Tales from the Trails Post #7 The Finale
When gauging your home shower to the right temperature takes longer than your recent campground showers, you know you've been away a long time. I've been home long enough to be reacquainted with my shower's peccadillos, and fond memories of the trip have only soaked deeper into my mind.
For towns like Penticton, Nelson, Fernie, Polebridge, Whitefish and others, visitors are attracted for a variety of reasons. From the lakeside beauty of Penticton to the antique buildings and indie-pop piped through the streets of Nelson, or the authentic western town feel of Fernie to the rebel pride of Polebridge, MT, each place has its own vibe and unique character, created by its inhabitants and shared with the fortunate travelers who visit. Once again, whether ringed by the Rockies or sandwiched between crystal clear lakes, these places are all about the people.
Here's more on three of our last stops on our trip of a lifetime.
Fernie, BC
The Himalayan Spice Restaurant in Fernie came highly recommended, and comes highly recommended. Also recommended is to become friendly with the owner. Tell him your first mentor in business was a restauranteur. Let him know how impressed you are with his place. On the way out, ask jokingly if he gives "complimentary roadies" for satisfied patrons to walk his lovely town with. When he laughs and says no, remember he'd been in this position before and cracked easily.
After two crippling fires, in 1906 and 1909, the town of Fernie wizened up and replaced the remaining wood structures with brick. Almost all of Fernie's buildings today are brick, and most were constructed between 1909 and 1915
The antique buildings line the streets in both directions. A sweet little jewelry store called Element is tucked behind the pink sidewalk umbrella in this pic. I walked by it twice after people gave precise directions. I'm hoping the unbrella is there if I ever get back
By all accounts, Fernie is a hip place. The go-to pizza shop in town, Funky Goat Pizza, is as funky and goaty as a pizza joint can get. The cinnamon raisin bagel at Big Bang Bagels is the best you'll ever eat. And Pokey Lafarge or Sierra Farrell might be playing on the box as you devour it. The arts community in town is humming. The Fernie and District Arts Council (FDAC) is a registered charity run by a volunteer board, and is the driving force behind many significant arts and cultural events held annually in Fernie and around the region. The FDAC sponsors an outdoor concert every Wednesday night all summer long, featuring beer and food trucks and lots of regional bands. The whole town comes out for these events, as well as the newly initiated.
When you get to know Fernie, you feel good about being in the know about Fernie.
Polebridge, MT
There are more handmade signs than stores in Polebridge, MT. That's a fact. The off-the-grid-and-proud-of-it mentality of its residents leads to consistent votes to leave the 20-mile stretch of road coming into town unpaved and wash-boarded, ensuring tourism stays at a dull roar and the population remains more grizzlies than humans. Polebridge's estimated full-time population in 2022 was 150 grizzlies and 30 humans.
Polebridge Mercantile is one of the few stores "in town." It's been in operation since 1904 and is on
the National Register of Historic Places
"The Merc" is famous for a pastry called "The Huckleberry Bear Claw." I first learned about it from a wistful-sounding customs agent in Roosville MT, who let us know that any cyclist peddling into Polebridge is entitled to a free one
outside of which we slept,
and a saloon
outside of which we had a beer and Bear Claw
Which oil tank sticker do you relate to?
This next batch of photos was taken from inside the hostel...
thank you notes from around the world
jars of beans, with an antler never too far away
glistening cast iron frying pans
a wall of well-thumbed books
a door of well-thumbed keys
A map with well-thumbed pushpins representing guests' hometowns
And here are some pics from around the grounds of the hostel...
a teepee
a Petticoat Junction-like tub
bicycle art
more antlers
solar greenhouse
The West Entrance to Glacier National Park is over a bridge across the North Fork Flathead River from Polebridge. These next pictures were taken in Polebridge, though the peaks are in Glacier.
I call this pic of the Flathead River, "Spotted in the River."
You'd need to blow up the white spot centered in the picture to know what was spotted in the river.
Whitefish, MT
When I first arrived to Whitefish, on a recognizance mission, alone, and hungry for food (none of this unusual) I wasn't impressed with the new town I was discovering, which was unusual. The store fronts weren't as old as they'd been designed to appear. I felt like I was walking the grounds of a Western themed Las Vegas casino. The BC Boys had recently experienced Fernie BC. The place was so unique and historic and authentic almost to be sacred. At first glance, Whitefish wasn't that.
I sat at a two story (plus roof deck) pizza place and ordered the Thai Peanut Salad appetizer from a booth on the first floor. For accuracy of this post, I've scrolled back to a text written to my wife while waiting for the salad to arrive. That my order had been lost, and my waitress went home unannounced either before or soon after the food was lost, didn't help the mood of the text. In it I commented on the difference in people's attitudes in ersatz Whitefish, MT to those in authentic Fernie, BC. In Whitefish that morning, I'd heard a pedestrian and driver get into a shouting match on a street corner, something I hadn't heard in all the weeks we travelled in Canada. The text went on from there.
But that was only a first day's impression. The next day, with the boys together celebrating the end of our trip, we took in Whitefish's weekly farmer's market and music festival. We had experienced many music festivals and markets during our travels, in Penticton and Trail and Fernie and Polebridge - and while all were fun, this may have been the best, though the music was almost secondary. The streets were lined with happy people, and crisp, white-tented booths were manned by articulate artists' with engaging stories and warm smiles. The whole place was top notch and monied. The work on display was far better than what you might typically see.
While eyeing a T-shirt with a hand-painted picture I recognized as the Polebridge saloon (where, after my recognizance, I'd met up with the cyclist, eating free bear claws at a picnic table) a celloist played on a lush green lawn before a rapt audience.
The next day, we saw a buck on another lush green lawn in Whitefish
and celebrated that night by eating two for a buck tacos, though none was venison,
or whitefish
However, on our last morning in Whitefish, Ed and I ordered Elk omelets,
so that we can now say we've eaten elk omelets
(Does not taste like chicken)
on our way out we took turns pretending to be hugged by a really big bear.
We'd been told on the first day of our stay in Whitefish that bicycles don't have to be locked in town. Is it because the townspeople are honest, or is Whitefish so affluent nobody needs to steal a bike? We didn't steal any bikes in Whitefish, and no bikes were stolen from us. And although the stores have mostly fake facades and sell mostly cheap T-shirts and expensive jewelry, the town itself is super fun once you get to know it, and learn where to buy the good T-shirts.
On Ed's and my last night, we got to talking with a local Sherpa, who made it his mission to guide us on an expedition to three establishments in town he promised to be authentic. We strolled into the first place and immediately bypassed a very long and lively front bar, stopping at the end of it only long enough to catch a breath before we followed our guide into a large but quite and dark back area. There was a glow in the far corner, and he waved us toward it. We got to an oblong shaped table with 7 guys around it, playing Texas Hold 'Em under a light like an interrogation lamp. It was tense and quiet. A sign on a wall said "No Photographs" adding to the room's authenticity.
The second place was a tin-ceilinged pool hall that opened in 1915. Don't look now but there looks to be a Coldplay concert situation happening at the middle table.
I believe this was taken at the third authentic establishment. Which reminds me to get my tooth fixed.
Here are some pics taken during a Going-to-the-Sun car ride through
Glacier NP
A photo of a bear spray vending machine is a good way to end the blog, don't you think?
Like most people, I didn't use my bear spray on the trip, and upon departure left my can for someone lucky enough to need it just in case.
This trip has been a success in so many ways. Logistically, there was a lot going on. A lot that could have gone wrong. And personally, it was hard to know what to expect, as I knew only one other person at the beginning, and wasn't going to bike much. With all of that, it went seamlessly. There were no van or bike accidents, no run-ins with bears or the law, no breakdowns, mechanical or otherwise. We would have loved for Adam, Jordan, Alan, and Fred and Bret, to stay for even longer periods, though having people come in and out was also fun. And it's kinda cool having pride in the core three.
Thank you James, aka Satch, aka Dad. And congrats! This trip couldn't have happened without you, that's for sure. You thought of everything, and worked tirelessly before, during and after to make sure everything went according to plan. Definitely the lynchpin of the group. Great Job, Dad! It was wonderful to travel with you and I appreciate all you did, securing the van and creating the itinerary and all the rest, including remembering to pack Kathie's granola and baked goods!
And thanks of course to you, Ed, who had the idea for the trip in the first place and had little trouble talking me into joining. Ed also had the great idea to make the trip a fundraiser. He researched many charities, picked an awesome one in MCHS, and raised a lot of money for it. Proud to be a part of it Ed, and of our 60 year friendship.
Lastly, to all who've stuck with these intermittent, rambling posts, and especially to those who've donated to the charities, your support has meant the world to us and is greatly appreciated by the organizations.
Thank you all!
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