Whitefish, MT

A few days in the Whitefish area with very little cell service - yes! and some quieter locales - also less impressive views, so less picture taken - a little reminescent of the northwoods :)

August 5
Seeing there were recently grizzly bears in the Spencer Mountain area we planned to be in, we figured it was time to get some bear spray, so the morning was spent in Whitefish, checking out the bike shops and eventually getting the spray. Whitefish is a serious tourist town, but seems pretty cool. So Rudy got in some biking, I was a little more chill, hanging around the van, managed some yoga, and got in a little jog. We headed back to Whitefish to check out the city beach - not too shabby, then found a camping spot near Pig Farm trails, for tomorrow's riding.

August 6
So the past week's activities seem to have caught up - slept until 10 am! Oh well, not a problem, really. I tried to get in a little stroll, but saw some black bears right away! Looked like a little one and a medium size one, but I didn't get any closer for better look, just slowly reversed back to the van and had some breakfast instead. I was content with just getting some biking in for the day. I liked the Pig Farm trails! Lots of short segments, relatively easy, but nothing is signed - I am pretty sure I would have been lost without the handy trailforks mountain bike trail app. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot, but I didn't see any one else the entire time - it was like a nice quiet hike through the woods, on bike.

One interesting sight - a small lake with minerally looking shore

So a couple hours of biking, then to a library in Whitefish for some internet and printing, another visit to the beach, then a new camp near Tarry Lake. We're getting better about actually cooking dinner - mmmmm...stirfry

August 7
I managed to get a stroll in this morning on a forest rode and part of the trail we intended to bike and run on. There was some thunderstorms last night, and the grass and trees still had water clinging to them, but the ground was fairly dry. A saw a deer, a grouse, and a few bunnies, no bears today though!
 
It ended up being a big run for me and bike for Rudy on the Tally Gulch, Tally-Ashley, and Bone Gulch Trails - lots of big climbs and descents - 20 miles, with over 5,000' of climbing in just under 5 hours for me :) nice trails, mostly in the woods, but got a few nice views of Tally Lake.
 
After eating and relaxing a bit during some afternoon rain, we ventured down to Tally Lake Campground, where there was a nice day-use beach and picnic area to get refreshed and cook outdoors.


August 8
We took a short drive to park at Star Meadow cabin for an afternoon bike on Ingalls Mountain. Rudy did a little maintenance on the bike while I appreciated some flora.

juniper

cranberry?

snap dragons are a cute little weed!

 This ride was on a hiking trail, that is legal to bike on, but really not meant for bikes! A little above my skill level and maybe a bit much following a long run - lots of hike-a-biking through some steep overgrown sections and some challenging loose rocky stuff - but most of it was manageable, though I did bail on the last 2 miles of trail and took a road back to the van. Of course Rudy loved it. Much of our route was through old burn, which is always interesting - especially with big black stumps, that kind of resemble black bears if you're not used to them! Following the ride, we were uncertain of final destination for the day, but wanted to head toward Kalispell. We stopped at Sylvia Lake Campground - nice, small, quiet, not much for facilities - but free! The lake was good to clean up in (and there were loons!) and we even had a little fire to warm up. Pretty tame wildlife too, the chipmunks and deer are obviously used to people.

 
The only nuisance was wasps, no stings thankfully. We attempted a few hands of poker, but sadly neither of remember much of the rules - something else to do once we have service - get re-educated on some card games!

August 9
Rainy morning, I was appreciating having an outhouse nearby! We headed into Kalispel to take care of some internet tasks and laundry - first laundromat adventure for the trip was a success! Now the plan is to slowly make our way back west, then south.