As we continued east, the wheat fields of eastern Washington gently gave way to rolling hills and grazing cattle. Outside of Spokane, Washington, pine forests appeared, and highway signs asked us to watch for deer. We drove through Idaho's 73 mile wide panhandle, travelling with logging trucks through mining towns. Lakes became more plentiful, and the rolling hills rose to meet the distant mountains that divide Idaho from neighboring Montana. "Chains On Area" on the Idaho side of Look Out Pass and in a blink, "Chains Off Area", and we were in Montana. There was still snow in the mountains, but fortunately not enough on the road for us to need chains!
The forest was thicker, more dense, on the Montana side of the pass. We stopped for grilled cheese sandwiches at Winki's Diner in St Regis (is there anything more comforting than a grilled cheese sandwich when you are far from home?), and then left Interstate 90 in order to reach Glacier National Park, one hundred miles to the north, at the Canadian border.
The views along the drive were breathtaking, but the two-lane narrow country roads had no room for us to safely pull over and snap photos. As a rule, I resist taking photos through the window, but I made an exception today. Ron reminded me of his favorite part of the trip so far: driving, and seeing America through the windshield. The pictures aren't half bad - and it doesn't hurt that Ron is a compulsive window cleaner!!
As we continued north, we noticed a change in the ranches and homesites: they were bigger, more architecturally interesting, and meticulously landscaped. There were split-rail fences instead of electric wires. There was state-of-the-art tractors and farming equipment stored in immaculate barns.
Little towns began to pop up, with Christies and Sotheby real estate offices. There was big money here. The highway skirted Flathead Lake, and it was easy to imagine the scene here in the summer, Montana's Myrtle Beach.
We made it to the Bear's Den at Sky-Eco Lodge before nightfall, which is where we will spend the next two nights. We are less than 6 miles from the entrance to Glacier National Park, and the plan is to explore the park tomorrow on e-bikes we have reserved for the day. The National Weather Service is predicting snow, but they have been wrong before....
Car Talk
Distance: 405 miles
Driving Time: 7 hours, 45 minutes
Mileage: 33.6 mpg
Average speed: 52 mph
Trip total: 5,929.6 miles
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