It’s a pretty slow news day. Everyone must be out having fun. So we thought we would put together a photo gallery from June of last year. Enjoy the summer!
Photo Gallery from June 2016
Not all thistles are weeds
North Fork Booklovers – July 20
The first 2017 meeting of the North Fork Booklovers will be Thursday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Dick and Janet Leigh, 15920 North Fork Rd. Our book will be “Dancing at the Rascal Fair” by Ivan Doig. It’s a great work of fiction about Scottish settlers in Montana in the late 1800s. If you have any questions, please contact Janet at Janet.l.leigh@gmail.com or 406-253-5680. Hope to see you there.
Calendar for the Week of June 25
You can tell that it’s summer because the calendar is full (tap here to get the full, official NFNews calendar). Here we go…
- Sunday, June 25 – Bike ride Camas Road to Apgar… Known locally as the “Ride for Ice Cream” Distance: 22 miles round trip Difficulty: Moderately strenuous (three miles of uphill at the start of the return trip) Meeting Time: 9:00 am at the parking area on the Camas Road by the stop sign you encounter less than a mile after crossing over the Camas Bridge from the North Fork Road
- Sunday, June 25 – Church services at 10:30AM. Services are held weekly until the end of August.
- Monday, June 26 – Game Night at the Hall at 7PM. Hosted by Karen and Gary McDonough. Please bring a snack.
- Monday, June 26 – Glacier National Park’s Citizen Science Program – 7 to 8 pm at the Kalispell ImagineIF Library. For more information, see this post.
- Tuesday, June 27 – Community Float from the Border to Ford – This river float will begin at the Border at 11 am and take out at Ford. Dick Leigh will leave a car at Ford for shuttle back up to the Border. Please bring a lunch to enjoy with your neighbors and friends on the river. And don’t forget your life jacket!
- Wednesday, June 28 – Bike ride Upper Hawk Creek – Distance: 11 miles Difficulty: Easy Meeting Time: 9:00 am at the junction Red Meadow Road and the North Fork Road (Note: We will return in time for Wernick’s garden sale.)
- Wednesday, June 28 – Wernick’s Garden Sale at their place on East Red Meadow Drive at noon.
- Wednesday, June 28 – Wednesday Night Special at the Northern Lights Saloon. Heather is featuring a recipe special out of the north fork kitchens cookbook every Wednesday night.
- Thursday, June 29 – Brown Bag: Huckleberry Ecology: A Search for Berry Treasure. Location: West Glacier Community Buildin Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM For more information see this post.
- Friday, June 30 – Bike Ride Cyclone Notch to Big Creek – Route: Cyclone Notch to Big Creek Distance: 16 miles Difficulty: Moderate (a few small uphills, but mostly downhill) Note: This ride requires a shuttle. Contact Valerie Cox at 406-570-7734 or vk.cox@icloud.com to arrange the shuttle. Meeting Time: Meet at 9:30 am at the junction of the Big Creek Road #316 (just north of Big Creek Outdoor Center) and the North Fork Road to drop shuttle vehicles. From there we will drive to Cyclone Notch where the bike ride begins.
- Saturday, June 31 – NFLA Business Meeting at Sondreson Hall 8PM. Host: Irv Heitz. 7PM is Tim Manley and Grizzly Bears. Please bring a light snack to share. Board recruitment discussion.
- Saturday, June 31 – Evening Steak Night at Home Ranch Bottoms. Come join Angie, Shawn, your neighbors and friends for steak night at Home Ranch Bottoms, every Saturday night throughout the summer.
Upcoming Bike Rides
Here’s some information from Val Cox for some upcoming NFLA bike rides. What fun!
2017 Bike ride from Avalanche Campground to The Loop by Val Cox
Date: Sunday, June 25
Route: Camas Road to Apgar (and back) also known locally as the “Ride for Ice Cream”
Distance: 22 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderately strenuous (three miles of uphill at the start of the return trip)
Meeting Time: 9:00 am at the parking area on the Camas Road by the stop sign you encounter less than a mile after crossing over the Camas Bridge from the North Fork Road
Date: Wednesday, June 28
Route: Upper Hawk Creek
Distance: 11 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Meeting Time: 9:00 am at the junction Red Meadow Road and the North Fork Road (Note: We will return in time for Wernick’s garden sale.)
Date: Friday, June 30
Route: Cyclone Notch to Big Creek
Distance: 16 miles
Difficulty: Moderate (a few small uphills, but mostly downhill)
Note: This ride requires a shuttle. Contact Valerie Cox at 406-570-7734 or vk.cox@icloud.com to arrange the shuttle.
Meeting Time: Meet at 9:30 am at the junction of the Big Creek Road #316 (just north of Big Creek Outdoor Center) and the North Fork Road to drop shuttle vehicles. From there we will drive to Cyclone Notch where the bike ride begins.
Community Float from the Border to Ford – June 27
A float trip from the Border to Ford has been organized. The June 27th river float will begin at the Border at 11 am and take out at Ford. Dick Leigh will leave a car at Ford for shuttle back up to the Border. Please bring a lunch to enjoy with your neighbors and friends on the river. And don’t forget your life jacket!
Removing a Road Culvert Makes a Difference
Keep safe on the water
Summer days on the water with family and friends are ahead. Here’s a primer on how to keep those days safe and fun for the entire crew.
- All boats must have one U.S Coast Guard-approved life jacket, also known as a personal floatation device or PFD Type I, II, or III, for each person on board.
- Life jackets must be in good condition, the appropriate size for the intended wearer, and readily accessible.
- Boats 16 feet or longer (excluding canoes and kayaks) must also have at least one throwable floatation device (Type IV) such as a ring buoy or boat cushion. This floatation device must be immediately available and within reach of the boat’s operator or passengers.
- Under Montana law, life jackets must be worn by:
- kids under 12 years of age in boats less than 26 feet in length and in motion;
- water skiers, tubers, or anyone being towed by a boat; and
- anyone operating or riding a personal watercraft such as a wave runner or jet ski.
The importance of life jackets cannot be underestimated. If you’re floating through whitewater or get caught in a storm, wearing a lifejacket could save your life. These rules are there to help keep summer days on the water safe and fun for everyone.
First Responders Brace for Wildfire Season
Crews mop up a grass fire near Appleway Drive in Kalispell on June 21, 2017. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
The Flathead Beacon reports that Northwest Montana got its first taste of wildfire season this week when firefighters responded to a small grass fire on the west side of Kalispell. Kalispell Fire Chief Dave Dedman said the blaze was reported at approximately 1:13 p.m. on June 21 near the intersection of Appleway Drive and Fenn Way. High winds quickly fanned the flames, forcing a nearby home to be evacuated. Police were preparing the clear out other residences shortly before firefighters got the fire under control. Read the full story here.
Gridlock with a View
The Flathead Beacon says… It’s an experience almost any visitor to Glacier National Park knows: aimlessly driving in circles at Logan Pass in search of a parking spot. Although Going-to-the-Sun Road is not yet open to Logan pass, just last Tuesday, the parking lots a Bowman Lake, Kintla and Avalanche were all full by mid-afternoon. Read the full story here.