The rest of my Saturday – fetching the Winnebago (see 2/27 post “the start of my Saturday”):

I loaded the Jeep with camera, computer, WINE, dogfood/treats and a few other odds and ends that would allow Karl and I to spend a night in the motorhome if I didn’t feel like making the drive back home from Missoula, 110 miles south. Bob was situated with plenty of food and water, a freshly cleaned litter box and the assurance that we would return…sometime. I pulled out of the driveway at 11:20. The relatively late start was planned to allow temperatures to rise to the point where ice on the road would be water. That part of the plan was successful. Except for the 1/4 mile of road nearest my home, it was clear sailing.

It was that 1/4 mile of turning, steep, narrow, snow and ice covered road and my ever narrowing driveway and turnaround that caused a bit of concern. I nearly turned back. I had walked the drive and looked at the turnaround and planned how I would drop the Jeep in Bigfork and come in on my road with just the motorhome, but it just looked like it could be NOT fun. I went with a bit of a Scarlett O’Hara attitude: “I’ll worry about it tomorrow”.

Although the day had started clear as a bell, the valley was hazy and as I got south of Bigfork and the lake came into view, signs of an inversion were visible in the low cloud cover moving in. I stopped south of Woods Bay, parking in The Raven Bar’s lot…

As noted, The Raven is home to the Polar Bear Plunge, the January 1 swim in the lake. And, no, I have NOT participated. I’ve partaken of a brew in the bar on occasion, mainly for the view. Today, I skipped the bar, but used the parking lot to catch the start of the inversion.

We continued south. Montana Highway 35 hugs the lake most of the way between Bigfork and Polson, although above the lake and in some places quite a distance above with cherry orchards on the slope between the highway and the water. At about the 9 mile mark, the road heads inland as it approaches Polson. As I rounded the south shore of the lake, the mountains to the north stood out. While hazy, the fresh snow on the high peaks of the Swan Range made a majestic background to the lake.

I headed into a subdivision that I thought might have a spot where I could see and take some photos. I found a spot between 2 homes at a gated entrance to a wildlife preserve area adjacent to the subdivision.

While I was fiddling with lenses…

…I could NOT resist. I believe it was she. I am partial to the Northern Breeds as is Karl. Normally, he would be barking and sounding as if he would tear the Jeep apart to get at another dog – a behaviour confined to when he is in the car and he spots another dog, but this lady caught his eye and they exchanged greetings in a language of their own. I was hoping the people at home would come out and we might make an introduction, but they did not. We said good bye and continued south.

Polson is the southern end of the Flathead Valley and then begins the Mission Valley. The Mission Mountains to the east have several gorgeous jagged peaks. I stopped at a turnout near NinePipes to take a longer look and some photos. Even in the haze of the increasing inversion, they were beautiful.

The rest of the story… As I proceeded south, I decided that I would stay overnight in Missoula, just for the rv fun and change of pace and maybe in the back of my mind I thought to put off that last 1/4 mile and my driveway part of the trip. The overnight part of the plan went awry. A glitch in the repair of my motorhome steps meant that it needed to stay for further work. Although it meant returning in the Jeep, it did not upset me at all. I told the shop to take their time, like 2-3-4 weeks… Hopefully we’ll have had a bit of melt down by then. And also, I’ll take Bob next time and we’ll add a bit of vacation to the pick up – a REAL road trip!

So, somewhat anti-climatically, Karl and I returned with exactly what we left with and that is the rest of my Saturday story.