Montana and Glacier National Park

I stayed with a BMWMOA guy named Wayne in Montana. I happened to be around over a weekend, so I was able to go on a ride with Wayne and his friends Bill and Mary.

We started by visiting a dam just outside of Kalispell. It's always amazing to see these feats of engineering. I stood looking down the dry side wondering how they picked this exact spot to stop this river and store its flows. A rock accidentally fell down the side and skidded until it hit the stone a few hundred feet below. In the water management course I took in college I learned that tall narrow canyons are best for dams because the lakes that fill them have small surface areas in comparison to their volumes. The big drop down brought this fact back to mind.

Afterwards we went to Glacier NP for a drive up the road that bisects the park. Unfortunetly we couldn't do the whole loop because the road above had been damaged. The glacial lake beside the lower part of the road provided a great reflection of the mountains above. We stopped beside the river that feeds the lake to check out a waterfall and some rapids. There was serious evidence of highwater in the bridge that had been badly damaged aparently by several whole trees.

Outside the park about 15 miles down a dirt road we stopped at a commune named Poleridge which is known for its bakery. It reminded me a little of Christiania in Denmark. We ate these sandwhiches which had the meat baked inside. They certainly were tasty. Sitting in a valley carved by glaciers with jagged peaks in the distance on all sides again reminded me how much I love mountains. The temperature was great and the subtle wind that rustled the leaves tried to lure me to sleep. But I resisted and enjoyed the return trip back down the gravel path.

The next important question was dinner, so I volunteered for an "away game," as Rett calls cooking in someone else's kitchen. The last big meal I made was in since Seattle and I was ready to do it again. I used Zach's favorite Montreal Chicken and whipped up a BBQ special. In the store I found a perfectly ripe Tuscan melon and made the Italian classic, proscuitto e melone. It was great to jump right into a new dynamic. I really had a good time.