Polebridge Mercantile

Our first adventure of the week will involve driving to a place called Polebridge Mercantile which is halfway between Whitefish and the Canadian border up the Northfork Rd, just west of Glacier National Park.

The "Merc" has a long history dating back to time that Glacier National Park was created.  From their website:

 

William L. “Bill” Adair built the Merc back in 1914, just four years after Glacier Park became a park. He fished, using only one fly (the Coachman), and drank and grew king-sized cabbages while his wife (and later, after she died, a second wife) ran the store and lived in their homestead cabin, which is now the Northern Lights Saloon.

 

Here's Bill and Emma:

 

 

But before we left, KC treated us to his world famous sausage gravy and biscuits.  So freaking good...I outdid myself and licked my plate clean.

 

We're just back from our excursion, having dropped Karen and Sherry off in Whitefish to shop and try to scrounge up something simple for dinner.  I've finally hit my limit of heavy, rich, fattening food and am craving something relatively light and simple. KC and I are lounging at the Echtra Cabin listening to Classic Country music (Patsy Cline is crooning, "Crazy" at the moment).

 

 

 

Our day was an interesting one that took us up Northfork Rd. along the gorgeous North Fork of the Flathead River.  Glacier National Park was just a few miles to our east and we could clearly see the Howe Ridge fire, estimated at 14,000 acres along the northwest edge of Lake McDonald, belching smoke into the overcast sky.  

 

 

The road intersected an area that had been the center of numerous fires dating back to 1999 and the burnt, dead standing remnants of trees made it clear where the fires had been active.  It was also clear how quickly the forest recovers as the land was blanketed with young pines in excellent condition that had followed the fire.  Its evidence of the healing and cleansing role that fires play.

 

I was surprised, given how isolated (40 miles to Columbia Falls) and bereft of any modern services (phone, power, water, etc.) that Poleridge is, the parking lot was full of visitors.  And we found out why.  The "Merc" operates a world class bakery and we gorged on pizza rolls, cookies and croissants.  The settlement operates entirely by generators and solar power with a goal of becoming totally solar.

 

 

From the Merc we headed back south and turned off to the east headed for Apgar which is on the western edge of Glacier and is the spot from which the park tour buses depart.  We stopped long enough to see the red tourist coaches (which were packed with people sitting four abreast...uh, no thanks) and agreed that it was not for us.

 

I am now sitting at a long pine table in the Echtra's dining area with expansive windows to my left that afford a dramatic view of the mountains and Whitefish Lake.  The clouds are heavy but the air is cool and dry with a gentle breeze.  I'm thinking about how fortunate I am to be here in this beautiful setting, enjoying time with friends, doing what I love to do.

 

Life is good.