The Catalyst served interesting food, breakfast and lunch. It was about 11 when I arrived, and I was still in the mood for breakfast, especially after perusing their menu on line last night. They had a "Pick 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5" feature, with a list of all the yummy-sounding things to pick from. I picked 3: turkey sausage, fruit cup, and pepper jack, green chile casserole. I also got a huge mug of decaf Earl Grey tea.
After brunch, Remy and I walked a few blocks to the Adventure Cycling headquarters on Pine St. As we were walking, I noticed those "pay-for-parking" kiosks and realized that I was probably supposed to do that. Damn! I was walking in the opposite direction from the car, so I just hoped for the best. At Adventure Cycling, I met Jeff, who showed me around and listened to the tale of my bicycling/non-bicycling trip. He encouraged me to look into some of their guided tours, and I will! The offices reside in an old church building, so everything was spacious and open and light. I didn't meet any of the other people working there, but Jeff made up for that, talking about the history of the organization, all the different things that are done there, etc. I'm glad I took the time to go there. It had been something I was really looking forward to, even adjusting my trip to make sure that I got to go to Missoula; but after I stopped riding every day, I wondered whether I still wanted to go. I guess the answer was yes! (And I didn't get a parking ticket!)
We didn't hang around Missoula, because I wanted to get to Kalispell and closer to Glacier. More beautiful driving, green pastures, sheep, mountains black in the shadows and green in the sunlight -- although there wasn't much of that until we got close to Flathead Lake. I didn't even realize it was coming. We topped a hill, and there it was, spread out before us. It took my breath away, and I zipped into an observation place. Remy and I walked down to the point, and I snapped a panorama.
(Oh, I forgot to mention that I was still dealing with Healthcare Marketplace stuff today, but I think it's taken care of now. My poor agent, Joy, has tried so hard to help me, and somehow I've gotten the login info mixed up twice now. Today, I spoke with a real human at the Marketplace, and I think we're good to go. Phew!)
The drive (Hwy 93) to Kalispell skirts Flathead Lake from south to north. Each time I thought it was going to disappear, I'd come around a bend and find another bay shimmering with the healthiest, most beautiful blue, almost tropical in its color yet undoubtedly very cold.
My hostess, Karen, at the Airbnb in Kalispell, had asked whether I could wait to arrive till after 4:00, since her daughter had to work, and she's the one cleaning the room in preparation for my arrival. I didn't think that would be a problem. As it was, I arrived about 4:15, and Jessica was there to greet me. Remy and I went out and got some supper -- well, I got some supper, and he sat with me. When we returned a little while ago, he got his supper. Now, we're comfortably settled at Karen's place with full tummies.
Jeff, at Adventure Cycling, recommended that I take in some of both sides of Glacier Park, because they're so different. So, tomorrow I plan to drive through the park and hike or bike around the east side. Thursday morning, Remy and I will check out the west side before continuing on to Coeur d'Alene where we'll stay Thursday night. Then, Friday morning, we'll drive just about an hour to Moscow, ID, where we'll have brunch with Emily, David, and Ginger Rankin! I'm so excited to see all of them!
After that, I think I'll head for Seattle. Seeing people I care about feels like a good thing to do right now.
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