Life Montana Style

Street parties in Kalispell, what next?

2009-07-17T17:55:00Z

Thursday!Fest a first step in energizing downtown.

What has been a slightly sleepy downtown Kalispell is beginning to wake up.

It starts with this week's inaugural Thursday!Fest and stretches into the possibility of a rejuvenated Liberty Theatre for live performances.

For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/07/01/news/local_montana/news_8753576063_05.txt

Flathead Lake is on pace to reach full pool

2009-06-01T17:54:00Z

Despite slower-than-usual runoff, officials say Flathead Lake is on pace to reach full pool by mid-June. The one thing that can push that back – and did, just last year – is the threat of flooding.

The National Weather Service, however, say flood risks look low this year.
Snow pack levels are lower, and the warm-and-cool trends of the past few weeks have delivered a more relaxed release this spring compared to last year's dramatic runoff.

To read the full text of this article online, click here:
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/flatheads_waters_rising_on_schedule/10728/

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-22T19:15:00Z

As a 3 day weekend approaches it's obvious from the frenzy that folks are trying to make the most out of it. I mean its supposed to be gorgeous this weekend, whats not to like?

Whether that means staying home and catching up on yard work, or heading out of town I hope your weekend is everything you want it to be. Tell us about your weekend -- we all have reasons for living in the Flathead Valley, what did you do Memorial weekend?

There's Nothing Here

2009-05-18T20:35:00Z

Biking In Glacier National Park

2009-05-12T20:20:00Z

Finally the bikers of Flathead Valley are hearing good news -- "roads are starting to open up in the park". NOT to motorized vehicles, but to bikers. Its a tradition for many folks to ride the roads of Glacier National Park, its far better if there are no cars to avoid.

Currently you can drive to Avalanche Lake parking area and ride Going To The Sun Road to the Loop. This is approximately a 16-mile round trip with gentle grade to start leading to steep grade right before the Loop. Take your family it's a great outing.

My friends and I rode up Route 7 this past weekend. It runs parallel to the Camas Creek Road except its pretty narrow and mainly gravel. Route 7 runs from Fish Creek campground right into Polebridge if you care to travel that far. It was an adventurous ride as there were numerous trees down across the road that you had to lift your bike over, but made for a full body workout. The weather was gorgeous and the views even better.

Argh ~ The Good with The Bad

2009-05-06T20:05:00Z

It’s shaping up to be a busy year – and most likely three years – for roadwork in Montana.
So the good being repaired roads making travel within our State easier and of course jobs for many Montanans.
The bad being delays which can tick-off even the most patient of us.

The Department of Transportation is in the bidding stages for a number of its 69 projects identified as candidates to receive a portion of the state’s $211 million of transportation infrastructure funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The highway and bridge funds represent a major percentage of the $800 million total the state has in stimulus money.

For the full story visit: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article

RUGBY is alive and tackling in the Flathead Valley

2009-05-01T20:16:00Z

In the tiny town of Simms, just west of Great Falls, a rural rugby tradition was born.

That was 2004. Five years later, the burgeoning U-19 Montana Youth Rugby Association still calls Simms home, but it has also welcomed five new teams, including a squad from the Flathead called the Black and Blue. The other four are Drummond, Missoula, Frenchtown and Helena. There will likely be more in coming years.

Our very own Realtor, Rich Lapp is proud to be apart of the Flatheads organization and is happy his son Hunter Lapp is following in his footsteps. Contact Rich at 253-5263 if you would like more information on the Black and Blue of the Flathead.

To read the full text of this article online, click here:
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/montanas_emerging_rural_rugby_tradition/10023/

Glacier Park may get a foot of new snow

2009-04-28T17:39:00Z

Glacier National Park plow crews may be in for a setback, with the National Weather Service saying the park will take the brunt of an incoming winter storm. Heavy snow is expected today along the Continental Divide, with a winter storm warning in effect for Glacier Park through Wednesday morning.

For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/04/28/news/local_montana/news_8759114212_02.txt

IT'S OFFICIAL - SPRING IS HERE!

2009-04-27T20:33:30Z

Bitterroot Lake has finally defrosted, leaving the white ice behind, and welcoming the deep blue liquid. This weekend I passed several hardy souls who pulled their trailer to the lake, to launch and begin their boating season. No doubt they were disappointed to have to wait another week, but that will make their first journey out on the lake all the sweeter. My husband and I said a sad farewell to the ice fishing, trading it for a day on Flathead Lake last week. With both of us catching good sized Mackinaw, a friendly competition was on for the biggest catch.

The valley is teeming with wildlife this spring, and it seems as if everywhere you turn, there are new wild faces gazing at you. While speaking on the phone to a client the other day, two cow moose trotted down our fence line, causing our horses to tag along to see what these odd creatures were up to. The deer are happily munching the new grass, and the squirrels and chipmunks delight in antagonizing our dogs.

The larch trees are getting bright green needles, once again, while the deciduous varieties are showing off their new spring buds. Pretty soon the forest wildflowers will dazzle us with their color, and we’ll be off hiking new spots in Glacier Park or the Jewel Basin. We’re all making plans for the summer, and with so much to do, we need a few more weekends to squeeze it all in!

Think about a visit, to experience some of our summer events such as art walks in Bigfork, sky diving at Lost Prairie, float trips down the Flathead, or a day trip to Wild Horse Island. There’s always Glacier Park to visit (which is fabulous!), and the National Bison Range for a real adventure. Then whet your whistle, and appease your appetite at great places to eat, such as the Mackinaw Grille in Somers. If you need some good ideas, give me a call and I’ll see what I can do to help.

When you fall in love with Montana, and can’t bear to leave, I’ll be at your service to find you that perfect property to call your own!

Call Carmen Hobson at 406-871-8760 or email carmen.hobson@coldwellbanker.com

MOOSE ON THE LOOSE!

2009-04-24T19:57:00Z

During recent cross country skiing outings I have come across a moose every time. Now in Glacier National Park I was not surprised to finally meet up with the moose that had been leaving footsteps meandering over the road as it foraged for leaves to eat. But while skiing at Whitefish Golf Course I was most surprised to have a moose watching over me as I turned a corner in the course. Oh the moose was happy, lying in a grove of trees and not worried by my presence, but still I made quick haste outta there. Now I read in the Whitefish Pilot that the poor ol' 900 pound, 3-year old bull moose had to be relocated before the golfing season opened. According to Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials the relocation went without a hitch and now ol' moosy is living back up in the hills out of skiers and golfers ways.

Whitefish Mountain Holds Out Hope

2009-01-13T23:40:00Z

With near record snowfall and gas prices down Whitefish Mountain Resorts management are hopeful of meeting their budget for 2009. In the midst of the current economic environment, however their hope may be just wishful thinking. View their recent article on resort and snow conditions at this link. For the sake of the local economy, I hope their optimism catches on and we can all start breathing a welcome sigh of relief.

Mountain Officials Hope Skiers Will Find a Way

2008-12-10T23:30:00Z

The latest news from the mountain is 5 new inches of snow and a 29" base. Some good skiing can be taken advantage of on the north side of the mountian. If you are interested, check out the following links:

http://www.skiwhitefish.com/snowreport.php

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/praying_for_snow_and_skiers_to_spend/7099/

Is Your Holiday Shopping Done?

2008-12-09T18:09:00Z

That's a laugh--I haven't even started. This four week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas has thrown me for a loop--we were just remarking the other night how we really only have two weeks left. So far the retailers aren't complaining too much, but if everyone is like my husband and I they will get slammed right before the holiday this year. It appears that we will be amongst those last minute shoppers. Check out these links to keep up with the holiday traffic reporting:

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/holiday_season_off_to_a_modest_start/6947/

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/early_data_shows_strong_black_friday/6943/

Will the Mountain Make Its Opening?

2008-12-03T18:36:00Z

Well the first dusting of snow did finally come down yesterday. Some areas of the valley were worse than others, and Whitefish Mountain Resort says they might have a bit of terrain open by Saturday, but it will be very limited. View their report here. As the forecast is for cold and snowy weather for the next week, I'm sure they will be able to create some snowy conditions and open some more runs before the Christmas holidays--Keep praying! Hopefully we'll be seeing terrain that looks like these shots below very soon!

Update: As of today 12/9/08, the mountian has opened two runs--well its a start! See the full article at this link

Check the full snow report at this link

Get Out of Baking on Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T23:11:00Z

I for one will not be baking on Thanksgiving--I will be buying my rolls, breads and pies at the new Avalanche Creek Bakery otherwise known as the Polebridge Bakery made famous at the Polebridge Merc to anyone frequenting that side of Glacier National Park or traveling up the North Fork Road. It is heartening in these uncertain economic times to see young entrepreneurs step out and use their ingenuity and expertise to keep our Kalispell downtown thriving. Besides the fact that even spending considerable time and money my pumpkin pie would never compare, I feel good in supporting this new Kalispell business. Join Me! Happy Thanksgiving!

Read about it here

Canadians--You Will Love Missoula

2008-11-24T17:14:00Z

Similarities between a pre-oil boom Calgary and Missoula, Montana are compared in this article. Canadians visiting the US will find Missoula friendly, close and comparable with cities they are used to. Come down and give it a try this holiday season!
Enjoy the photos--

Don't Miss Moose's Saloon on your next visit to Kalispell

2008-11-14T15:46:00Z

Everyone in Kalispell knows that Moose's Saloon is the place to go for pizza, however now the whole nation knows it as well. Local flavor and casual lifestyle are two reasons why we all choose to live here, but this video link sums it all up perfectly. People living in cities may never understand, but anyone who has ever watched Cheers can recognize Moose's Saloon as the real life place "where everybody knows your name".

View the video here

Contact us for other "local flavor" recommendations at relocation@cbwrealestate.com

Montana Christmas Tree on the Way to US Capital

2008-11-11T18:15:00Z

The over 100 foot Christmas tree that will grace the US Capital this year was provided by the Bitterroot National Forest in the Sapphire Mountains. It will propel Montana into the national news, as the last time a capitol Christmas tree came from Montana was in 1989. Montana school children hand-crafted many of the Christmas ornaments that will be placed on the tree. Read more about this event, and how the tree was chosen here.

Visit the official website where you can track the tree's journey here

Sign of the Times

2008-11-04T18:11:00Z

With the national economy faltering it is not surprising to see some local fallout. This week we learned that the Flathead Valley's largest venue for sports events and banquet events will be closing its doors for the first quarter of 2009. It seems crazy to think that an area as large as the Flathead with no convention center can't support one major venue. Hopefully closing for the first quarter will be all Jan and Bob Parker will have to do to get their costs back in line and help the area realize we need some sort of major site for events and conferences to take place.

Read the full story at this link:

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/majestic_valley_arena_to_close_doors/6417/

Christmas is Coming Really?

2008-10-21T15:58:00Z

Here is an event that will rev up your Christmas spirit and support a historic landmark in downtown Kalispell at the same time. Enjoy!