Sunday, July 8th: Polson, MT or…got water?

We had a good night sleep in the fishing room: the whole place is just breathing FISHING, even the What an excellent breakfast for my boss: even the wash-basin. Wonder how a dog themed room would look like?

My boss got a tasty breakfast: spinach-bacon-swiss quiche and scones – just made in the oven. That will give her some energy to move around. The locals advice us to take the east side of the lake: some steeper hills (but shorter) and much more scenic along Flathead Lake. Sometimes I wish my boss would make up her mind which way to go: it’s the third time she crosses that Flathead Valley – now again from west to east. 

We cycle along some more yellow fields before entering Bigfork (do not see any fork at all!)

 It’s still too early to stop at the DQ. The narrow road is not a bother: the traffic is very courteous to us and sometimes – if it is possible – we do go off the road and let cars go by. Woods Bay has a nice gas station – good to stock up with some more water. We roll up and down, sometimes in the woods, sometimes along cherry orchards,  and plenty of times next to the big lake. 

It’s supposed to be the biggest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi! It’s 27 miles long – just imagine from Oostende to halfway Ghent! Halfway we enter the Flathead Indian Reservation. I crawl a little bit deeper into the bag – scared for arrows – but my boss assures me there’s nothing to worry about. Two tribes (The Salish and the Kootenai) now control this area of 1.3 million acres. Not much when you know they thrived on 22 million acre territory in Western USA and Canada! 

After a break along the roadside with a fabulous view of the water (that water is clear – have a need to go for a swim in this warm weather!) I notice I have to encourage my boss to keep pedaling: the legs are getting a bit sore and the mind is not working along very well, she says! Anyhow: we do arrive at a good time in Polson – giving us enough time to wind down at the lake and restock at Safeways. I’ll have to give my boss a good pep talk for tomorrow’s ride into Missoula. It’s gonna be a long one and not too easy!