50 States Day 59

Day 59, Missoula to Kalispell, 129 miles

"I can not do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do."

~Jana Stanfield, Recording artist

A biker friend at the (PP!)KOA campground watched us load up and said, "I hate riding in the rain. I'm waiting this one out." Then when he heard we were heading up the mountains to Glacier, he reiterated his opinion. 

We went anyway.

As we took off, I couldn't help remember the gas station attendant in Colorado warning us it was snowing in Denver and we went anyway. And that didn't turn out well! Are we making another stupid mistake?

We found a store to get some vittles (Montanan talk for groceries) and the rain pounded the parking lot. Yet when we exited the store, it ceased. For awhile? For good? Once again we decided to go.

Riding up toward Kalispell, the woods thin and the grasses appear more arid. Yet the highway still shone with sheen from a previous storm. The skies looked daunting, but no precip yet.

Flathead Lake looks like a place to live. A huge lake, it is bordered by thousands of homes. Looks like a great place to boat and find remote coves. A picnic on one of a dozen or so islands seems like it would be fun. Once more, this desert rat wonders about the winters.

When we arrived in Kalispell, Quilter Girl mused that maybe we should stop at a motel here for the night. It seemed rather silly as West Glacier, our goal, lay only 32 miles away. However, after thirty-seven years of marriage, I decided to skip the reason and logic. 

We checked in to a nice little motel and the rain splattered on the parking lot. The manager told us we missed a huge hailstorm with dime sized ice balls smashing to the earth. We parked the bike and it really rained. 

Good intuition, Quilter Girl!

A note on motels: We gravitate to well kept, old motor lodges, the flat single type. This one was in really good repair. And I love good customer service. The manager asked us if we would please check out the room before signing in, to make sure we would be happy with it. How cool is that?

Additionally, I would like to say thanks to all of you. The blog just passed 20,000 hits! Awesome! I appreciate all you followers and hope you enjoy the journey.

Since there are so many new readers, I should explain the (PP!) before I identify a product. These days we see so much product placement. I watched a movie once and the action stopped and both characters took a swig of (PP!) Diet Pepsi. Stupid. They might as well have stopped the show and said, "Drink Diet Pepsi. We do." I thought that as I sipped a cold Diet Pepsi in the lobby. Wait a minute! It worked.

I tried it on my blog. One posting I mentioned my (PP!) Gold Wing. Melvin Schwrtzwiggle read it. Now Melvin never owned a bike, but he went right down to the dealer's and bought one. When he rode it home his wife Midge met him with a broom. She swung it at him and Melvin swerved and twisted the throttle, crashing through the clothesline. Well, Midge's bra caught him in the helmet, and then he couldn't see. He roared through Bradley Higgins' hedge, who was washing the car. His footpeg caught the hose and he knocked poor Bradley over, giving him a concussion. Because of the hose, Melvin swerved left and bounced off Oscar Middleson's car and terrorized his dog, Ol' Blue Eyes. The dog took off, Melvin and the hose (and Bradley too, for a few feet, before he spun out of the hose) in hot pursuit, the bra straps flapping on either side of his helmet. Tommy Pederson was crossing the street from baseball practice when he saw the dog and thought he was attacking him, so he took a swing at the dog but was late, just like his dad told him at practice. He clubbed Melvin and old Melvin and his bike swerved to the right, across the ditch and landed in a puddle.

Melvin broke his arm, Midge made him return the bike and he had to step up for the damage to the bike, the helmet, the car, the hose, and the bra. Now Midge has a permanent tic above her right eye, Bradley's car is permanently dirty, and Tommy always swings early and fouls out. Ol' Blue Eyes hasn't ventured into the front yard since.

That's a long story, but now I always warn people about product placement. That gives you a chance to get your resistance shields up. It's a win win, because I don't want all that carnage on my conscience either.