Hungry Horse - Montana
A True Story
BY: Cathy Burford
We are settled in at Hungry Horse, Mt. for five days to explore the fabulous Flathead Valley! Let me explain how Hungry Horse got its name...In the severe winter of 1900 two draft horses employed in the logging business wandered away and were lost. These wily horses, Tex & Jerry, were found in chest-high snow a month later, scrawny and famished. Their owners managed to nurse them back to health and they were rewarded with their namesake town-and there you have it!
We drove into Bigfork, Mt. to take care of some business at the UPS store. It's a busy place, as it seems lots of people are vacationing here AND trying to take care of things back home. Bigfork is situated on fabulous Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi (28 miles long, 15 miles wide, 350 feet deep). It is stunningly clear, and reminds us of Lake Tahoe, only bigger! Bigfork has quite an arts community- playhouses, galleries, etc., so you shouldn't be surprised to know that the 'Singing Sons of Beaches' performs every Sunday afternoon at the Sitting Duck, which is located right on the water here. The Sitting Duck is quite the place; good food, open air (perfect on an 80 degree, sunny afternoon), courtesy dock, and if you brings kiddos, they can play in the water while your order is prepared!
We drove the entire 'Lake Road' that circles Flathead Lake, and passed many little villages. It's almost like being in Harrods for the first time; you're afraid to look left, as you'll miss something on the right. Stunning mountain vistas in every direction, cherry orchards, and as if that wasn't enough, on the way back we passed several canola fields, their vibrant yellow a perfect compliment to the purple/blue mountains and green fields!
Next we explored nearby Whitefish, which is also gorgeous, has its own lake, a classic working Amtrak depot, quaint downtown just a few blocks long with restaurants, up-scale shops and even a brewery-Great Northern. They serve one micro-brew that is laced with huckleberry juice-it was my favorite! We drove up to Big Mountain Ski Area, just a few miles straight up from Whitefish. The gondola up to the top came highly recommended, so even though I had taken a solemn oath NEVER to go up in one, I decided to just 'get over it' and hop aboard! The 360 degree views at the top were well worth it! The views on the way probably would have been worth it, too, but I mostly stared at the mountain so that it wouldn't seem so far from terra firma! The air up there is definitely clear, and it smells so good! If I were a skier I guess I would already know that!
There are a plethora of hiking/biking trails heading off in multiple directions from the summit (which also has a bar/restaurant/gift shop and even a nature center for the kiddos). You can send your mountain bikes to the top in their unique little lift, then bike down at breakneck speed, if you are so inclined. We chose not to, precisely because of the incline!
There was a bit of a lapse in these travel updates, so that we could surprise our friends who arrived here today. Walked in at the end of the World Cup finals, to their complete shock, then we headed the few miles to Hungry Horse Dam to check that out. The reservoir is rumored to have fantastic fishing, but we just didn't have the time to verify that.
We finished up our short stay here with a short little drive to Kalispell. This town has it all, with its cute historic downtown, lots of REAL shopping (Target, Lowes, Bed, Bath & Beyond for example), and the bonus of an international airport. Add all of that up & it's perfection!
From what we have seen here in the Flathead Valley in just a few days, a month here would be just about right to do it justice...
Yours from the road,
Cathy & William
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