The morning in Kalispell marked the halfway point of the trip as we would be heading south and more or less begin heading home after a few incredible days in Glacier National Park. Per the recommendation of the ladies at Mountain Mudd in Kalispell we took MT-83 south towards Helena, which would take us through the Flathead National Forest and along the shores of many pristine lakes including Seeley Lake, Salmon Lake, and Sawn Lake. The former has a good sized town with the same name and plenty of amenities for those looking to stay in the area for a few nights or an extended visit. The two of us discussed going back another time for at least a few nights to enjoy this relatively hidden gem.
The rest of the road into Helena curved through jagged mountains, cut by the Blackfoot River. as we passed through a few more small towns. There is definitely more than meets the eye here and one could get lost for a long time.
Montana's capital proved to be a somewhat sleepy town nestled in the foothills with a nice pedestrian walkway along Last Chance Gulch with shops and restaurants.
The car was parked and after trying a few different spots for food that were closed (Monday and Tuesday are slow in town) the local Ten Mile Creek Brewery let us know about Windbag Saloon & Grill just up the drag was open with tasty food. The location was perfect with a trolley car and playground nearby that kept the kiddos entertained while we relaxed for a moment. The gang passed by Big Dipper Ice Cream and of course we had to stop for some homemade desert.
To make things quick and easy a room was snagged at the DoubleTree conveniently located nearby all the restaurants. Work was busy so we enjoyed the mountain air by taking calls outside in the morning and enjoying a nice lunch in town. As early afternoon approached the Subaru was loaded up again as we head south once more towards Big Sky. The quick two and a half hour drive through the Gallatin Mountains brought us to a nice Airbnb on the fairways of the Big Sky Golf Course. Alec and Isabelle were able to enjoy a swim in the pool while the warm afternoon sun started to fade.
A short drive was made into the Big Sky Town Center that was undergoing lots of construction and growth. As was the case in Helena, few restaurants were open so we decided on the first available choice of Tips Up. The chicken was delicious with nice vies of the surrounding mountains with shuffleboard and a pool table. One more relaxing evening was ticked off as we settle down in the cabin before another early morning of client calls.
Fox was moving early to snag coffee from the local grocery store when he saw a couple hot air balloons over the mountains and immediately ran inside to grab the camera.
The morning was somewhat hectic as we shuffled from the Hungry Moose Market & Deli for breakfast to Kircher Park so the kids could play on a huge wooden ship while the adults worked on laptops powered by the Verizon Jetpack MiFi.
A big day was ahead of us still as we exited big sky and began the 4+ hour drive south that would take us through Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park before reaching Jackson and ultimately Pinedale, WY for the night.
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