July 5 - Big Sky Montana Bursting with Color

I love Montana! Big skies, meadows, and mountains – all bursting with color! Today I headed east and then north all the way around Glacier National Park to the small town of Cut Bank, Montana. My plan is to position myself to enter the park via the city of St. Mary tomorrow so that I can ride the entire length of the Going to the Sun Road west to Apgar.

Leaving Bonners Ferry this morning I headed east on highway 2 and skirted the Kootenai River as I passed through the towns of Leonia, Troy, and Libby. It seemed like every time I went around a curve I saw another beautiful view of the light blue-green river water framed by towering mountains and blue sky. Continuing on highway 2, I passed Horseshoe Lake and McGregor Lake on my way to Kalispell where I stopped for gas and lunch.

I highly recommend the burger and fries I had at Mudman Burgers in Kalispell. Eating the made to order burger from fresh ground beef was like enjoying a three-course meal all on one plate. The burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, bacon, special sauce, and chili – all of which are homemade! When I found out the fries were hand cut and lightly seasoned with spices, I had to have some of those as well. Fortunately, I averted my eyes when I saw the dessert menu – or I would have had to order a homemade shake as well.

After my hearty lunch I continued east on highway 2 past West Glacier and East Glacier Park Village. Driving along the outskirts of Glacier National Park was invigorating as the clean, crisp mountain air provided a welcome relief from the heat earlier in the day. The road on this portion of the trip followed the Middle Fork Flathead River for much of the way. I am glad there were not too many good places to pull over to take photos as I would have never reached my destination for the night otherwise – the views of the meandering river framed by the majestic mountains and the bright blue sky were simply magnificent.