By Mick Holien
You know that late night you pointed your rig up Evaro Hill bound for somewhere in Lake County and coming out of the valley floor starting the 1,000 foot incline to the boundary of the Flathead Reservation you quickly learned that swirling snow covering your windshield was just a precursor to a squirrelly track free roadway that made you consider returning to the motel at the Wye.
You’ve been on those trips even if infrequently.
I can assure you – now take my word for it – Wednesday was not one of those days and makes such trip over Evaro tolerable.
And while we sure didn’t plan it that way a trio of self described cohorts in crime, anticipating sunny skies and 70-degree temps, left Polson up the west shore on one of our fact finding missions.
And indeed treasuring a half dozen hours to make about the same number of stops at a variety of venues pausing finally on the deck at the Raven in Woods Bay turned out to just one of the highlights of what modestly be described as a glorious day.
The commonality encountered on such ventures is a treasure trove for a story teller and besides spinning our own yarns from entirely different backgrounds the conversation that flows your way on a sunny Montana afternoon goes a ways towards diminishing anything you might be having occupying your senses.
Seemingly everyone you encounter – the trio with me are all Montana born as I’m a Spokane implant – always know someone from there or a relative from where or maybe it’s the barber from White Sulfer Springs.
Infrequently you actually know the person – Like former TV guy Dax VanFossen who is now managing a phalanx of businesses, including a distillery in the Woods Bay area.
Of course one of our kindred spirits, reborn as a farmer, has an orchard full of pears and that’s just the half of it.
The convertible classics were out in Somers, my new-to-me vehicle performed admirably and I’m working on the guilt for being without a pickup.
Just sayin’
