Bigfork, Montana

Flowers in Bigfork, MT.
Kim is at the bottom right of the pic.
A cute bear statue.
Me winning the annual Bigfork bear wrestling championship. OK, it is a statue. That's as close as I'll get to wrestling one of these things.
Cool license plate.

We spent the day shopping in Bigfork, MT and other than our meal, didn’t buy a thing. Bigfork is a nice little town that isn’t trying to be a big town. It is somewhat like Shipshewana with all its shops, yet maintains its dignity and isn’t too commercialized. There are lots of art and artist shops with paintings, sculptures, carvings and some very pretty home decorating shops. Mary Garber would like J. Moore Galleries. It has some really beautiful pieces for home decorating. A $150,000.00 home in northern Indiana brings about 350 – 400 thousand here. The big reason is the climate. Chuck Garber said there are areas in Montana that are great to live in and areas that are just miserable due to the weather. We met a lady today from West Virginia that moved here a year ago and says she likes the mountains and the weather. She said the winters in Bigfork are about the same as West Virginia. This is a surprise to me. I always thought Montana would be a miserable place in the winter but not so. There are some areas here on the west side of the state that are tucked between the mountains that have a nice climate all year. Montana only has one telephone area code (406) for the whole state.

Huckleberries (or ‘hucks’ as the locals call them) are a big thing here. We stopped and got some jam, cider, milkshakes and several other things made from them. They are like blackberries to me. Anyway, they are good. We also have an elk farm half a mile down the road and we sometimes see them out by the road when we pass by. We signed up for a helicopter ride over Glacier national Park and will go when the guy calls and has two others to share the ride and expense with us. I think the tourist season is winding down fast here. The smoke that is present in the mountains from the fires doesn’t help tourism any. The fires are about out but they still put off a lot of smoke.

Pickup trucks sold in Montana must come with one or two big dogs in the back (or front). These people really like their dogs!