Polebridge, Montana

First timer? In this (hopefully) once-a-day blog, I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48). I call this “landing.” I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near. I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location. To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” (and “Abbreviations” and “Cryptic Numbers”) above.

Dan -  Oh so close (to 150, that is), but alas, that milestone will have to wait.  That ultimate OS spoiler had to step up . . . MT; 106/86; 7/10; 9; 150.7.  Here’s my landing map:

As you can see, once again (as just happened when I landed in the Tonto National Forest), I landed in a total wildnerness.  And once again, I landed in a patch of federally-protected real estate; this time Glacier National Park (see the glaciers east of my landing?)  Here’s a broader view, showing my proximity to the town of Polebridge, the Canadian Border, and a couple of previous landings (today’s is the one north of Polebridge):

Here’s an even broader view, featuring Polebridge:

For the third time, I landed in the N Fk of the Flathead R; on to the Flathead (9^th hit); on to the Clark Fork (16^th hit); on to the Pend Oreille (17^th hit); on to the Columbia (127^th hit).

Here’s a nice picture of the N Fk of the Flathead River:

It would be easy for me to simply make this a photo essay featuring Glacier National Park (and OK, I’ll probably post a pretty picture or two, like the one above).  But there’s enough about Polebridge to feature it.  From Wiki:

Polebridge is an unincorporated community in Flathead County, Montana, United States. This community is named for the log bridge that formerly connected the North Fork Road in Glacier National Park to Montana Secondary Highway 486, over the Flathead River.

Here’s the Welcome to Polebridge sign:

There’s not much in Polebridge, but there are a few somewhat celebrated establishments there.  First, the Polebridge Mercantile, which is, not surprisingly, the only store in Polebridge:

By the way, there is no electricity in Polebridge.  Just generators, propane and kerosene!  There is also the Northern Lights Café, which, not surprisingly, is the only restaurant (and place for a beer) in Polebridge:

There is also the North Fork Hostel, which is the place to stay.  Of course, I love the  fact that it’s named after a river.  It’s easy to find, just follow the sign:

Here’s a picture of one of the cabins (yours for $45/night).  If that’s too pricey for you, you can get a bed in the “dorm” for $20.  Here’s a picture from the North Fork website:

Here’s a picture of a windowsill at the North Fork, designed to discourage bears:

The Hostel sign and the above picture are from a travel blog, which is good viewing.  Click here to read about Lynn’s trip to Polebridge.

Here’s a wonderful picture of a fix-er-upper just outside of Polebridge:

And this, of a grizzly bear visit in Polebridge (with the photographer’s caption below:

Grizzly bears, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, usually keep to themselves. If they become “food conditioned” by humans, they are considered dangerous and may be killed. Karen Nichols left this subject, ambling though an old homestead just west of Glacier National Park, in peace after taking this shot–from her car.  (c) 2004 Karen Nichols from Montana 24/7.

I’ll close with a couple of Glacier National Park scenery pics:

A truly magnificent patch of the country . . .

That’ll do it.

KS

Greg

© 2009 A Landing A Day