19. Montana road trip - part two
Having spent a second comfortable night in Kalispell we set off fairly early for the return drive to Missoula. The scenery alongside the western edge of Flathead Lake was just as pretty as on the journey up and we stopped at one or two scenic spots for the obligatory photo opportunity.
Much of the remainder of our stay was spent socialising. The weather warmed up somewhat over the course of the week to a very pleasant 17C and at one restaurant we were advised that we were the first people to have sat outside for lunch this year!
On the Saturday, Denise had invited over several friends and neighbours for evening drinks and nibbles; once again we were able to sit outside, although a well stocked fire in the fire pit kept most of the chill at bay.
For our last full day in Montana we went on another road trip of some 375 miles to the Bannock National Park. Bannock itself is a ghost town having originally sprung up during the late 19th and early 20th century when gold was discovered in the nearby hills. Today, it's been restored (although not fully), and visitors are able to wander freely into the old houses, saloon, schoolroom and hotel. Some find it a little spooky, but we just thought it was a fascinating piece of American history.
The drive back took us through a vast stretches of flat plain, occupied mainly by beef cattle with majestic, snow capped mountains in the distance. However we still had to drive through those mountains, the passes taking us up to 7,500ft above sea level. Needless to say the views from the top were absolutely stunning...no picture can do them justice....although I will post one just to give an idea.
On the home leg, just before entering the Bitterroot valley, we had the honour of crossing the state line into Idaho....just for a few hundred metres.
And so our Montana leg of our trip came to a close. Of course it's always good to see family, especially after a few years. Montana lived up to its nickname of Big Sky Country in every possible way and must have some of the best mountain scenery in the world, yet alone the United States.
Having said that, I was surprised as to just how developed the Bitterroot valley from
Missoula down to Florence was. On a positive note, there are around 50 microbreweries in the valley but I only managed to taste the beers from three or four. (Purely for scientific research purposes, obviously.) My tip for any future visitors to the region is Blue Sky Brewery's "space goat". A standout winner.
Much of the remainder of our stay was spent socialising. The weather warmed up somewhat over the course of the week to a very pleasant 17C and at one restaurant we were advised that we were the first people to have sat outside for lunch this year!
On the Saturday, Denise had invited over several friends and neighbours for evening drinks and nibbles; once again we were able to sit outside, although a well stocked fire in the fire pit kept most of the chill at bay.
For our last full day in Montana we went on another road trip of some 375 miles to the Bannock National Park. Bannock itself is a ghost town having originally sprung up during the late 19th and early 20th century when gold was discovered in the nearby hills. Today, it's been restored (although not fully), and visitors are able to wander freely into the old houses, saloon, schoolroom and hotel. Some find it a little spooky, but we just thought it was a fascinating piece of American history.
The drive back took us through a vast stretches of flat plain, occupied mainly by beef cattle with majestic, snow capped mountains in the distance. However we still had to drive through those mountains, the passes taking us up to 7,500ft above sea level. Needless to say the views from the top were absolutely stunning...no picture can do them justice....although I will post one just to give an idea.
On the home leg, just before entering the Bitterroot valley, we had the honour of crossing the state line into Idaho....just for a few hundred metres.
And so our Montana leg of our trip came to a close. Of course it's always good to see family, especially after a few years. Montana lived up to its nickname of Big Sky Country in every possible way and must have some of the best mountain scenery in the world, yet alone the United States.
Having said that, I was surprised as to just how developed the Bitterroot valley from
Missoula down to Florence was. On a positive note, there are around 50 microbreweries in the valley but I only managed to taste the beers from three or four. (Purely for scientific research purposes, obviously.) My tip for any future visitors to the region is Blue Sky Brewery's "space goat". A standout winner.
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