music] the gps said there was a gas station in this town and maybe i missed it but i don't see it you think the gps lied luckily i still have a quarter tank and 5 gallons in the trunk running on fumes we arrive in harlowton let's park right here make sure we know where we're going no kidding oh it's hot out there we've got two more hours a little over two more hours and this is probably gonna be like the final leg of the trip it looks like the smoke might be clearing which is actually an excellent idea i was able to find a it's like you know like the satellite map but it's for smoke not for clouds and uh it's apparently like there's like a dry cold front coming down and it's moving all the smoke so as you can see it's a little sunnier now so i'm hopeful i'm very hopeful and i was gonna boondogga tonight but it is too hot to be boondocking let's face it and uh i mean we're not we're not here to rough it we're here to to glamp it so uh it's kind of pricey but i made a reservation at the koa hannah and that's where we're staying look at that the sun's coming out pretty soon we're gonna be able to see into the horizon because i was told this was a very beautiful drive but as you've noticed it's been mostly smoke we're on the final stretch it's been a long day all day driving but sometimes you have to put in the miles and today is one of those days i mean we've driven more than halfway across the great state of montana the fourth largest state by area after alaska texas and california yet the third least densely populated and you can tell not too many people along this route i imagine on a clear sunny day this would have been a spectacular drive and still in this dense smoke it is not bad but you can imagine [Music] an eternity later here we are arriving in helena and we're gonna stay at the koa we made it to helena montana and as you can see we're getting a glimpse of blue sky here i'm hopeful that the smoke you know will dissipate one can only hope right and i was talking to my neighbor here and he told me that there's a car wash a couple of miles south because both minitini and the colorado they really need it so well it's been an all-day drive let me turn this off real quick so you can hear me it is time once again for an rv cooking show i have some shrimp here that has been it has been in my freezer for about a month i better in georgia i'm gonna make him here just oh everything down there it's full of dust probably when i took that dirt road in north dakota maybe it came through one of the vents who knows in any case while the shrimp thaws in the warm water inside the sink let's make the sauce like a sofrito first we chop an onion and the green pepper garlic lots of minced garlic i've been boiling some water so we're gonna make some basmati rice takes about 11 minutes and you cook it like a pasta draining the water at the end holly at the oliva and let's saute all this stuff salt pepper green peas perhaps a little too much golden vinoseco cooking wine generously tiny little bit of cumin at least twice as much oregano [Music] and paprika lots of paprika tomato sauce you know the basics of frito ingredients and sweet asha let's move it around and then we're going to add the shrimp [Music] and we're running out of gas this thing is really not yeah rv ranges usually don't heat up as much boiling the way i was expecting it to i'm going to add a little more of this stuff and as soon as it starts boiling i'm going to add the shrimp and the shrimp you know it's ready in like 2-3 minutes a little more salt [Music] we'll drain the rice and add a dash of olive oil [Music] a little bit of rice [Music] on our shrimp grill hopefully tomorrow we'll have a clearer day but as much as i'd like to have a clear blue sky day the smoke and the particulate in the atmosphere make for some phenomenal sunsets and i think we're gonna be able to witness one of those [Music] can't wait to start exploring tomorrow [Applause] [Music] good morning late morning actually uh but uh you know things had to be done i'm gonna i'm gonna go see if i can get a car wash and if i can get a good car wash on the truck tomorrow morning i'm gonna take a minitini which is super dirty and it looks like the the smoke is uh it's blowing away yes we've got blue skies kind of sort of not the clearest of days but much better since this is the state capital i think it would be appropriate to start by the capitol building well here we have it the montana state capital i do believe this is the back so let's walk around to the front the sandstone and granite building was completed in 1902 with wing annexes added between 1909 and 1912. oh my gosh i am shocked there's construction going on here in the line of duty dedicated to officers from every law enforcement agency across the state of montana [Music] governor's mansion that would be neat to see if you recall north dakota was under construction too so who knows it might be a 20 20 thing i wish i could fly the drone because i believe the garden reads montana 2020.
the equestrian bronze sculpture is none other than thomas francis maeger an irish revolutionary and union brigadier general in the american civil war beautiful city surrounded by mountains [Music] kind of bummed out it is all under renovations but i'm sure it'll be beautiful when it's finished the sculpture at the top of the copula is called montana sometimes also affectionately called lady liberty a giant metal bison skull adorns the front of the historical society museum the statue symbol of the prose depicting a professional rodeo rider stands by the side here [Music] this seems to be the entrance to the museum apparently they do offer tours but not today today is sunday our timing impeccable as usual here's a teepee and the bell replica of the liberty bell an uncracked liberty bell very nice but very quiet nearly deserted on a sunday here turn left onto east 6th avenue all right next we're gonna go see the original a governor's mansion which is just under a mile away i could have walked but i don't feel it [Music] nice residential neighborhood [Music] here we have it the original governor's mansion [Music] well here it is this is all i can show you because it is closed [Music] pretty cool neighborhood i mean look at that house and all the surrounding mountains victorian [Music] architecture all right let's continue let's go to reader's alley which is the oldest surviving part of the city [Music] this is reader's alley probably the oldest area of the city here pioneer cabin here helena's oldest documented dwelling and it is closed i think i think this is like the oldest uh area here of the city the only thing it's it is sunday so all this businesses you know they seem to be closed like this cotton top pastries [Music] but you know we're just gonna yeah apparently they do offer tours but only monday through friday and they have it decorated with period furniture and such it would have been nice to see inside you know i don't know if it is like a museum [Music] apparently and you know they probably have more information that now i have i'm gonna have to look up online of course but private entrance garden area appointment only okay so i i won't trespass just in case you know i don't want to break any rules well yeah this is that uh pioneer cabin and this is the yeehaw cabin right here but as you can see it is an actual business it is not like a museum or anything like that check this out this chinook rv [Music] that's really cute let me tell you wouldn't it be cool to like restore one of these well let's check out reader's alley here which apparently on a normal day would be bustling with activity right well today it is completely deserted is it helena montana visitor center maybe they have tourist information down here yes built in 1864 it is one of the oldest cabins in montana and it exemplifies a typical miner's residence in the gold rush era and uh wish all this stuff was open today sunday reader's alley here was built in the 1870s by a pennsylvania brick and stone mason called louis reader and actually it being deserted as it is today it is kind of easier to imagine this place in the 1870s with all the miners hanging out can you imagine morelli bridge here dates back to 1893 and it's considered the oldest timber bridge still in use in montana i've never seen so many grasshoppers in my life it's like a like a grasshoppering invasion all over the place especially in north dakota and here in montana oh yes it is very picturesque area here if you really deserve it [Music] i like that all of these historic buildings are being used as actual businesses like attorneys and barber shops and counselors and that sort of thing and it looks like this would make a wonderful brewery here with the view of of this mountain here helena definitely not a a sunday town that's for sure at least not at what is 12 37 noon right now mountain time all right let's go by downtown i think it's just a couple of miles walking that way did i say miles i meant to say blocks but i decided to drive anyway it is kind of solitary up there by reader's alley let me tell you something that brewery looks very tempting tell you what i caved in i'm gonna go for it i haven't been to a good brewery since waynesville i think and that was like a month ago it is called single malt ipa i kind of like the scotch reference so i decided to try it and the black food brewer here seems nice not very busy on a sunday at 1 pm [Music] now let's just walk around the only way to truly get to know a city [Music] so pretty cool looking downtown here and they have another brewery here under other circumstances i would have i would have gone in there too but there doesn't seem to be any food in any of these breweries so i'm gonna if i can't find any food you know i have some some shrimp back in the trailer the wind bag saloon maybe i'll have lunch there all right had an enchilada which is not what i usually have but i was feeling adventurous and uh now i'm just gonna walk off my enchilada let's explore the town a little bit well the good thing about all this uphill climb is that on the way down you know it's gonna be easier right very very cool looking neighborhood here definitely different [Music] in hindsight i probably should have gone in the opposite direction which happens to be the more historic part of town but this part is pretty historic too here's the municipal court and the myrna loy performing arts center formerly the historic county jail all of a sudden you turn the corner and it doesn't look all that nice actually let's go back to broadway pretty cool [Music] sometimes it's even interesting just to walking around the residential [Music] neighborhoods some houses seem a little run down but it seems very quiet all right let's let's cross the street right here [Music] because when i go to this hill up here maybe we can see like a like a panoramic view of the city yeah purely residential neighborhood right here [Music] one curious thing i've seen you know a lot of little slogans written either on houses front porches or on a window i did see something like that something similar like a lot of you know the current situation related slogans i think it was in alabama like it gets better you know you're not alone that kind of thing beautiful houses here right next to this park which is where i'm going it's a it's like a hill and that's another youtuber who did a video here and uh [Music] and apparently you get a beautiful view of of the city from the top of this hill so that's where i'm going [Music] yeah what's up with all the grasshoppers i've never seen so many grasshoppers in my life they're everywhere so it has to be some kind of infestation look at him oh wow look at that we're not even like halfway up yet this is amazing i'm so glad like the smoke is starting to clear out i mean over there there's still a little bit of it but yeah i'm a little out of breath it could be the high altitude [Music] and there's the capitol building we're almost at the top [Music] that would be mount helena to the west it would have been really cool to climb to the top of that one and then to the northwest the cathedral of saint helena and to the left the historic algeria shrine temple now also known as the helena civic center [Music] it is a relatively small city i'm sure you could almost walk the whole thing in one day [Music] well this was cool coming up here to this hilltop and be able to see like the whole northern side of the city really and um now let's go back and i'm going to try to stop by the cathedral the saint helen cathedral which probably gives the city its name right helena saint helen and we have another trail here going down lots of people have this uh you know they look like like solar panels but i wonder if there's some kind of heater i mean they certainly look like solar panels don't they yeah very nice helena and check it out this is a it is a winnebago and a vw van that's really really cool eurovision camper you know some of the houses very very nice many people have like their own little trailers like this a liner here [Music] here's a cool small neighborhood park [Music] that's where we're going next the guardian of the gulge fire tower painted on helena's official symbol and built in 1886. i'm just training training for for a glacier national park ironically the tower was nearly destroyed by an arson attack in 2014 so it is to be demolished and rebuilt at some point [Music] nice views from up here too now let's figure out how to get back down from here i may have to retrace my steps yeah all the all the grasshoppers a little unsettling but [Music] it is what it is i have no idea where i'm going but this has to go somewhere right maybe it doesn't i think i'm gonna have to go back the same way we came well this was unexpected [Music] here here we have this big propeller and an anchor and a bell well it is called anchor park and it is actually a memorial to the four ships that have been called uss helena all right there's the colorado let's head back to the to the koa actually before we get back to the koa let's stop by the cathedral real quick [Music] there's again the algeria shrine temple [Music] this is like the valet parking so let's park by the front instead the gothic cathedral was modeled after the vative kirche in vienna austria construction began in 1908 but it wasn't finished and consecrated until 1924 [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] it's gotten really smoky [Applause] [Music] good morning on the road again but first let's do a little rv wash it is about time [Music] here we are montana avenue car wash and there is only one oversized bay [Music] patience robert patience [Music] some of it won't come off but it is definitely better than it was let's go towards the mountains the rocky mountains no less [Music] so this is how it's supposed to look and this is what we've got today all right let's continue [Music] oh nice lake let's see if we can stop this one is called nevada lake and even though we've been barely an hour on the road it is always good to stop for a few minutes stretch your legs break up the trip into several shorter legs [Music] and you see the faint silhouette of the mountains [Music] it is a huge cow [Music] another lake salmon lake i'm riding riding in my rv [Music] took a nice long break here even made some coffee right here next to summit lake in any case let's hit the road we still have over an hour to go believe it or not [Music] wherever i want to be because i'm freaking my rv [Music] wherever i want to be because i'm free [Music] oh guys i'm free in my rv and riding friday right right in my rv wherever i want to be [Music] [Music] wherever [Music] on the next episode we'll explore the striking beauty of glacier and going to the sun road until then thank you so much for watching and see you on the road riding in my rv wherever i want to be cause i'm free in my rvs [Music] i'm writing riding in my rv
2020-12-23 08:10
