Our day of travel started off at the early hour of 5:00 am EST! We were headed out of Hot-lanta on a big jet by 9:00 am, on our way to Salt Lake City, UT. Four hours later and after a short layover in Utah, we were a little more awake and excited about our adventure. The flight from Salt Lake to Kalispell, MT was only an hour, and it couldn't have been any longer. We were ready to see the great state of Montana. Finally, the plane began its decent and the mountains were in clear view. It was spectacular! Tiffany was happy that the "flying stuff" was over with and I couldn't wait to hit the wide open road. We were finally in Montana!
Even though we were weary from the flights, we ventured south to the town of Bigfork. It is settled on the north bank of Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. I wish that we could describe for you the scene as we came up on the lake. It was breathtaking! We just had to stop to take pictures as well as dip our feet in the cool, clean water.
After a short time of wading in the lake, skipping rocks across the glassy top, and taking lots of pics, we decided to travel a little further south along the shore. I had a hard time keeping her eyes on the road for the scenic views across the lake. There were many cherry orchards lining the road. We didn't bother to stop but will pick some up later. Our stomachs told us to turn back towards town to get some food. We found a nice grill at the Marina Cay in Bigfork that served us up some fresh whitefish and BBQ chicken.
With our stomachs full we headed towards Whitefish where our Bed and Breakfast family was waiting for our arrival. It's a quaint B&B with all the necessities of a home away from home (hot tub, big screen TV, A/C, hiking trails, and home cooked food). It didn't take us long to put our stuff in our room, freshen up, and hit the road again. This time we headed to the town of Whitefish.
We walked down the street that was lined with small shops and local restaurants. Of course we bought a few gifts and postcards to send to friends. It was a restored western town with trendy storefronts. We explored the town further by vehicle by driving up to the ski resort of The Big Mountain. We caught a view of Whitefish Lake which we plan on exploring further tomorrow. Our drive through the forest was a bit scary for fear of the great grizzly bears yet peaceful as we rolled down the windows and allowed the fresh air in.
-Sarah