Little Cabin in the Woods

We made our way from Spokane through Idaho to Montana via the scenic route (US 2, that would be). There were lots of hairpin turns and hydroelectric projects and I think I may have found the river where Kokanee comes from (the beer, not the fish), but overall it was a pleasant drive through some moderately sized mountains and some good side stops like Kootenai Falls (also known to us as Kootenanny Falls). This was a great little leg-stretcher complete with a walk out to a Swinging Bridge that is not for the faint of heart, but makes for a great photo op!


I remember the passes on I-90 being more impressive the last time I did this trip, but perhaps the snow and icy roads just made it seem so. This time is was pretty agreeable, weather-wise, if not bright and sunny—but we were grateful for the sake of our four-legged buddy.


We arrived at our little cabin in the woods, on Spoon Lake just outside of Glacier National Park’s SW side. It was all I could get on 3 days notice, but damn, it was perfect! Except that I locked the keys inside the cabin not 10 minutes after arriving and we soon had to retrace our steps for half an hour to find the owner and retrieve a second key (thankfully she was only a short way into her long drive south, so met us in Kalispell). This afforded us the opportunity to pick up our fishing licenses and some flies and load up on some of the best American-Mexican food Columbia Falls, Montana has to offer! Yum.

So, we did get back to the cabin in time to launch the Old Town and take her for a spin! We headed down the lake and found a small cove with all sorts of funky algae and probably a seep or two, as the water was quite a bit colder than in the other parts of the lake (granted, my lacustrine ecology is paltry at best, but it seems to make sense with the algae).


We also saw a beautiful loon that let us drift to within 20 feet or so—all the while calling in that hauntingly beautiful way that only loons can. It was magnificent! Picture taking in low light from a canoe is a formidable challenge, but I did my best (not nearly up to the standards of the ornithologists I know, but good enough for now). We saw a few more loons and also some small beavers who let us know we were too close with some fierce tail-slaps! They made us laugh!
Basically, this is the best place we could have asked for! And we’re about 15 minutes from the park entrance via dirt roads, my favorite way to get anywhere! It always reminds me of trips on the Basin Road and that makes me happy.