So far, this is the longest we have stayed in one place, and we really enjoyed it! The first 14 days Montana was pretty strict about being in quarantine. But we were still allowed to take drives and sit outside. We are in the best site of the campground (guess you get it when you are the only ones here), have a beautiful view of the Lake, and decent weather. It’s cooler than “normal” but that’s fine with us. Periodic rain (if you don’t like the weather wait 10 minutes), but comes and go mostly.
Montana was one of the first States to start opening up. We found a Mexican restaurant that just opened for Mother’s Day. Had the appropriate 6 feet between tables and staffed all wore masks. Food so so, but was nice to celebrate Mother’s Day with a meal. View of the Lake was great.
Once we were over quarantine, Michael took us out to explore. The pic below is where the locals put in their rafts for a river float. Once it warms up Michael says he’ll take us out. This is all reservation lands, so permits are required for ANYTHING done on the ground or water – hikes, picnics, fishing, rafting etc.
There is a town on the North end of Flathead Lake called Bigfork, a cute touristy town with the Swan River flowing through it. First few times we went there was nothing open. Made it easy to walk the town but I am sure the shop / restaurant owners are hurting.
A couple of times Michael has taken off to go fishing or fly back to San Diego, and Marsha gets chicken duty. She is in 7th heaven. She gets to feed and water the chicks, and also “gets to” clean the pens. Michael also has some serious gardens, so she gets to work them too. As anyone who knows my wife, if she’s got her hands in dirt she is a happy camper.
Even though our quarantine is over, we still isolate ourselves for the most part. Good thing we get along – spending lots of time together. Probably easier for me than her.
We are falling in love with this area. The scenic vistas are amazing – as much as we love looking at the lake, we also love seeing the Mission Mountains. The snow is disappearing as it warms up, but still so beautiful.
The KOA we are staying in has a Resort attached to it that people buy their lots, similar to the Ranch in California. You can rent there too but the prefer large fancy Class A’s – ours is over the 10 year rule. Some nice sites with lake views, but fairly expensive and you can only use it for 6 months.
Our routine, if you can call our slow paced lives routine, is to get up, get ready, then have coffee or tea and breakfast – usually consisting of english muffins, bagels or oatmeal. We typically eat outside unless it is raining like picture below. Then we are ready to do whatever – usually a drive somewhere, occasionally a bike ride, whatever shopping we need to do. All in all it’s a good day.
Our 6 weeks here has actually gone by fairly quickly. We’ve really enjoyed staying in one location for so long. We feel we have gotten to know this place fairly well and have loved this area. But now it’s time to head out again although we will back in three weeks.