May 21 • Left home for Holiday Inn

May 22 • We got up at 4:30 AM (2:30 AM Kalispell time) and got on our 6:30 AM plane for Cincinnati. We then got on a plane for Salt Lake City. There was a nice fellow across the aisle from Dick who noticed our itinerary on our computer and said he was from Montana and had grown up in the Kalispell area. He gave us lots of tips. Then on the plane from SLC to Kalispell we sat next to a man who lives near here - he retired from Texas and wanted to live in the West and thought this was the most beautiful area. He also gave us lots of advice. Tomorrow we’ll take a drive he recommended. We ate lunch at Kneads Café (it's also a bakery where they knead) and had a buffalo burger on a rosemary bun and Sierra Pale Ale. Then we came to our hotel (the Best Western Outlaw) and registered and found they had an Internet connection in the room. Not surprisingly, it didn't work. After twenty minutes on the phone with Tech Support, Margaret noticed that the cable from the DSL modem was not plugged into the wall. A previous occupant apparently had disconnected the DSL modem from the wall jack and connected a telephone to it. Once we plugged it in, it worked. After resting a bit we went for a short ride – picked up some gin and tonic and snacks and now are showered and relaxing. We're too tired and not hungry – very late lunch so decided against dinner – early to bed tonight.

May 23, 2000 • We had breakfast at the motel and then went to the Chamber of Commerce for maps. We then drove up to Whitefish, which is just a little north and drove up to Big Mountain ski area – the road was steep with hairpin curves and no guardrail. We took a picture of a beautiful log house being built. We wanted to tke a drive that our seatmate had recommended but were stopped by a police roadblock because of a fugitive who had been involved in a shootout in Columbia Falls the night before. So we drove back down and went to Hungry Horse Dam. We had lunch at a little restaurant where we had a small bowl of chili and a huckleberry ice cream cone. After that we drove along Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Park as far as it is open at this time of the year. We drove along Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek - rushing water that will slow to a trickle in the summer. There are no crowds yet as tourist season doesn't start until June, thank goodness. Tonight we are going to Café Max which is supposed to be top of the line restaurant.

New House on Big Mountain Drive

McDonald Creek

Hungry Horse Reservoir

Hungry Horse Dam