7/10 - West Glacier to Missoula

The weather forecast was way off today for which we were very grateful.  We had a 90% chance of heavy rain but the drive south to Missoula was beautiful. The rain didn’t start until 3:00 pm which was quite acceptable.

No history lessons today……just lots of beautiful scenery.

Near the northern end of Flathead Lake (directly west of West Glacier), the biggest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi (if you don’t county Red Lake and Lake of the Woods which are actually north of the Mississippi per Wikipedia).  It’s a glacial lake, 27.3 miles long and 15.5 miles wide.  We drove down the east side of the lake and it seemed to go on forever.

Another view of Flathead Lake.  Named for the Salish (or Flathead) Indian tribe that lives at the south end.  They were incorrectly called Flathead Indians by the first Europeans who came to the area.  The Flatheads called themselves Salish which meant “the people.”  They never practiced head flattening, but the Columbia River tribes who shaped the front of their heads to create a pointed appearance spoke of their neighbors, the Salish, as “flatheads” in contrast.  Now they’re stuck with it.

.

The highway we took ran down the east side of the lake so the mountains in the picture are to the west.  The most noticeable thing in this area (besides the gorgeous scenery) is cherries.  Lots of little stands are set up to sell cherries from the numerous orchards along the lake.  Cherries and huckleberries are the biggest thing going on here.  It seems like every business is selling huckleberries in various forms…..jams, preserves, pie fillings, pies.  Grizzly bears gorge themselves on huckleberries this time of year, eating up to 100,000 per day per bear.  That’s a monumental amount of berries.

A beautiful farm at the south end of the lake.  

The high mountains to the west are the beginning of the Rockies.  The clouds were all piled up on top of them.  Flathead Lake is to the right (east).

Pond near the south end of Flathead Lake with lots of waterfowl.  There was an extensive area a few miles north of here with ponds marked “waterfowl protection.”  There were masses of waterfowl so evidently they can read the signs.

This bridge is marked “Animals’ Trail.”  It is solely for the purpose of getting animals safely across the highway, a really great idea.

After leaving the lake and heading south to Missoula the land is covered in brown grasses and evergreens.  It’s an odd combination.

Our campsite tonight is surrounded by evergreens.  It’s been raining steadily since mid-afternoon so has a bit of a rain-forest feel to it.  We went to the Fort Missoula Museum of History before getting groceries and found it to be rather small and limited.  We might have had a different opinion of it if the rain hadn’t prevented us from seeing the outside exhibits. 

Tomorrow we’re moving to the campground at Fairchild AFB outside Spokane, Washington, for four nights.