On The Road Again

Travel along with us to......wherever


Sunday, July 18, 2010

Day 13 - Helena, MT to Kalispell, MT

Left the Fairfield Inn at 8:53 and headed to a real live Starbucks. With a Mocha and Americano in hand we drove a few blocks to the Montana State Capital. After a few photos we found Highway 12 and turned West to Garrison, Wyoming and Interstate 90. Beautiful drive over McDonald Pass and along the Little Blackfoot River.

Once on the Interstate we drove generally Northwest to Missoula, Montana. For those who have seen A River Runs Through It, you will know this is the Montana of my youth. Ok, just kidding. We spent an hour and a half or so driving around downtown and up in some really nice residential areas overlooking the city and valley. Nice town, but I think Bozeman wins out as our next place to live. Ok, maybe I’m kidding. On the way out of town we stopped at a Safeway and picked up a sandwich to share for lunch.

Back on the Interstate for a few miles and then North on Highway 93 toward Kalispell. Another beautiful drive, this one through the Flathead Indian Reservation and along Flathead Lake, which is the largest fresh water lake in the western United States. We pulled over for lunch beside a field of round straw bales. Interesting the number of different ways and sizes to bale hay.

After passing all the way through Kalispell we realized we had missed our motel by about 15 miles. Backtracked and wondered how we could have possibly overlooked a huge Best Western sign. Anyway, got checked in and had a very good dinner.

By the way, if you haven’t been to Montana then you don’t know about the little white crosses the state puts up wherever there has been a highway fatality. On the two lane roads there are a lot of them, in some places as many 7 or 8 in a 5 mile stretch. Scary…276 miles today.

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