Our first glimpse of the awesome Mission Mountains this spring! The last time we came up here to view the snow-capped peaks we were completely fogged in, no mountains in sight! This scene is just south of the town of Arlee.
We always like to stop at Wilson Foods in Arlee, just because we share the name. Mr. Keith needs his coffee for the drive.
We thought we might get a good view of the mountains from the National Bison Range, remembering how high the road through there goes. But, the high road was closed for the winter and we were allowed to drive only on the lower outskirts of the range. We found a small group of Bison enjoying the sunshine and munching away on the dried grass.
The gorgeous Mission Mountains from the Bison Range.
I know these peaks must have individual names, but I wasn't able to figure it out from the map we had in the car.
Driving northeast through the Charlo area we passed many farms and lots of cattle. These ranchers must be in heaven with a view like that every day.
A picturesque red barn along the way.
I couldn't get my fill of picture taking. This is near the Nine-Pipe National Wildlife Refuge where we saw lots of geese and other birds.
Here we are headed east back towards the main road, Highway 93.
The town of Saint Ignatius sits here, a settlement of about 900 people on the Flathead Indian Reservation. What a view they have!
One of our favorite places to visit is the St. Ignatius Mission, founded by Father Peter De Smet in 1841. We didn't go inside on this trip, but from a former visit we remember the amazing paintings on the ceiling and the beautiful interior of the church. We were happy that we got to see the gorgeous Mission Mountains with the snow still topping them on a sunny day. We will return when the Bison Range opens for the summer, and maybe we'll even go farther north to Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park!
