Friday, September 13, 2013

Polebridge Mercantile... The Montana Bakery

We used the truck to make the requisite pilgrimage to the Polebridge Mercantile Bakery.



It's getting easier every year. There seems to be less and less gravel road to access the tasty goodies on the edge of the Montana Wilderness. Another year or two and a big Ol' road bike will make the two up ride without complaint!

There are a few risks you have to take to access such fine fare though... Like Yogi...




He was walking down the road far ahead of us and ducked into the regrowth in an old burn as we approached. By the time I'd climbed up on the bed of the truck trying to get an eyeball on him he'd vanished.

I could hear branches popping and snapping as he pushed his way through, but could only see the tops of the four or five foot sapplings wiggle and bounce as he shoved through.

Luckily I had the camera pointed in the right direction when he popped up to take a peek at the two legged pest blocking his road. ;)

But... I had a different sort of Bear Claw in mind...

Polebridge Mercantile Bakery Bear claw


A Huckleberry Bear Claw to be precise... Which we enjoyed along with a sort of a pita pocket kind of a turkey sandwich... mmmmm goooood.

... that we savored sitting in front of the Northern Lights Saloon.


Polebridge Montana Northern Lights Saloon






With famine averted we turned back south and made our way with our 2" too wide Ol' Truck about half way or so up the Going to the Sun Road...








Views along Going to the Sun Road


Mists along Going to the Sun Road
You know... they say no rigs over 21 feet long or 8 feet wide... I think they should also say "Bicycles must be kept on the rack"...

Pedaling two wheels at less than ten miles an hour on a twisting, narrow, steep mountain road... blocking the down hill... refusing to clear the road at the small widespots a bike would fit in... so the brake burning traffic stacking up behind you can safely pass... is a shining example of high IQ.

Sorry... but respect has to go both ways... so... I had two choices... follow along behind for a mile and more... or... pass unsafely...

Kind of funny the glares I got...from the genius blocking the road... for NOT passing unsafely... cute.

Then there was the fella who parked with the wheels of his truck IN the road... flapping his arms at me like a windmill and glaring with indigent soo-peer-ee-ority... 'cause I had the gall to actually... drive past on the roadway! :)

It's a wonder world population can continue to grow... when it seems a heavy majority are so devoid of common sense that they couldn't find their butts if they searched with both hands and a flashlight... while a coroner reads 'em the directions!

Closer to home, after we fought loose from the cagers and pedalers, intensely in need of driving and riding Lessons... and operating well outside of their safe zones of limited ability... annnnnnd the next day... we found a short walk around Lion Lake to contemplate the devolution of the ability to chew gum and walk at the same time...







 This post is coming from an asphalt boondock in Great Falls... We pulled out of Hungry Horse yesterday to continue our journey, bound for Sydney and the joys of generating a living. ;)

Across the Wide Missouri
Brian

4 comments:

klbexplores said...

You found some mighty purdy places to point your camera at. I too cannot figure out how bikes manage to 'follow' rules of the road for bikes and vehicles.... at any given time the ones that benefit only them at any given moment. Gees......

Mighty fine example of huckleberries put to good Use!

Nan said...

We were in Prineville, OR a couple of weeks ago and they were having the U.S. road championships or something like that. At 7 a.m. riders were riding through the campgrounds using their loud voices....Later, when we dared out onto the highway, did they use the bake lanes? Heck no! They would ride 2 and 3 abreast! I honked them over and got dirty looks.

Unknown said...

Howdy Mr. Gore, NDR;

Several years ago we ran into several thousand bicyclists between Ouray and Durango, CO. What a bunch of arrogant, non-thinking, inconsiderate, jerks. We were on the bike and Cathy was wanting a cattle prod to help some of them along. Several of them did get tangled up with an RV outside of Silverton. We came close to tagging one a time or two when they decided to pull left into our path. Brain-dead fools.

Have fun in Sidney! FYI: We're only a few hours south of Sidney, hint, hint.

Adios!
Mike

Jeff and Lori said...

Hope all your family and friends are OK back at the Front Range, Jeff.