Setting Out

Tuesday, July 1. 2014

Stu scoops up Marilyn and me at 6:45 in the a.m. (shudder) and deposits us at Tampa International where we are TSA Pre-Check approved!  We fly through security (like in the good old days!) and have plenty of time to eat yogurt and hard-boiled eggs before our first plane boards.  

There will be three of the winged machines this day, one from Tampa to Atlanta, one from Atlanta to Salt Lake City and the last from SLC to Kalispell, Montana.  On the middle flight I wind up with a window seat, through some good Samaritanism on Marilyn's part.  A family from Switzerland is trying to arrange their seats so that mom and dad and the two little ones and grandma and grandpa can be close together.  Marilyn gives up her aisle seat to the mom;  but it's okay because she gets another one just a few rows back.  And I make out like a bandit with the window seat!  That's why I can show you a few photos from across America!

The USA is playing Belgium in the World Cup while we're on our last flight.  It's 2-1 favor Belgium part way through the second overtime.  It is only later that we learn the sad truth.  

I've been playing with my new phone!  Here's a, gasp, selfie!

We arrive at the Glacier Park International Airport, but don't be fooled by the grandeur of the name!  I guess it is close enough to Canada to qualify as international!  Our Thrifty van is pulling away as we exit the building, but only because we got caught by the gift shop!  He returns for us after a polite phone call, and we are whisked away to their off-site location.  It turns out that Thrifty is now part of Hertz!  Their service is much better than we encountered last year in Arizona.

Would you believe this is our rental car?  Guess you're too smart for me!

These guys were really helpful!  I suppose we'll have to take back our evil comments about Thrifty!

To get to our hotel we drive down Main Street, aka US 93, and discover that it goes around the Flathead County Courthouse.

We also see some unique wall decorations!

We locate our hotel, the Guest House Inn and Suites, which used to be The Outlaw.  The casino still is!  Just down the street is Smith's, a twenty-four hour grocery store, and Finnegan's, a nice family restaurant.  After visiting both we go upstairs to begin reorganizing our luggage for the adventure ahead.  See you in the morning!