Heading Towards Kalispell

Forgot to include this one.  We arrived at the Stage Stop Inn in Choteau, the room wasn't quite ready but the lady at the desk offered to take this pic as we were having a one-bottle beer party; finishing leftovers from the Boze apt.

Speaking of beer, Montana is loaded with craft breweries so when we went out to dinner we only drank the local brew.   We found a local variety called Scotch ale (rich, dark, kinda like Newcastle Brown) and ordered it from whatever brewery the place offered.

A few shots before leaving Choteau.

A telephoto looking down Main St. towards the county court house in a circle.

There seems to be a pie competition among small town cafes in MT.  We discovered peanut butter pie back in Three Forks and went to this place for a PBP lunch/snack.  Here's their list of fresh, homemade pie, PBP isn't on the list but they had it.

I'm ashamed to admit that we dug into the pie b4 taking a photo.  But Herman gazed down upon us benignly so it was OK, I guess.

The grizzly is the most feared mammal in North America.  A century ago, they even roamed in northern Arizona.  But now their range dips a little bit into the far north of the lower 48 and in spots in Canada & Alaska.   There was another mounted grizzly snarling at us much more fiercely...the sign bragged that he was mounted 50 years ago.  But what I saw was the effects of a 47 year moth attack on the poor guy so I shot this one.

We went to the local museum; I could regale you with boring frontier museum shots.  I'll leave you with just one...a page from a jail booking log from 1947.  The fellow at the bottom was a mere 19 years old, booked for forgery. 

The last Choteau shot was taken as we left having dinner.  That's the back of the courthouse and a few of the many grain storage silos.  It turns out this area has very intensive agricultural activity...spring & winter wheat, barley for brewing & others I forgot.  The road entering town was loaded with rows & rows of silos.

Heading towards Kalispell, we had a mostly cloudless sky.  So instead of big sky, it's blue sky.  Our route took us along the southern tip and along the southwest edge of Glacier Nat'l Park before striking west to Kalispell.  This is a shot into Glacier.  I think they should post a sign that says "Limited Skiing Today".  (The trees are blurred because they're closer o our moving car.)

Another Susanne pic...clouds & hay.

We arrived in Kalispell and chilled out for a couple of days.  Didn't do much or take pics til our road trip on Sunday.

So I'll end here & cover that next.