DUCKPIN BOWLING IN COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND

A rack of duckpin balls

Several years ago, I watched an episode of the the TV series Homicide: Life On The Streets in which some of the characters were bowling. Except they weren't using regular equipment. The pins were kind of short and squat and the balls appeared to be a little larger than a softball. It was bowling but it wasn't the game Walter Ray Williams and Norm Duke play. Little did I know, there are other types of bowling played regionally in the U.S. and Canada. In places where these other forms of bowling are played, our game of bowling is called ten-pin.

Shannon tries duckpin bowling

The Homicide series took place in Baltimore so I did some searching and found that the game of duckpin bowling is popular in Maryland, the Washington DC suburbs, some parts of New England, and the Canadian province of Quebec. (New England and eastern Canada also have candlepin bowling which we will try when we reach Maine. Ontario has five-pin bowling which we will try in Toronto.)

HELENA BREWERS VS. BILLINGS MUSTANGS

Kindrick Legion Field, Helena, MT

The Helena Brewers hosted the Billings Mustangs at Kindrick Legion Field. This ballpark opened in 1932 and went through several renovations since then. It's an old park but a pleasant place to see a game.

At least it would be if not for a pack of drunken men and women who sat in the bleachers on the first base side. Their behavior was appalling. The men cursed and taunted the visiting Mustangs most of the night while the women made numerous sexually suggestive remarks. This coarse behavior was displayed before several young children sitting in the same section. When the father of a couple of the children voiced his displeasure, the drunken men tried to pick a fight with him.

MONTANA STATE CAPITOL - HELENA



The Montana State Capitol in Helena, MT

We arrived early in Helena after our stop in Butte so we had plenty of time to visit the State Capitol in Helena. Construction of the Capitol began in 1896 and was completed in 1902. Montana's government outgrew it quickly so wing-annexes were added with their construction completed in 1912.

The dome is covered in copper with a statue known as the Goddess of Liberty standing atop it. The statue of a man on horseback in front of the Capitol Building is of Thomas Francis Meagher, an Irish revolutionary who served as an officer during several important battles of the U.S. Civil War and as Territorial Governor of Montana.

BUTTE MT

The Supreme Commander beside the Butt Trolley?

On our way to Helena, we stopped to look around the historic old mining boomtown of Butte in southwest Montana. There may not be much left in the mines these days but as any ten year old boy or immature middle aged man can testify, the name of this town is pure gold. Don't let Buzz Killington ruin the fun by telling you it's pronounced byoot. We know it's supposed to be Butt, Montana. The Supreme Commander understands this, as evidenced by the photo with the trolly.

IDAHO-MONTANA STATE LINE

The Supreme Commander
steps from Idaho to Montana

We left Idaho Falls this morning on our way to Helena, Montana.  We stopped on I-15 for a photo when we reached the Idaho-Montana state line. We have a stop in Butte, Montana before we reach Helena.

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO

Idaho Falls on the Snake River
in Idaho Falls, ID

The City of Idaho Falls gets its name from the falls on the Snake River that passes through town. The falls were a short distance from our hotel (and the ballpark) so we stopped there on our way out of town this morning.

By the way, this is the same Snake River that daredevil, Evil Knievel, tried to jump over on a rocket powered motorcycle in 1974.