Beginning our Montana miles # 33

Tuesday and Wednesday August 7 & 8, 2018

We are on two wheels again. Yay!!  Riding the Great Northern Historical Trail . On Tuesday we rode from Kalispell through Flathead Valley to Smith Lake. Fun ride with some rolling hills to challenge our heart rate a bit.  The trail traveled through pasture land and passed a small water fowl reserve. We went on the road for a mile or so to reach Smith Lake.

We were happy to do 30 miles on our first ride in Montana. On the trail into Kalispell there was an old wooden trestle from the original railroad. It was a hot day and the days ahead are forecast to be even hotter.

Wednesday we headed from Kalispell to Somers and Flathead Lake.  This was a fun ride. Not as many hills but more variety in scenery.  Somers and Flathead Lake were the highlights of the trail.

There was one of the original train engines on display at the trail head in Somers. We road through town and rejoined the trail along the highway.  The trail ended and we were able to ride along the north shore of the lake on some hilly streets.

Fathead Lake is the largest body of fresh water west of the Mississippi. The lake is 28 miles long and in one place 15 miles wide. It was refreshing to see in this tinder dry region.  No rain here in 35 days.   Lots of sail boats, pontoon boats, and we even saw a couple of house boats.

We took a wrong turn in Somers and climbed a few big hills before getting directions back to the trail from some friendly residents. Without that wrong turn we would have missed this beautiful bike.

I really enjoyed seeing a herd of cows by the trailhead. They were so curious.

We made it another 30 miles today and it was hot as predicted. We were both feeling a bit weary on our return. Tomorrow we plan to ride the Gateway to Glacier Trail. We may have some hills in store tomorrow.