North Spokane RV Campgrounds Spokane WA to Big Arm Montana

It was another glorious morning. The sun was out and although the temp was in the high 50’s it felt like the 60’s when Kelso and I walked. We got on the road early because we are going to visit Kim and her husband Steve in Big Arm Montana. She is a person I met on the morning dog walks at Burnt Store Marina.

The reason we wanted to get moving were the wildfires in Montana. They were OK until last Sunday with no fires and a “Dry Lightning” storm started dozens of fires. Most were extinguished quickly but a few persist and roads have been closed. Google Maps has been great in that it re-routed me from my original route because they track road closures. The ride out of Washington was very quick as the State Line with Idaho is probably 10 to 15 miles from Spokane.

The Mountains I had seen in the distance were in Idaho and the entire time I was in Idaho was spent winding thru the mountains with great scenery. The I-90 Expressway has some pretty tight curves but there is a lot of construction to slow you down. It seemed like we would have 5 miles of construction then 5 mile of regular road and then repeat it all over. The Construction season is probably a lot shorter here than in Michigan. The valleys we went thru were very steep walled and covered with trees and vegitation. We were in Idaho for something like and hour, so not long. When we got into Montana the valleys and trees continued for a while but then we got to the dry side of the mountains. The lack of trees and vegitation was not as severe as in Washington, South of Spokane, but it was evident. The smoke from the fires was evident and if you look close at the photos you can see the mountains in the distance.

We followed the Google route and it was flawless. I was able to turn off the highway onto the winding road to the Powell House without a problem but it was probably good that Kim came to meet me at the turn-off. The drive winds around and several turns are necessary but that was easy following Kim. Kelso was a happy camper when he recognized Kim. Kelso and I have been here about 18 hours and he has not had a leash on yet. He generally sticks close but likes to wander down to the docks. Kim and Steve’s house in on Flathead Lake. The views are spectacular even with the smoke trying to obscure the Mission Mountains across the lake. Kelso and I even had a boat ride last evening. Flathead lake is roughly 13 miles wide by 28 miles long and has a mountinous shoreline which just adds to the beauty of the setting.

Kim and Steve have their son here from Texas with his 3 daughters. They are visiting until next weekend. I will stay one more day and then go up into Glacier National Park.

This is I-90 in Idaho. Great scenery with all the trees.

Another road picture in Idaho. I did not see much of the state, but what I saw was fabulous.

This is Highway 135 in Montana after we exited I-90.

Another Highway 135 Picture. The speed limit on this road was 70.

This is Highway 200 headed toward the smoke covered mountains.

This is Highway 212 and if you look real hard you should be able to see the Mission Mountain Range on the horizon.

These are the Mission Mountains from a scenic turnout on Highway 93.

This is a morning photo looking at the Mission Mountains from Kim and Steve’s deck.