Western Travels, Day 2

Waking up with a view of a sunlit mountain side = Priceless.  Not having a real busy day planned = Relaxing.  Sleeping in and still getting to have a big breakfast in the main lodge = Fulfilling.

The only thing we knew was on a schedule today was our horse drawn sleigh ride that would be later in the afternoon.  So, today we thought we'd drive up to Big Mountain, walk around and take lots of pictures.



After riding the ski lift to the top, we walked around the chalet and looked back down over Whitefish.  At the bottom of the picture you see some thick snow covered trees.  They are called "Snow Ghosts."  (I'll explain in another picture.)

 

Cathy and Kathy.  In the background is Glacier National Park.  We didn't have a chance to visit that. 

 

Here is a close up of the "snow ghosts". ( on this link, click the word older on the top right of the picture.  you'll see more photos from skiers.)   These are simply evergreen trees that are coated with rime ice and snow.  They bend under the weight of it all and at the same time, are protected from the cold temperatures.  They take on the looks of dinosaurs and other various animals;  they are so neat to see all up and down the mountain side. 

 

Another view from the deck of the chalet looking towards Glacier National Park.  Also, you can see some of the smaller snow ghosts. 



Here is just a small section of the different lodges, condos, shops and bar and grill places to visit while on Big Mountain.  Check out the layers of snow on the roof tops.  Some melting had already occurred so it had been deeper!

                       

The ski lift that we rode to the top of the mountain.  Each lift chair held four people at once.  Awesome views of the rest of the world from here too!


It would have been so neat to just ride up and down the mountain looking at everything.  We did have a few people point out the fact that we didn't have skis.  We actually had purchased foot traffic passes in order to go to the top.  We did seem a little out of place without the skis though! 

After spending a few hours at Big Mountain, we drove back to Whitefish and went into town to look around the shops, have some lunch and shop a bit.  This little part of Whitefish is so quaint.  People are so friendly and everyone we saw had a dog in tow with them!  Our first stop was a beer brewery called Great Northern Brewing Company.  We tried one called Wild Huckleberry Wheat.  Yes, huckleberries really do exist.  They are very prominent in Montana.  The moose and bears love them!  The fruit beer was a light lager blended with huckleberry juice.  Not bitter or overly sweet, just refreshing.  Along with that, we ate some chips and salsa.


Our refreshments....ahhhh!  All very good! 

Black Star Beer is this brewery's original. 



 Our walk down the sidewalk took us into a little souvenir shop.  We had all wanted to pick up some things for our friends that were "pet sitting" for us.  But I also wanted a few things for myself.  We were having fun trying to figure out just what to get that would be "purr-fect" for each recipient.  We took a mental note of a few other places; a pizza joint, a wine bar, another bar and grill that served steak, chicken and seafood better known as "Latitude 48*".  We thought that maybe on Sunday, we'd be interested in eating at one of them.
Soon we had to get back to our lodge and get ready for our sleigh ride.  We'd be driving west from Whitefish about 10-15 minutes, to a ranch.  Our winter boots, gloves and cameras were a must.  Though the temperature was in the upper 30's, we didn't know for sure how long we'd be out on the sleigh, if there were blankets for warmth, etc.  So we were going to be prepared.
We made our way to the Bar W Guest Ranch which was nestled between two smaller mountains.  It was so beautiful to see the horses, the huge lodge that was an option for us for the weekend, and the sleigh hooked up to a team of horses.  There was already another car parked near the sleigh and we saw two adults and two small girls that had also come out for the ride.  We were directed by the very friendly rancher to go inside and fill out paperwork and then head back outside to the sleigh.  The familiar scent of the thawing pastures and manure at first made me wrinkle my nose.  But after being in that outdoor fresh air long enough, I didn't even notice it!   


On the sleigh with a view from behind. (pardon the pun) The horses are named Tina and Lulu.  Not sure which is which though. 



Once we got far enough away from the barns, I looked back and saw a nice open pasture for the horses to run.  The main lodge itself is not in the picture but sits off to the right side.  Sadly, I didn't remember to get a picture of that.  Hopefully Cathy did!



Some other horses that were boarding at this ranch.

Included with our sleigh ride was a chili supper served inside the main lodge.  We all gathered around one of several large tables and there was a friendly staff inside that had been cooking and had the table all set for us to eat.  (the pictures of the lodge from the link show exactly what we saw when we went inside for our meal....it was gorgeous!)  We enjoyed the chili along with corn bread, lettuce salad and dressing and a peach cobbler for dessert.  Beverages included a choice of pink lemonade, water and coffee.  A very delicious meal to end our afternoon.  We sat and visited for a long time with the ranchers that gave us the sleigh ride;  one of them is the manager and the other is one of the main workers.  They gave us advice on establishments to stop at later on while in Whitefish for the evening.  Along with them was the other couple with the two girls.  We were surprised to learn that even though they live in Montana, the lady was from a small town near Bismarck.  And her husband had just recently been to the Willison area for work as a cabinet maker!  (if I remember correctly.) 

It was early evening before we headed back to our lodge to shower up and change for an evening out on the town of Whitefish.  We made our way back into town and found a parking place from which we could walk to everything.  Our first stop was the Latitude 48*.  Downstairs was a small bar called The Red Room. 
We ordered and discovered that they made their drinks very strong.  But apparently, people love it there, which was obvious by how packed it was.
From there we walked across the street and down to Crush, a wine bar.  It's so new that I couldn't find a decent web site for a link.  I only got a picture of our wine that we were drinking so nothing to see there. 
We stayed for a couple of drinks each and decided to call it a night.  We had a big day ahead of us on Sunday!