Hail No!
During our time in Montana, a cold front came through which caused a lot rain, and because it was so warm in the afternoon, the rain turned into hail. We were at my friend Rick's house when it all came down. The hail made a whole lot of noise. It was no big deal, except that hail is usually the last thing one excepts to see in August. Columbia Falls, MT.

 
No Shit is Too Tough for Me
Kathleen made all the tough shots as she beat me in an afternoon game of putt-putt. We decided to take a break from hiking and the Park and we visited a putt-putt course in Correm, MT which is on the way to Glacier National Park.

 
A Beer with a View
Enjoying a cold pilsner from the Great Northern Brewing Co. on the balcony of brewery location in downtown Whitefish. In the background, you can see the tents and stands going up for the Huckleberry Festival that will start the next day and go on for three days in City Park. Whitefish, MT.

 
Drink Up Cowboy
When you come to Whitefish, you have to come and spend some time at the Great Northern Brewing Co. It's located on the main drag in downtown Whitefish. So I did. I had a few of their freshly made lager and pilsner. Good thing I had a designated driver on this trip. Whitefish, MT.

 
Down On Main Street
The view of Central Avenue from the balcony of the Great Northern Brewing Co. From the same balcony, you can see Whitefish Mountain Resort as well. Whitefish, MT.

 
Big Brewing Vessels
On the lower floor of the great Northern Brewing Co.is a row of vessels use to brew the Great Northern Brewing Co. beer. Whitefish, MT.

 
Brown Bagging It
After an afteroon of drinking at the Great Northern Brewing Co., we grab a shopping bag to carry out our gifts home. Whitefish, MT.

 
I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing
When in Whitefish, one has to go to Wasabi. It's the best sushi bar in the Flathead valley. Like Mambo's the waiting time is almost a hour. But, on this day, we got seated in less than 15 minutes. The meals we ordered were spectacular. Whatever the wait is, it is well worth it. Whitefish, MT.

 
High Ride
We went up to Whitefish Mountain Resort one afternoon to do the zip line, but the zip line was full for the day. After we booked a reservation to go zip lining the next day, we decided to take the ski lift up the mountain and hike down. Whitefish, MT.

 
Hiking High
Hiking halfway up Whitefish Mountain Resort. Below is the town of Whitefish and Whitefish lake. Whitefish, MT.

 
Mambo Girls
The best italian restuarant in the Flathead valley by far, is Mambo's in downtown Whitefish, and because of this, it is always a hour or 2 wait to get a table. We walked right in and got a couple of spots at the bar which in my option is the way to go. Because the place is always packed, the staff is always running around frantically and stepping over one another. It's really quite entertaining. Whitefish, MT.

 
Finally, Dinner is Servered
Kathleen and I had to wait a while for our meals to come, but there was plenty to see and do when you sit at the bar at Whitefish's world famous italian restuarant. Our meals were so awesome. After which, we understood why you have to wait a hour or two to get a table here, and why it is voted the best italian restuarant in Whitefish every year. Whitefish, MT.

 
Pizza's Up!
We sat at the bar at Mambo's to avoid having to wait a couple of hours for a table. One of the benefits of doing this, is you get to see them make fresh pizzas from scratch. This pizza looked so awesome. We both wanted it so badly when it came out of the oven. Whitefish, MT.

 
Going Away
Casey's Bar is the oldest structure in downtown Whitefish. Next year, it is to be torn down to the ground. Apparently, the structure has been deemed unsafe. I believe it leans a couple of inches to one side, and it has some other structural defects. Whitefish, MT.

 
Got Time for a Quickee
Just before we went to the annual Huckleberry festival in downtown Whitefish, Kathleen and I went to one of the best sandswich shop in the Flathead valley. Quickee's is a "must-go" place to go when you come to Whitefish. When I lived here, I always came for the blackeen tuna sandswich, and this time was no exception. Whitefish, MT.

 
Some Good Eat'n
The food at the Huckleberry festival in Whitefish was nothing to write home about, but it appears to be adequate. We just had the Huckleberry ice cream because we ate at Quickee's before we came to the festival. Whitefish, MT.

 
Nice Stuff
There was lots of nice stuff to see at the annual Huckleberry festival in downtown Whitefish. We were going zip lining later on this day, so we thought we kill some time and browser around. Whitefish, MT.

 
Huckleberry Festival Patriots
Every year, the city of Whitefish has their annual "Huckleberry Festival" at its downtown park which is right across the street from the train depot. I thought the festival was pretty lame. It just looked like another weekly "swap meet" or "flea market" with the same old stands selling the same old stuff. There was nothing huckleberry about the festival except for the hucklberry ice cream we got which you can get anywhere in Montana this time of year. Whitefish, Montana.

 
Summer Time on Whitefish Lake
The "Beach" on Whitefish lake. On this hot summer day, the lake was filled to capacity, or it seemed like it. There was no place to part our Mustang, so we didn't get to go down to the lake. In the background is Whitefish Mountain Resort. You can clearly see the ski runs. Later on that afternoon, we would go up there to go zip lining. Whitefish, MT.

 
Zip Lining Montana Style
This was our first time ever zip line adventure. This was our last full day of our vacation to do something fun, so we thought zip lining would be fun. Our 2-hour adventure started at 5:30 in the afternoon up on Whitefish Mountain Resort just north of the city of Whitefish. We are geared up and ready to go. Whitefish, MT.

 
Ready Set Go!
Kathleen and I went down all four runs together. Usually, I would be strapped in first and then Kathleen next. Because both Kathleen and I are of competitive nature, we would race on every run. And because, Kathleen usually beats me at everything, I cheated by taking off early at the start of each race. Whitefish, MT.

 
Piece of Cake
Kathleen taking a breather after our second zip-line run. We went in groups down each run with each run getting longer and higher. Those who go first or early have to wait on the rest of the groupt to finish. Whitefish, MT.

 
Spread Arms and Legs to Slow Down
On the second run, we practice going fast and slowing down on the zip line. There were photographers hired by the zip line company planted in strategic places on the mountain to take photos of us while we zip-lined in hopes that we would purchase their photos at the end of the adventure. Kathleen and I looked through the photos they took and we were not impressed with the photos they took, so we didn't buy any. Whitefish, MT.

 
Ski Lift to the Next Zip Line Run
After we did the easier learning runs, Kathleen and I take a ski lift to the last 2 zip line runs that were higher, longer, and way faster. It was a warm beautiful sunny Montana summer day. But with all the gear and hiking with the gear on, we sweated like pigs. And, after a while, our gear started to smell really bad, mainly because the equippment we used was used by everyone and smelled like it was rarely cleaned.

 
Zipping Across the Montana Sky
The last part of our zip-line adventure, was the longest, fastest and highest of the four runs that Kathleen and I got to do on this warm summer August afteroon. Whitefish, MT.