August 9
A rainy morning is a slow morning for us. Today was Kalispell to take care of some 'town' stuff, then a stop at a Flathead Lake boat landing for some dinner - pasta!, and camping at Flathead Lake - same spot as last time - apparently there are more trails right there for us to check out!
August 10
More rain and 50sF - was supposed to be done and maybe warm a little noonish. In the morning we sought out a Flathead cherry stand (got 2 pounds of deliciousness for $5) and spent another $5 on some Hutterite veggies. The rest of the morning we did some reading - each finishing a book! I'm thinking I'll start a list of books read here, I think Rudy may end up with more this year than his whole life thus far! Early afternoon, it did stop raining, and we prepared for our outings on the Beardance trail. This was a little overgrown, so wet grass and brush made clothes wet quickly, and it didn't really warm up, so the damp and cold made a little challenge - luckily I overdressed and was hiking and running. Otherwise nice trails (though I'm glad I didn't bike, with all the slick rocks and roots) mostly in denser woods - I didn't see much for fauna, but flora can still be cool no matter the weather!
Unfortunately Rudy had pretty cold hands and feet biking, but sitting in the running van drinking hot tea got us warmed up enough to jump in the lake! An early meal of burritos with jalapenos warmed us up some more. Also finished Game of Thrones first season - feeling more accomplished than yesterday!
August 11
We drove around the south end of Flathead Lake to depart Montana and head to the Lost Creek trail in the Idaho Panhandle. I planned an out and back on the trail for ~16 miles of hike/run (a few more miles than the Beardance Trail) while Rudy made a loop, going up the less steep gravel road and down the trail. Going up the trail, however, I crawled over 200+ downed trees! There was a few nice views though, and a cool little rock slide to cross.
I met Rudy near the top of the trail - he had already encountered a few downed trees, and after my report, opted for the road back. I also took the road for ~12.5 speedy descending miles for me - I don't think I have run a sub-7 minute mile since Grandma's marathon, let alone sub 8 or 9 even! Probably not the best 'training' for Wasatch, but fun. And I saw a coyote and a moose! I'm not familiar with moose size range, but I think it was a good size bull moose that I kept chasing down the road, that I had to pause and walk a few minutes until he was out of sight. I Didn't get a good picture though. Sunny and warmer, but in the evening it cooled off enough for hot food to sound good - grilled swiss and sundried tomato sandwiches and creamy mushroom soup - almost gourmet! Then another early bed time, I was incredibly tired with 21 miles/5 hours on my feet!
August 12
Yeah, legs a little tired and sore! Mount Coeur d'Alene (Beauty Creek Road, Caribou Ridge - seems to be a few names) was the next stop. I stuck with an out and back on the road while Rudy explored more of the trails - hotter and sunnier again - 80s here. Following the rides, we headed for groceries - back in WinCo land! We spent way too much time there restocking on some bulk goods and getting some dinner iems before making our way back up to Spirit Lake to visit Ryan and Mara a little more and see progress on the place - coming along slowly but surely! I am so impressed with the challenges some people take on! We cooked up some steaks, chicken sausages, and corn on the cob, and Mara whipped up some amazing peanut butter cookies - all incredibly satisfying!
August 13
No adventures, just more good visiting and kind of helping out around the house - I snuck in a little road run. Ryan had some family come in from MN, they had some jet leg to deal with so early bed time was agreeable for everyone!
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