A Montana Carousel.  Beautifully carved bear, wolves, otter, big horn sheep, buffalo, pronghorn, fish and lots of other Montana native wildlife were just irresistible.  I took a spin upon the mighty Big Horned Sheep.  Overhead panels are intricately carved and each one frames a Montana scene created by local stained glass artists.  The workmanship is awesome and includes some of the best carousel pieces we have seen.  The ride was a wonderful, brief skip into childhood.  If they had just had a player organ it would have been perfect.

The carousel just happened to be in an ice cream parlor that served some delicious Montana made ice cream… my huckleberry was pretty good but Kent’s was the best, peach cobbler.

We peeked into the Cathedral of St. Helena built in 1908.  The building is exceptionally ornate and immaculately maintained.  Marble and stained glass enveloped us from the moment we swung open the heavy wooden door.  Bit of trivia, the limestone came from Bedford, Indiana.

A place to check out next time, Martin’s Wines on Last Gulch Blvd.  They have a fairly small wine inventory but the real appeal is the proprietors.  One is a photographer, he actually snagged us off the street with a reference to photography spurred by him sighting Kent’s camera.  The walls of the shop are lined with his photography.  What a slick maneuver but he was so charming it didn’t really feel like we were being played.   I didn’t buy; we cross into Canada in two days and are already at our limit.  Next time though…I hope their shop succeeds!