Living like a Local in Columbia Falls, Montana

After only two nights in Ronan, Montana, we are on the road for our next destination further north in this "big sky" state. We're just sad that the big sky is gray from the smoke of the six wildfires burning in Montana. Much of our trip was driving beside Flathead Lake. This is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, and is known for its clear water. Denisa is delighted to find out this area is also known for the cherry orchards that line the east shore. Bring on the Flathead cherries as our fruit season is extended!

We are still enjoying our huckleberry harvest as well. We have made huckleberry jam, pancakes, crisp, syrup, and crepes. We also eat them in cereal and yogurt and by the handful. The latest baking project was a huckleberry cheesecake. We have never seen a bright purple cheesecake before, but it is tasty!

We parked the motor home at LaSalle Campground in Columbia Falls, in northwest Montana. As soon as we arrive some place new, we try to find out about activities scheduled during our stay, so we can live like a local. This little town declares itself as the "Gateway to Glacier." We went to the Thursday evening farmers' market and really got a feel for our community. We got fresh vegetables from the local farmers, home-made cookies from the soccer club, a fresh huckleberry bear claw, bakery bread, and lots of those Flathead Valley cherries. There was also live music with a dance floor, and food trucks. One of our favorite farmers markets ever!

We are staying in Columbia Falls because of its proximity to Glacier National Park. But there's a bonus--it's also close to several other neat little mountain towns. One of those is Kallispell, Montana. We enjoyed their Saturday morning farmers' market where Denisa bought even more cherries. We're pretty sure she is a cherry-addict, and she'll have to go off them cold turkey when the season is over. We also visited Herron Park in Kallispell, where they have biking/hiking trails. We decided to bike since they had a family-friendly trail that wound its way through the woods. Notice that Denisa is smiling as we started the ride.

We don't know whose family thinks this is a friendly trail, but it was all up-hill. Yes, it was a wonderfully peaceful place to be this afternoon, but it was a workout. Denisa is no longer smiling, as she is working hard to get to the top of the hill. All she can say is the ride downhill towards home was little reward for all the work going that far uphill.

Kallispell is a sizable town, filled with every kind of shopping and eatery possible. One afternoon we found ourselves at Norm's Soda Shoppe--serving the locals since 1938. 

The visitor's center had coupons for a free ice cream cone at Norm's. That would be a giant single dip of huckleberry ice cream that was big enough to share.

Another little town in our area is Bigfork, situated right on the lake. Besides all the temporary fruit stands selling cherries along the road, this town's claim to fame is their professional summer theatre. They've been drawing in Broadway-caliber talent to their downtown theatre for the last 58 years. Their reputation for quality performances packs the house every day of the week. We celebrated our 36th anniversary with front row seats to "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." No pictures allowed of the performance, but a good time was had by all as we celebrated another year of marital bliss.

We also made a trip to Whitefish, Montana, a cute little ski resort town with a nice downtown and a beautiful lake. But we actually drove ten miles outside of town to the Whitefish Bicycle Retreat. From the looks of the steep trails through the forest, this is a place for hard-core mountain bikers. We have already determined that does not include us. 

But tonight we are walking up those winding paths to get to a deck overlooking the mountains around us. It was a beautiful evening, and a great time to be outside.

That deck will become a stage for a unique production by a group of young adults gathered from all over the country. These eight people are touring across Montana with only bicycles to transport them and all the stage props they will need to present their original play.

Since they are riding and camping their way across the state, their camping gear often doubles as costuming. For example, most of the bear costume is actually a sleeping bag. There was also a saxophone-playing tall bird in the cast, whose tail feathers look a lot like tent poles.

Being a bike-riding troupe, they also used a bike as another prop in the play. It was also geared up to work as a generator for the sound equipment.

It was a fun evening in the woods, watching a funny and thought-provoking look at limited resources. It's too hard to explain the story-line--you really just had to be there, and we were glad we were. We were also glad to be in our new home town of Columbia Falls. As we get to know more about our new surroundings, we are enjoying our time living like a local.