Surprise… I moved to Montana! Well, kind of. I’m spending summer of 2021 in Helena. I got up here April 17th and want to recap what has happened since then but I will start from the beginning. 

I left home (Northern California) on April 15th, and drove to my best friend’s house in Nevada City, CA. I slept one night there before heading out. Their property is too cute not to share photos of, so that is below. Cute, I know. Then on April 16th, I drove to Twin Falls, Idaho. From Nevada City to Twin Falls, it is a little over an 8 hour drive. I stayed at the Motel 6 there (it was dirt cheap, like $54/night). It’s nothing fancy, but Tom Bodet left the light on for me (If you don't know who that is, look it up ;). I got some sleep that night and stopped at some waterfalls on my way out in the morning. Although it looks like there are some other beautiful waterfalls, hikes and sights, I didn’t have time to do anything else. 

When you are in Twin Falls, I highly recommend visiting Shoshone Falls, which is aptly nicknamed the ‘Niagara Falls of the West’. It is 212 feet tall, 900 feet wide and absolutely gorgeous. There was a beautiful rainbow at the bottom the whole time I was there. Also, it is part of the snake river, which is about 3 miles outside of town. The waterfall is located inside a park, which I have included information about below.

Here is a map to the falls, thanks to the Twin Falls website. This is the information they provide in regards to pricing, hours, etc. 

“The vehicle fee at Shoshone Falls Park and Dierkes Lake is $5.00 per car. The fee is in effect from March 1st through September 30th. Season passes are available for purchase for $25.00 at the Parks and Recreation office and at the ticket booth. Coupon books are also available for $30.00 for 20 passes. Tour buses are $20.00 at the gate and school buses (full of children) are $5.00. Shoshone Falls is open year round with the exceptions of temporary closures due to poor road conditions. The park hours are from dawn to dusk.”

Okay, so back to my road trip to Helena. Once I left Twin Falls, I just headed straight to Montana. I wanted to get there before dark. Thankfully, it’s a bit shorter of a drive. So, 6.5 hours later, I arrived at the house that will serve as home for the next few months (more on that later). 

I was actually supposed to make a few other stops along the way, but had to speed up my timeline due to a winter weather warning. I got to Helena right before the snow really started coming down, hard. On my very first night in the house, I was completely snowed in. This California girl was unprepared but learning quickly. 

Thankfully, my very first morning in Montana, I was already greeted with hospitality and kindness from the neighbors. The sweet couple next door came over and brought me an entire meal, because they didn’t know if I had time to grocery shop before the storm. How kind is that? (They are the best.) I have been continuously blown away by people’s kindness here. It truly has restored my faith in humanity, which I didn’t even know I needed. 

I have so many exciting blog posts to share with you detailing my adventures here and my thoughts on Helena and the surrounding areas. I am truly so excited to be here and already love it so much. I am so glad that you’re joining me on my latest adventure. Montana - I am ready for you!