On the Road - Day 42

Frustrated with not being able to connect to the internet at RV parks which advertise "Wi-Fi", we opted to visit the local library. Vance was most intent on the task of getting four days worth of our blog material up, including attaching the photos. While Vance worked on the computer at the Kalispell Library, Pat hoofed-it around downtown. The "Ceres" bakery had a nice selection of pastries, including bear claws and lemon scones. Next came a delightful yarn shop with a good selection of variegated yarns (my favorites). I love the feel of wools and silks. They had an interesting selection of buttons, too - horn, teeth, wood. On the way back to the RV I came across "Wheat Montana" which was more a bread bakery which smelled great. There were big bags of various types of Montana wheat in metal wash tubs in the entry way. My perusal of the area also included "Books West" which specialized in paperbacks. Kalispell is a growing community with the outskirts sprouting boom development - new housing on good-sized lots and areas of big box stores. Like elsewhere, Wal-Mart and Costco move in, and the number of vacant shops along Main Street increases. Still, it is a feel good place.

Thanks to a knowledgeable woman at AAA, we learned of construction delays south of Polson. She marked an alternate route to I-90 on our map.



We took Rt. 93 along Flathead Lake and found the marinas, wooded coves, and mountains on the distant eastern side to be very pretty.




On Rt. 28, west of Elmo (we looked, but did not see the cheerful little Sesame Street guy here) we entered the Flathead Indian Reservation. The rounded hills were covered in velvety short grasses, like soft horse hide. We saw a couple of ranches and some recently cut and baled hay fields (it was interesting to see the round bales stacked), but no towns, crossroads, or nary a vehicle in either direction for miles on end.

This was a blue-colored line road on the AAA map, speed limit 70 mph., but the road was, according to Vance, "warped" - the camber of the road kept changing. He just loves it when a sign announces an increase in speed limit as you go UP a hill! When all he can do is try to maintain the 45 mph he was doing before the higher limit was announced.

We passed through Paradise. Turns out the town has a church, a post office, a restaurant, and a casino. It did not feel at all like Paradise. In reading our map, I thought our alternate route would keep us from going through Poison. Oops, reading more closely, I realized the town's name is actually Polson. Sure could use a magnifying glass for working with maps! We had a good laugh at the thought of poison and paradise being so close together.

South of Plains we returned to the forested hills of Lolo National Forest. Here we followed the Clark Fork River as it curled around the base of mountains. Very pleasant country. Got settled into Campground St. Regis off Rt. 135 and I-90. The owner apparently does chainsaw sculptures as there were bears, owls and squirrels at every other site.














Sat by the pool and talked with a woman from Bellingham, WA who commented on the crowds at Yellowstone National Park. She and her husband are tenting their way through the summer. Her husband told us that she has a terminal disease, which caused us to look at our life and travels with a different perspective. If we knew we only had a short time to live, we might be more appreciative of all of the elements of our experience, even those we might now complain about.

Seen along the way: Mountain Mud Coffee -- Best Bet Casino -- Outlaw Inn -- Athlete's Foot (store) -- Erratics (large stones carried by glaciers away from their point of origin) -- Deere Here (John Deere equipment)

Ended at Campground St. Regis, St. Regis, MT 59866 (On route 90) [www.campgroundstregis.com]
Odometer 61,660.4 (123.2) Total: 3605