Breakfast was compliments of the motel. Standard continental fare — all carbs and no protein. It had sprinkled slightly during the night so when the sun came up the next morning a fog formed. Heading out of town, the cool air, fog on the ground, and the sun shining in from the horizon made it a magical experience.

The ride up highway 12 to Lolo Pass was uneventful. It’s ridiculous that it has a 50 mph speed limit, which jacks up to 70 mph as soon as you cross over into Montana. For some reason the ’77 Miles Curves Ahead’ sign near Lowell was missing. I stopped at the visitor center at Lolo Pass and took a bio break and snapped the first photo of the trip.

Steve and his ride at Lolo Pass

Lunch was at a Subway in Missoula, plus a change into warm weather gear. The 100 odd miles from Missoula north to Kalispell was rather boring and uninteresting. I found my motel, the Kalispell Grand Hotel, right downtown on 1st and Main. It’s an old west style hotel and was probably built 100 years ago. The desk staff were very friendly and although my room was rather small it was quaint and comfortable.

Dinner was at the NW Bay Grille a block away. It tasted good and the service wasn’t bad but I ate something that didn’t agree with me later on.