When we got there, we saw a marina and a few buildings, so we went inside to inquire about their boat tour. It was a two hour boat tour, up the Missouri River, through a narrow canyon gorge. It is a part of the river that Lewis and Clark followed on their expedition. The tour was $16 a person, which we thought was a bargain, and the best news was that they still had tickets!
We bought our tickets and went down to the marina to wait for the boats to come back. There were two of them. One was big, covered, and more luxurious looking, the other was smaller, open air and definitely older. The owner of the boat tours loaded all of his "priority" passengers first, meaning the three tour buses and one group of Road scholars. Of course, they all chose the larger, more luxurious boat.
Steve and I will always choose an open air option to a covered option because the views are always better, and we just love the fresh air in contrast to the stuffy air with a bunch of other people. So as they started loading the "normal" people, Steve and I were the first to jump on the older, smaller boat, and then we chose our seats carefully. As soon as the big boat filled up, our boat began to fill up as well.
Our captains name was Carrie, and we could tell that we were going to like her from the minute we stepped onto the boat. She asked everyone to take our seats, and even though we were the last boat to load, we were the first boat to take off on our gorge adventure.
She explained all of the different rock formations to us to a point of interesting, not boring!
A far-off eagle.
Another bald eagle nest. They have been watching this particular eagle for 30 years. Her three babies for this year just left the nest about two weeks ago. This female has has 63 offspring over the years. Amazing!
On top of this spire (with the orange lichen) is an osprey nest!
If you look carefully at this rock, you can see an elephant head!
Indian pictographs etched on the canyon walls.
The green moss-like plants growing on this cliff were first discovered right here in this canyon. They are a member of the rose family, and are covered in very small purple blooms in the spring.
In the next three pictures, look as the canyon walls come together like a gate. This is how this canyon got it's name.
You can either hike in 22 miles to the Meriweather Picnic Area, or you can come in by boat. This area was affected by the Mann Gulch Fire, and most of this picnic area was buried in mud slides during the years that followed. This boat was built in 1953, and the engine has never been rebuilt. It was one of the most reliable boats Carrie has ever captained.
This picnic pavilion is now about four feet underground because of the mud slides, but still very usable after a few modifications.
Another bald eagle.
If you are ever in Helena, Montana, I highly recommend the Gates of the Mountains boat tour. They have been doing these tours for 130 years, and it is well worth your money. But my one word of advise...make sure you take the smaller boat if you can!
A few sights from our day in Helena. St. Helena Cathedral.
The state capital.
And a super cool statue.
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