Log for Sunday, July 6, 2003
(Posted from the road)
Greetings from Kalispell, Montana!
I spent yesterday at Big Arm State Park in Big Arm, Montana. This is one of the nicest camping areas I have stayed on my trip. My camp site was right on the shore of Flathead Lake so I could literally step out of my tent in the morning and get in my kayak.
I got up early this morning and did a 9-mile roundtrip paddle to Wild Horse Island. I was a bit disappointed to find no wild horses, only a mother deer and her two babies along the shore of this large island in Flathead Lake. The winds picked up from the east just about the time I arrived at Wild Horse Island so I couldn't spend much time exploring the shoreline. I made it back to camp just as the wind was really whipping up and white caps were forming. The water had been so smooth when I set out early in the morning. Flathead Lake is a paddler's dream but, as on other large lakes, conditions can change quickly.
After preparing a hearty breakfast on the old Coleman I reluctantly broke down my camp at the water's edge. It had been so peaceful there last night sitting in my chair by the lake, reading my book by the light of the Coleman lantern and watching the sunset.
I drove north on Route 93 to Mary Ronan State Park and kayaked in Mary Ronan Lake, a secluded, much calmer and smaller lake than Flathead Lake. There were only three other boats on the water and two of them were kayaks. I didn't kayak long at this beautiful spot because the clouds were blocking the sun and it felt 10 degrees cooler than Flathead Lake. Also, I needed to keep moving north.
Staying right on schedule, I entered Kalispell, Montana in the late afternoon. Tonight I am regrouping, doing laundry and preparing for Glacier National Park and the arrival of my brother and nephew. Since I have allowed one free day to myself in Kalispell I have decided to be adventurous and drive to Polebridge to kayak in Bowman Lake at Glacier National Park. The trip will be arduous as the road is unpaved for 23 miles, but I'm sure it will be worth the slow, bumpy ride to kayak in one of the most secluded and beautiful glacier lakes in Glacier National Park.
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Today's Featured Photo - Flathead Lake, Montana
Latest Photos from the road
Bitterroot Mountains
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Flathead Lake Sign
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Crossing Flathead Lake heading for Wild Horse Island 4.5 miles away
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Evening sky over Wild Horse Island
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The aquamarine color of the water of Flathead Lake
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Fellow kayakers resting on the shore
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My campsite right on the water
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Another view of my campsite
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Flathead Lake's brilliantly colored water
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Western shore of Flathead Lake
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Kayaking Flathead Lake
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A very calm Flathead Lake early in the morning
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Flathead Lake, Big Arm, MT
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Sunset on Flathead Lake
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My camping neighbor
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A hot breakfast after a 3 hour paddle
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Click on a photo above to view a larger image.
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