Helena HAVEN

Day 23—Wednesday, Aug 24—Helena 

0 miles

A Helena neighbor: playing ding-dong-ditch?

Today has been a "zero day" since I used it to get some work done on the bike, pick up packages at the post office, do laundry, and relax a little.

In one box: Molly's peanut-butter miso cookies, about 1,000 Larabars, and a spare tire. Also: my absentee ballot for voting in the Massachusetts primary!

Remember: wherever you are, whatever you are doing—make a plan to vote!

In the other package: a slab of oatmeal raisin bars in a pizza box from Mom, packed with pieces of bread to keep things moist. I shared the goodies with the bike mechanics (they loved it!) as well as with my generous hosts, Linda and Constance.

Linda and Constance—wonderful hosts and new friends

Linda and Constance—contacted through the biking web site Warm Showers—let me pitch my tent in their lovely yard for two nights. They have been actively involved in the community of Helena for more than 25 years. Linda is a mediator and helps assist families processing divorces;  she also facilitates active listening in restorative justice programs as well as bringing people from various perspectives together to air out differences and to help folks understand why someone may have a particular point of view. She is a veteran of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Ride and was able to advise me on the trail ahead…particularly the next stretch which can be a little gnarly.

Thanks to both Linda and Constance for their hospitality!

Had a great walk around Helena, the capital of Montana, which is a very interesting small city.  The architectural quality of many of its commercial and civic buildings is really extraordinary and the residential housing stock is remarkable.

Grandstreet Theatre, rehearsal underway: old UU church with Tiffany stained glass

One of my favorite juxtapositions. Each beautiful & elegant in it's own way!

It was good to get a break; grab a coffee with Ardend & Paul—the biking brothers from South Africa—and explore the town.

When I first arrived I remarked to Linda that I was amazed that Helena has a mosque. She was surprised too until she understood that I was talking about the civic center which has a minaret and Arabic details. Apparently this was to reflect the taste of the Shriners who may have had a role in funding the project. Irony? You can’t make this stuff up.

And now—off we go!