June 27
We packed our gear for a late morning departure from Glacier National Park and headed to Whitefish, MT. Before we left the campground, we had a nice visit with a family from Jamye’s hometown, Pensacola, FL! Rick Simmons works as a fireman in Pensacola and his wife, Jennifer is a teacher. They have two kids, Mackenzie and Keegan. We really enjoyed visiting with them and hope to reconnect when we make our next trip to Pensacola. Whitefish was about an hour drive and the road took us through the Flathead National Forest. We stopped by the Lodge at Whitefish Lake which has a magnificent location on the southern end of the Lake. Afterward, we went to the little town of Whitefish for dinner. The town had a high-end feel, with fine shops in an intimate setting. We enjoyed walking along the sidewalks and did a little window shopping before calling it a day.
June 28
We got a late start for Helena, which was about a four-hour drive from Whitefish. We really enjoyed the drive which took us between the Mission Mountains to our west and the Swan Mountains to our east. We briefly passed the north end of Flathead Lake, the largest lake in Montana; we saw sailboats and motorboats enjoying a beautiful Big Sky day! Soon after, we came to Swan Lake and absolutely loved the intimate feel it had, tucked behind stands of spruce and fir. Nearby, we saw a young 6-point (I believe) buck; it appeared that his rack was still growing, with the velvet noticeable through the trees. As we approached Helena, we noticed that many pine stands were brown, hit hard by the pine bark beetle. The problem has worsened over the past years, we were told, because the winters have not had the sustained cold periods to kill the beetle. We arrived for a visit with Mike Dalton, a life-long friend of Bill Wilson, a good friend of mine from International Paper whom I have known for over 20 years. Mike was an incredible host to us, and we spent our first night in five weeks somewhere other than in Hiyo, enjoying the comforts of Mike’s home and hospitality. The three of us had a wonderful dinner, where we heard some amazing stories about his exploits with Bill while the two of them attended Carroll College (in Helena) as roommates back in the 70’s. After dinner, Mike gave us a tour of Helena, which was a mining boomtown in 1864 where the Four Georgians’ Last Chance Gulch flourished. The Last Chance Gulch is now a walking mall; we walked the mall, ate ice cream and then went up the hilly streets west of town and looked at some of the old Victorian homes of Helena. We were pleased to have spent time with Mike and hope to spend time together in the future. Thanks, Mike!
June 29
I was back in the saddle on the Lewis and Clark Trail again for the first time in a week. The ride was southeast to Three Forks and, yes, the wind was out of the southeast at 10-15 mph. The first half of the ride to Townsend was nice, with the Rockies off in the distance. From Townsend, though, the ride became stressful, with almost no shoulder to ride on and heavy traffic on Hwy 287. I spent much of my time in the gravel to the right of the narrow shoulder, and I had to constantly watch for traffic in my rearview mirror. Storms were moving in fast and at mile 59, about 5 miles from Three Forks, I called Jamye because lightening was just ahead of me. She came to pick me up, which ended a nerve-racking afternoon ride.
