We had another gorgeous day on our hands and wanted to head into the Park. Something remote sounded great. Our friend suggested Kintla Lake which is in the far northwest corner of the Park and has a resident pack of wolves. We began the 2 hour trek there but first had to stop at the Polebridge Mercantile. What a terrific place. This is a general store/bakery/mail stop/emergency air evacuation center all rolled into one. It's actually been in operation since 1914 and I can't imagine how remote it was then since it's about 30 miles of washboarded dirt road to get there now! There are actually several families that live in and near the Merc.
Our first task was sampling goods from the bakery - Jim had a sticky bun with pecans and I had a huckleberry and apple strudel made from fruit grown right there. The girl behind the counter asked us if we wanted them wrapped to go....uh, no, we'll eat them right now, still warm, on the front porch. Delicious indeed! Jim asked if he could get cologne with the smell from inside, it was wonderful.
Fortified by our pastries we continued on to Kintla Lake, another 14 miles of unmaintained road, most of it one lane. The drive was beautiful, generally following the Flathead River and crossing creeks and meadows. Then the lake.....still, quiet and gorgeous in the sunny afternoon. There's a trail along the north shore heading deeper into the Park but this has to be one of the least visited places in the Park. Unfortunately we didn't hear or see any wildlife other than deer, oh well. There were only a few other folks there and they were camping at the lake, what a great place they would have at night. I think a full moon kayak on the lake would be perfect and maybe hearing a wolf in the distance. That will have to wait till our next visit.
We start our southbound trip for AZ tomorrow and expect to be there in about a week or so, depends on what we find, which is the whole point after-all. More to follow...
Our first task was sampling goods from the bakery - Jim had a sticky bun with pecans and I had a huckleberry and apple strudel made from fruit grown right there. The girl behind the counter asked us if we wanted them wrapped to go....uh, no, we'll eat them right now, still warm, on the front porch. Delicious indeed! Jim asked if he could get cologne with the smell from inside, it was wonderful.
Fortified by our pastries we continued on to Kintla Lake, another 14 miles of unmaintained road, most of it one lane. The drive was beautiful, generally following the Flathead River and crossing creeks and meadows. Then the lake.....still, quiet and gorgeous in the sunny afternoon. There's a trail along the north shore heading deeper into the Park but this has to be one of the least visited places in the Park. Unfortunately we didn't hear or see any wildlife other than deer, oh well. There were only a few other folks there and they were camping at the lake, what a great place they would have at night. I think a full moon kayak on the lake would be perfect and maybe hearing a wolf in the distance. That will have to wait till our next visit.
We start our southbound trip for AZ tomorrow and expect to be there in about a week or so, depends on what we find, which is the whole point after-all. More to follow...