Aug 15-19 (Kalispell MT)

We crossed back to U.S. today at Roosville Border Station in British Columbia. That means we’ve hit 4 of the Canadian Provinces this trip; Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and lastly, BC. We moved on to Kalispell MT for the next few days. Kalispell is a perfect base location with which to explore Glacier National Park. We decided to ride the park on Monday after finding out that buddy Steve is nearby in Idaho Falls and will meet up with us for dinner later this evening. The ride on the famous Going-To-The-Sun road was uneventful on the way east with a break at Logan Pass on the top but not so much in reverse. We turned around after lunch at the Rising Sun stop and rode back the other way. Let me simply explain that there are just some folks that have no business behind the wheel of a F-150 truck on a road that provides no provisions for others to go around. This dude never got above 18 mph all the way down the hill!

 

The highlight of the day was Steve showing up for dinner and drinks at the Montana Club across the street. Plus by now we have all made quick friends of a group of 6 other motorcycle riders who are also staying at the Econo Lodge.

This group of friends, from Emmett Idaho, comes to Kalispell every year at the same time to get away, hang out, share a few laughs, and ride the area’s good roads. (We most certainly will see these folks again as emails and phone numbers have been bookmarked.)

We also met a couple of guys from South Carolina who are riding the Continental Divide on their KLRs, a couple from Indiana riding their respective BMWs to Yakima WA and then back to Indiana on their 2-week vacation, and a single rider from Vermont riding around somewhat like us with no hard & fast deadline.

Tuesday Steve, Jay & I tour a local historical home built by one of Kalispell’s founding citizens, the Conrad House, The Hungry Horse Dam and check out the local Cabela’s store.

According to local legend, The Hungry Horse Dam got its name when the severe 1900-01 winter left two freight horses lost and starved in the rugged Flathead River wilderness. Fund a month later, their owners nursed them back to health. “Hungry Horse” became the name of a nearby mountain and creek and, later, this Reclamation Project.

A single drop of Hungry Horse Project water travels more than 1, 100 miles from Montana’s mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Water from the Hungry Horse Dame comes from the South Fork Flathead River. Hundreds of workers – many of whom were returning veterans – started building Hungry Horse Dam in July of 1948. President Truman threw the switch in 1952 to start generating electricity at the dam.

The reservoir stores almost 3.5 million acre-feet of water for later release producing clean hydroelectricity for almost 270,000 homes.

Wednesday was laundry day plus Jay was able to get in an oil change for his bike. While he was doing that I got to spend some quality time touching some beautiful locally spun yarn and talking knits & purls with the shop owner (this is the knitters version of motorcyclists kicking tires in a parking lot) and yes I bought more yarn and had it mailed home for me.

original court house bldg. now used for law offices

Kalispell is the right size of town to spend the summer or at least part of a summer. Good weather (as compared to Phoenix) and just the right mix of older downtown flavor with more modern shopping a bit further north. Prices of rental property and availability of RV spaces also appears to be reasonable.

big wooden boot in western store downtown

antique fire truck spiffed up for parade happening tomorrow
morning for the NW Montana Fair & Rodeo