Serendipities & smoke in Montana
August 5, 2017

My favorites: serendipities that make a person realize what a small world it is indeed.  I love the threads that connect us all one way or another.  We have experienced two "small world" things of late.

First was when I wrote in a previous blog post about encountering plein-air artist Mark Ogle in Glacier National Park.  Seems that my dear friend Bonnie Casey read it and related that she and Mark were acquaintances of old.  Coincidence enough there, but then when I emailed Mark to relay Bonnie's greeting, he informed me that he not only remembered her from when she and Joe Abbrescia painted together in the 1980s, but he now shares studio space with Joe Abbrescia, Jr.

Facebook figured into the second coinkydink.  I saw that my friend Betty Hastings posted a comment  there about someone's mention of Norm's soda fountain in Kalispell.  It got my attention, of course, because we were in that city at the time, so I asked Betty about it; I had not known that she ever lived in Montana.  She related that they had left Kalispell when she was very young, but she remembered her father taking her to Norm's.

Because we are aficionados of old-fashioned soda fountains, I did some checking and discovered that Norm's was alive and well in the city's downtown historic district.  What a treat it was to go there for a burger and the best ever chocolate ice cream soda!  To find a functioning soda fountain these days is surprising; to find one where the employees not only know the fine art of ice cream soda making, but take great pride in preparing such delectables with a most pleasing appearance is rare indeed.

Best life motto ever!

Norm's News has been thriving since 1938; the shop is housed in the building that was an opera house, built in 1896.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, marveling at the ornate back bar and the wonderful atmosphere from days of old.

The "ladies" on the bar were carved from Mediterranean cypress in Italy in 1880.  The oak bar dates from 1900.

One of us couldn't wait to eat the cherry off the top, and it wasn't Chris.  Incredibly, the waitress even gave me an extra glass of fizzy water to refill my ice cream soda - now that's service!

We also indulged ourselves from the rows upon rows of old fashioned candies,

and admired the mural-covered brick walls.

Ka-ching! . . .

Gambling is legal in Montana within certain restrictions, the result is that pretty much every eatery and gas station has a casino area.  Sure would be easy to watch your cash disappear in a flash.  The former home of one of the distant Catron kin that we looked for has been replaced by one of the many gaming rooms in Kalispell.

One thing leads to another . . .

In the process of researching the Evan Catron family in Kalispell, I found that one of their children had died while they lived there.  Little Madeline Mae passed away as a toddler, although her year of demise varies depending on the source of information.

After determining that her grave was marked and therefore findable, we decided to remember her with flowers.  After all, as far as we know, she has no remaining family members in the vicinity and we wanted to mark her short life.  She was born in 1915 and lived for only a few years, maybe less.

Avalanche Lake . . .

Our aborted jaunt up to Logan Pass because of shuttle unavailability led us to instead take the Trail of the Cedars and hike on to Avalanche Lake.  I recommend that trek highly - it was beautiful throughout.

The terminus, Avalanche Lake, is cupped by astounding glacier-carved straight-up cliffs from which numerous waterfalls drop a thousand or so feet, creating a continuous roar.

The lake's water is crystalline turquoise, all in all a fitting end to a super six-mile round trip hike.

Interesting that some folks carted fishing gear all the way out there and were angling with some success.

Swan Lake . . .

Not a ballet nor were there any swans, but we found Swan Lake and Swan River to be quite beautiful, although relatively devoid of waterfowl.  I was a little unsure of the wisdom of wading through head-high grass with no visibility in bear and moose country to attain a riverside view, but relented and went along.

Most gratefully, we encountered neither of the beasts and enjoyed the views out there.  For once, we had the place to ourselves, it not being a national park nor other public attraction.

We were surprised to find a tumble-down log cabin hidden in the trees.

Some of its logs had evidently been insect infested enough to warrant a bear digging through them.

Woodland . . .

On our final evening in Kalispell, we savored a stroll through the urban Woodland Park, a lovely glade with extensive flower gardens, recreational facilities and a lagoon that winds throughout and harbors more and a greater variety of waterfowl than we saw on any of the rural waterways.

In addition, we saw an otter (in an urban park lagoon!?) and a turtle sharing a rock with a duck.

A flotilla of geese protectively surrounded a new hatch of babies as they glided through the water.  I had never seen that kind of activity before - interesting.

Birds added to the trip list at the park and elsewhere include hermit thrush, gray jay, golden eagle, eastern kingbird, blue-winged teal, graylag goose and gadwall.

A shade structure had been decoratively sided with individually made tiles with personal designs and quotes.

Moving on . . .

I am writing away as we drive down Montana State Highway 93, at least as best I can with the bumpy pavement.  As we left Kalispell this morning, we hoped to get away from the forest-fire-smoke-choked atmosphere.  We talked to two Canadians who were arriving there to escape the even worse conditions at their home base in Alberta near the British Columbia border.  So not only is Montana burning in numerous places, so is Canada.

As we approach Missoula, we find the smoke is thicker with every passing mile.  I am trying to divert my attention, but it is really pretty awful.  I feel terrible for the folks who are stuck in this.

Smoke gets in your eyes these days in Montana.  Mountain ranges seemingly come and go through the haze.

This region is far less urbanized than around Kalispell and very attractive.  High gently-sloped mountains dotted with stands of conifers, rolling grasslands, marshy areas, tree-lined rivers and streams, cattle grazing and intriguing historical sites: all indications that an explore in this countryside would be wonderful in a less-fiery time.

Fruitful competition . . .

For hundreds of miles, we have seen an amazing number of signs for the sale of cherries and huckleberries.  I can't imagine how that much competition allows anyone to profit from the cultivation of their fruit.  And of course there has been every conceivable use of huckleberries: ice cream, lollipops, fudge, muffins and on and on.

Hutterites . . .

While in Kalispell, we noticed a couple of hand-painted signs offering "Hutterite produce", but never saw any place where it was actually being sold.  It did get my attention, though; I knew Hutterite was some sort of religion, so took the time to look it up on my trusty computer.  Wow, I kinda got more than I bargained for, but once started, I continued reading (aloud - if I was going to get educated, I was taking Chris with me).  What a fascinating history it turned out to be; as it turns out, the primary population of Hutterite colonies are in Montana and Canada, which is why we're seeing the signs here.  I can't imagine that Hutterite produce would taste any different than anyone else's.

And . . .

We did a quick turn-around to get a photo of this majestic beauty.  Glad it waited for our return.