“Where grand landscapes reside alongside small town hospitality. A place where awesome natural experiences frame intimate, unforgettable moments.” So says the Montana state tourism website, and so say I. Last summer Barb and I came to this area nestled between Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake and the Idaho border. We fell in love with the small towns, the festivals, the live theatre and of course Glacier National Park. So as we planned this summer’s journey, there was no question that a return visit was needed.
Hungry Horse is a small town of perhaps around 1,000 full time residents, and offers an assortment of campgrounds and motels. Just a few miles away is Hungry Horse Dam. Constructed in the mid-1950s it is the 10th highest dam in the country, and creates a wonderful lake with miles of wooded shoreline.
Our stay here at Mountain Meadow RV Park has been wonderful. Tucked among the trees, each spot is separated by trees, and natural green areas. During some days we have taken trips in to neighboring towns. Whitefish offers skiing during the winter months [last winter the town had over 100 inches of snow]. Of particular note, for Kona there is a great dog park, for Thom there is the Alpine Theatre Project a professional theatre company where we watched the Tony Award winning The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee, and for Barb the town offers interesting neighborhoods of early 20th century homes.
Another small town is Bigfork, located along the shore of Flathead Lake – the largest fresh water lake this side of the Mississippi river. Bigfork is filled with artists and their shops. There are small restaurants, wine bars and everywhere you look there are outsized hanging flower baskets. Several photos taken in the town are included in the slide show. Among those photos is one of the only bear Barb has seen on this journey – always a goal on these treks.
A third town is Kalispell. While it also offers some great neighborhoods for cruising, there is one late 19th century mansion filled with period décor. Also an 1880s courthouse sitting in the middle of highway in the downtown area. Beside some parks, one major attraction of the city is family of big box stores including the Costco for northwest MT. It is good to have a mix of big city shopping convenience along with the big outdoors.
During a couple of the days, we took trips to Glacier National Park. Not only famous for the glaciers, but also the Going to the Sun Highway. This two lane road clings to the side of mountains as it leads the driver up through Logan Pass over the Continental Divide. At any point, the vistas are outstanding. Sharp peaks, valleys, high meadows all mixed with melting snow and sunny skies. At one point you pass by the remains left by a major avalanche from this last winter. While the road is intact, to both sides of the highway you see the great damage as snow just plowed through trees and brush as if nothing was there. Heavy cement barricades just picked up and moved down the mountain side. The raw power of nature is amazing.
We have also enjoyed our visits with Don and Sara Schultz, friends we met on the Baja trip of last year. There were here in our campground for much of the time we were here. They have since moved on up the Canadian Rockies before return to the states and spending a month in Yellowstone National Park.
Along with the scenery, and relaxing a major point for Barb was getting our DirecTV activated. Now we can track all of the intrigue associated with Days of Our Lives. Will Chloe survive, shall Daniel be able to convince Bo that he is not the killer, can Sami ever find true happiness? What to do, what to do? Confession time: for over 35 years, I (we) have watched this one soap opera. Some read comics, trashy novels or watch reality TV for escapism in today’s world. We watch DOOL and enjoy. Having the ability to watch the show during the east coast feed, or 3 hours later on the west coast feed, or at evening time on SoapNet – such flexibility in our daily life’s schedule is pure joy.
We just returned from a specialty meat shop in Columbia Falls, where they make the best and perhaps widest variety of sausages. Fifty dollars later, our freezer is full of sausages a variety stripes - German, Polish, and Italian with a medley of spices. This should last us until we get to the west coast, where fish and clam chowder will demand our attention.
Tomorrow Kona goes in for a styling, and then we pack up all the items we have brought out during these past 30 days. Saturday will see us moving west.
Enjoy the photos.
Oh, yes – in response to a request that was prompted by our last chat. You may remember we attended a “Testicle Festival” while in Salmon, ID. A reader asks, “What did they (the testicles) taste like?” The best comparison is to image fried chicken livers, just ones that have not been too firmly fried. If one likes fried chicken livers – well you know the taste of “mountain oysters.” With a little Cajun seasoning, and a cold beer the meal is complete.
Best to all,
Thom & Barb
