Day 8. ( August 11th) Continuing West to Kalispell, Montana.

It was another one of those days where a quick check of the weather radar gave us pause. We were not expecting to see a nasty band of weather barreling down on us from the West. So we took some time and waited until we could wait no longer and finally, loaded up the bikes, put on the rain gear and set off towards dark and stormy skies.

The waiting paid off and we only caught a few passing sprinkles and most of the weather seemed to pass North of us. Once again we travelled along Route 2 and although not quite as fast as in North Dakota we still made good time. We stopped for coffee in the small town of Shelby, Montana, where we were greeted by a cheerful local who told us to buy bear spray if we were going to Glacier National Park!

Finally, we could see what we had come for as we approached the Rocky Mountains. As we feared there was a significant haze in the sky. This is smoke from various wild fires that are burning in Northern Montana, Idaho and Washington States. However, apparently most of the smoke is coming down from British Columbia where they are having the worst fire season for decades.

We decided to stay on Route 2, knowing it would be a little quicker than the alternate routes. Even though we weren't traveling through the main part of the park it was quite beautiful. We even found a lovely spot for a picnic!

We then got back on the road and completed the rest of today's route to reach Kalispell, MT. We have rented a little cottage in town from HomeAway. We found it without any trouble, are delighted with the amenities and know we will be very comfortable here for the next few days. Life is good!

Trip: 262.8  Odometer: 2538