We drove out State Hwy 200 to State Hwy 83 to State Hwy 35 which took us to Kalispell. On the way we paid homage to Diane’s late aunt, Barbara. Exactly 46 years ago on their way back from Glacier National Park Barbara, her boyfriend, Diane, her sister and 3 cousins were involved in an accident near the intersection of State Hwy 200 and State Hwy 83 that took Barbara’s life. Diane took a little walk in the area of the accident so she could be alone with her thoughts. It was a very emotional time for her.
The entire drive to Kalispell was very scenic. First of all the drive from Missoula out Hwy 200 was along the upper Clark Fork River which was beautiful. Then on Hwy 83 with the Mission Mountain Range on the left, the Continental Divide on our right and the Swan River along the side of the road. Then it was onto Swan Lake and at this point there was no smoke so the vistas were gorgeous. We also took a detour on Hwy 35 to see Flathead Lake. Flathead Lake collects most of its water from Glacier National Park. It was a big and beautiful lake.
Diane had booked us into the Glacier Pines RV Campground for 2 nights as we had to have the van serviced. The campground was nice but it was along a major highway and there were new fires around Kalispell. It got pretty smoky in the late afternoon. Diane made a wonderful dinner and it was lights out at about 9:30.
