Sandpoint to Hungry Horse
The first thing we did this morning was eat some complimentary breakfast; bagels and juice. The TV in the breakfast room was showing a news item about two horses who were getting married. We were well prepared to mock Americans, when it transpired that the BBC were filming the whole thing (and I'll bet they had some part in instigating the stunt).
Debbie knocked her foot nastily on the door as it closed, which made her a little unhappy.
We went to have a look at Sandpoint's beach. It seems to me it was a couple of skips full of sand that had been dumped at the side of the lake in the hope of attracting some tourists. It worked. Good on 'em, but we didn't hang around to see any more. We had road to cover.
We saw a Wal-Mart, which cheered up Debbie no end, and she forgot about her foot completely. We bought some snack foods and some cheap clothes, including a delightful party shirt for me with a repeating dice motif on it. Fear not, it was only $5.
We saw a lot of forestry on our way to the Montana border, and things became more mountainous as we approached the Rockies. We stopped to see Kootenai Falls, a spectacular set of cascades a short walk from the road; with a swinging bridge to view the falls from the other side of the river.
Every couple of miles in Montana, you see a little white cross by the roadside. Apparently each one represents a road accident death. From what I understand, until recently there was no speed limit in Montana. Even now, the limit is 70MPH, and the mountain roads aren't that straight.
We stopped in Libby for a light lunch. Light lunches are hard to find unless you go for fast food. We've still not succumbed to McDonalds or similar, and we managed not to this time, by going to an "Express Burgers and Mexican" joint. Very nice.
We pressed on though many miles of mountain and forest, the Rockies looming larger by the minute, until we arrived at our destination for the day, Hungry Horse. Hungry Horse's great draw for us was its Mystery Vortex. Here we saw marbles roll uphill, and experienced a mysterious force that pulled our bodies away from vertical.
We quickly checked into a motel, and then rushed to the Mini Golf course, where we were promised (by the book) dinosaurs. We didn't see any dinosaurs -- maybe it was the wrong place -- but we played a good round, were even at the start of the last hole, upon which I fluked a four stroke lead.
Maybe dino golf is a little further down the road. We might end up playing another round of mini golf tomorrow.
Debbie had Ribeye Steak for dinner. I had Chicken-fried Steak. I won't be trying that again. For those who don't know, this is steak coated in the stuff they do fried chicken in, then deep fried. An experience, and not one to be repeated.