Montana

Monday, August 09, 2021
Polson, Montana, United States
8/9:  Engine light came on yesterday so added oil and coolant.  Wanted to wash out the radiator. The people at Deer Park RV said absolutely NO. Suggested the gas station, but that didn't work out. 
 I-90 north. Pretty hills with golden wheat colored meadows. Sheridan Wyoming Rest Stop. Great visitor center displays, brochures, exhibits. Nice dump station with a really long hose. No people using it. Perfect spot for cleaning the radiator. Yea, no more overheating.  

Variety of scenery today: hilly meadows, rivers, mountains, farmland. Have driven this route several times on various trips. One of these years, this should be the destination and spend time in Bighorn National Forest.

All our first-choice campgrounds were full around Billings. Drove about an hour more; really bad winds here; the worst yet. 
COLUMBUS, MT - Mountain Range RV Park
50-amp pull through; ok for overnight. Dirt/gravel road and sites. Back of campground is at base of hill. We were faced forward with views of the huge mountains across the highway. Sat in front seat watching fantastic sunset--very beautiful pink/purple sky after the sun went behind the mountain. This was the best part of being at this campground.  Right next to I-90 so road noise and trains with loud whistles--our 6am wake-up call.

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8/10:  Lots of Yellowstone River views along the drive today. Wind the entire way progressively worse heading west.

Cattle ranching country, which means more bad moo jokes from Randy:
Why are the cows lying down?  "they are in a bad moooood"
Cows favorite night?                  "when its a full moooon" 
Favorite views: Absaroka Mountain Range just before Bozeman, Tobacco Root Mountains near Whitehall, crossing Continental Divide looking down at the valley far below by Butte. Smoke haze worse.
DEER LODGE, MT - Indian Creek RV Park
Very nice! Extremely wide all gravel roads. Sites have grass with gravel parking. Very well maintained. Around 6:00 after it cooled down, took a walk through the woods on a nice trail next to the rv park.  A fawn came out of the woods, startled, looked at us and took off. Seconds later the mother and another fawn did the same thing. Cool!! 
Sunset itself was not much; however, the pink in the sky after it went behind the mountain was incredible! Entire sky was color.  Couldn't stop taking pictures. The color was so vivid, the picture looks altered.
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8/11: Continuing west on I-90. Great scenery along the Clark Fork River.

At Missoula, north on Hwy 93. Very scenic drive through Flathead Valley and the Flathead Reservation. Interesting to see the signs that are in two languages, English and Salish, the language used by the Pend d'Oreille and Salish tribes of the Flathead Reservation.

POLSON, MT - KOA
Premium site was only one left. WOW, what a view! The park is on a hill overlooking Flathead Lake and the mountains surrounding it. Outstanding RV park. Site had patio area with iron table-chairs, grill, double Adirondack chair swing. Private airfield at base of hill. Pretty cool watching the several planes that landed/took off. 


Lunch at the restaurant at bottom of the hill. The Shoe, which has outdoor dining on a balcony above the lake. A+ for view; F for food and service: Pizza was about as good as frozen ones; burger overcooked. Waitress never smiled. Service very slow; only 5-8 tables of people. Burger came 10 min after pizza.
Very hot in the afternoon--91.  Spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing around the lake. Polson is at the south end of Flathead Lake. Drove up the east side since the drive north tomorrow is along the west side.  Local produce stand to try the cherries that grow in this area.

Finley Point State Park: nice detour to the Point of this small, scenic peninsula that juts out onto the southeast section of the lake. So many deer roaming among the orchards. Stopped constantly at the pullouts for the fabulous views. Quite a few large burned areas along the forested mountains. 

Big Fork, which is at the north end of the lake, is lined with quaint shops and boutiques, eateries, and art galleries. Planned on going this far and returning. Changed our minds and kept going all the way around.  (Hindsight: Should have gone clockwise so lake was on same side of road). 
Too long of a drive--2.5 hours. 
Thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting on the swing watching the sky change color as the sun set, which was a weird pink smoky haze. One of best campground views ever!!!
Watched sun come up between the two mountains--a bright ball of gold illuminating a path across the water. What a way to start the day--only had to open the front curtain. 
Drove into Polson to check out this charming waterfront town. Lake City Bakery--nice people; granddaughter waited on us; grandpa bakes, grandma decorates the donuts. Too hard to choose, ended up with a dozen. Yumm!
Waterfront area fabulous! Polson Interpretive Trail: really nice paved trail along the spectacular Flathead Lake connecting Salish, Sacajawea and Riverside Parks. Over a dozen signs along the path depicting tribal and city history. Early morning perfect time to come here; only a few people.
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