I left St. Ignatius at 5:45 AM and arrived at the
Flathead County Fairgrounds, in Kalispell, at 7:30 AM. It was a beautiful drive
along Flathead Lake and pine covered mountains.
Most of the group were here already and have the shaded
sites. We have electricity, but only 20 Amps. This is not enough to run the air
conditioners on the big motorhomes. I could run mine but it is a bit cooler
here and we have a light wind blowing.
I located the library and did some shopping. Kalispell is
a good sized city and has all the stores we need. At the 4:00 PM circle meeting
we discussed what we will be doing this week. Our host and co host did some leg
work and if the weather does not change we will have some exciting adventures.
7-23-13
This morning I volunteered to be a shuttle driver for
bringing the trucks to where the kayakers will end their trip. Linda and I were
the drivers and Doc was bringing us to the place where the trip started and
then followed us and picked us up when we were done with the delivery of the
trucks.
On the way we had a mishap. We had to stop on the side of
the road because the kayaks wanted to do their thing on the road instead on the
river. They had to be secured better and then we carried on.
There is some excitement when the kayakers get ready.
There they go. One of those days I will join them with my own kayak.
7-24-13
We have our 5:00 PM circle meeting under a weeping
willow, and it is weeping. One can feel the tiny drops on bare arms and legs.
Besides moisture, small, green bugs come down too. They are harmless.
After yesterdays circle meeting I went to the library and
then to Tuesday Music in the Park. It is in a down town park. The music was
good, but I would have a hard time describing what kind of music it was. A few WINs came on their bicycles, which was
smart since I had a difficult time finding a space to park my car.
Yesterday, at the circle meeting, we were asked who will
drive cars for today’s outing to Glacier National Park. Only Karen and I raised
our hands. When the question came up who needs a ride, not many hands were
raised. Linda W wanted to ride with me. This
was rare occasion where we did not go as a group. People wanted to do different
things at the park. Some wanted to go only half way, up to Logan Pass and the
Visitor Center. Others wanted to go there and hike to Hidden Lake. I wanted to
go all the way to St. Mary and then go to the Two Medicine Entrance at the
south end of the park. I told Linda what I wanted to do and it was fine with
her.
A car full of WINs left at 7:30 PM. They wanted to go on
a long hike in the park. Linda and I left at 8:30 AM. She had to take care of
her dog first.
Our first stop was at Lake McDonald.
Then we stopped at the Lake McDonald Lodge. A small tour
bus was just leaving.
The inside of the lodge is a reminder that this is Indian
country.
A tour boat leaves from this location.
Not very far from the lodge are the McDonald Falls.
I walked the .8 mile round trip Trail of the Cedars while
Linda stayed with the car.
There is also a small waterfall.
The tour busses from the thirties seem to be very
popular.
There are beautiful valleys in the park.
Snow is still melting and water is coming down from the
higher elevations.
The highway is called: Going to the Sun Road.
At the Logan Pass Visitor Center I walked part of the
Hidden Lake Trail.
The view from the trail is terrific.
Flowers are all over the place.
The parking lot is always full. It took us fifteen
minutes to get a spot. One has to be patient. The park wants people to use the free shuttle buses. Some of the WINs were already
here. We saw the parked cars. They are hard to miss with the kayaks on top. We
ate our lunch and left.
We stopped at a lake with a small island.
At the St. Mary Visitor Center we met Dan and Karen. They
were not able to find a parking spot at the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Linda
and I looked at some of the displays and kept on going.
At Two Medicine Lake we went to the store and bought ice
cream.
The Running Eagle Falls are coming out of the mountain
wall. Pictures look different. I believe when there is more water coming down
the water comes over the top. Youngsters were jumping in the water from the
side of the falls.
We stopped at the Goat Lick outlook. People tried to show
us were the goats were resting. They saw the goats when they were walking
around. Now they were resting and we could not see them. There seems to be salt
in the soil and the goats come here and lick the side of the hill.
We came home at about 7:00 PM. It was a 220 mile loop.
Pictures do not do justice to the scenery in the park. Only a video camera can
capture those magnificent mountains and valleys.
7-25-13
Eight of us decided to do something exciting. We drove to
the Whitefish Mountain Resort in Whitefish and signed up for flying on a zip
line.
We arrived there at 9:30 AM and since we had no
reservation had to wait until 12:45 PM for our adventure. We took the ski lift
up the mountain and spent the time up there.
It was hazy and the view in the valley was not that
great.
Maynard came along to take pictures.
At the summit is a little museum.
We had lunch there.
People bring their bicycles up and ride down the
mountain.
When it was time for our appointment we went on the lift
again and headed for the resort.
There we were fitted with a harness and helmet.
We also were given a trolley which we had to carry to the
start station.
The group is ready to go. Six more people were attached
to our group.
Our first zip line was about 500 feet long and was used
to familiarize us with the process. We were taught the different positions and
how to contact the blanket, which stops us, at the end of the line.
Gene and I are getting ready to fly. We were the only men in the WIN group. The women organized this and they had more courage.
Karen is coming down ready to hit the red blanket. Upon
contact it sound like a canon shot. It is really loud but the springs on the
top beam take the impact and it does not hurt or it is uncomfortable.
Here the left person hit the blanket and the right person
is still moving. Speed can be controlled by spreading the arms out.
It is a wonderful feeling flying through the trees at 50
miles per hour. The 2000 foot line is the fastest.
At every end of the line is a hydration station. There was
plenty of water and it was welcome.
We did seven stations. After a while the trolley got
heavy. At every start point we gave the trolley to the guide. He put it on the
wire and hooked us to the trolley via our harness. Short people had to be
lifted for that. We were tethered to the post. When the line was clear the
guide unhooked us and we took off. It took us two and a half hours to finish
the seven lines.
Here is Maynard taking pictures and movies at one of the
lines. Walking from one station to the
other was the most difficult part in the heat. We had fun though. Nobody
complained.
7-26-13
I started the morning with my daily power walk with Donna
B. I stay with her 30 minutes, sometimes 45 minutes. We leave at 6:45 AM. When
I leave her and go back to the motorhome she opens her paperback book and reads
while she is walking . One of those days she will end up in a ditch or fall in
a hole. She goes bicycling with another guy and dances every dance when we go
dancing. For a 71 year old person she has a lot of energy.
At 8:00 AM I was at the Laundromat doing two loads of
laundry. My next stop was Albertson’s to buy groceries. From there I went to
the library. This took care of the morning. In the afternoon I read and just
took it easy. Most of the group went kayaking. Some of them ended up in the
water. All of them had a good time and at the 4:00 PM circle meeting we heard
all about it.
7-27-13
7-27-13
Today was Farmers Market at the Community College. I
bought four pounds of cherries. This should keep me regular for a few days. The
rest of the day I finished reading a book. There were all kind of fests in the
neighboring towns. I treated myself by having lunch at a Chinese Buffet.
Eight of the group went for a long hike in the mountains.
In the evening we went to the Eagles Lodge for dancing.
Some of the WINs are members of this organization. A very good western band
provided the music. Unfortunately more than twice as many women than men went
dancing. I danced almost all dances whether I liked it or not. Phil asked for
waltzes and I was perspiring profusely through those. They never seem to end.
Linda W tried to help me with posture and hearing the beat.
A local man was celebrating his birthday and his wife had
brought a large birthday cake. They were with friends. When they noticed our
group they were asking questions. People seem to be fascinated with the WINs
lifestyle. People often say:” I wish I could do that”. The man celebrating his
birthday and his wife are going on a one year trip with their RV. They had a
lot of questions. We all celebrated the birthday and ate cake.
Some of the local men danced with our women. This was
really nice.
7-28-13
Our morning walks through the Kalispell neighborhood
remind me of Des Plaines. Before the Dutch elm disease killed all the trees, on
both sides of the street, Washington Street looked just like this.
This morning I took the motorhome to the water faucets at
the fairground and filled the fresh water tank. Then I went across the street
to the Exxon station and got gasoline and emptied the holding tanks. I am ready
for leaving tomorrow morning. A few people have left already. When I came back
I set up the motorhome and got ready to go to Wells Fargo and get some money
and go to Home Depot. Peggy and Marvin came back from their long bicycle ride
and asked me whether I would go for lunch. I told them that I had other plans.
But when I was done with my chores I decided to go to Bigfork and join the
group. Bigfork is a tourist town on Flathead Lake. It has many art galleries
and knick knack stores.
When I arrived there I looked for cars with kayaks on
top. I asked a person in a gallery for a restaurant on the lake. He gave me two
names and told me where they were located. I drove five miles out of town and
there were several vehicles with kayaks and WIN decals on the cars. They had
already toured the town and were eating lunch now. I ordered two tacos which
came with a salad.
Some of the buildings are built like in Austria or Bavaria.
The weather is almost back to normal
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