7-17-08

We started our morning in Helena. We went on a nice tour of their capitol building. The building has recently been restored to the way it looked in 1902 when it was built. It was more colorful than most capitols we have visited. There were many paintings depicting Montana history including a HUGE painting of Lewis and Clark meeting the Salish Indians painted by Charles Russell. We ate lunch at a funky place called the Staggering Ox and then headed west. Montana is a beautiful state and we really enjoyed the drive through the mountains. We drove through the skinny part of Idaho. We stopped in Wallace an old Silver mining town, which for some reason touts itself as the center of the universe. They also boast the last stop light on I-90. Then it was off to Spokane. We are staying right downtown on the river. We enjoyed walking through a car show downtown. Erik saw his models like his first and second car and enjoyed looking at the other cars as well. We ate down by the river and then enjoyed a nice walk. We stopped at the giant Radio Flyer wagon which is really a big slide. Erik was going to take my picture but people kept coming to slide on the slide. We sat on a bench and enjoyed watching all sorts of kids and some parents sliding on the slide. We then came back to our hotel and went for a nice swim. Can't believe that we will be home tomorrow. Really looking forward to seeing Roswell, my garden and sleeping in my own bed.