Whitefish Mountain Resort

We drove the same road I previously rode, to the base of the ski resort.  I'm not a skier but I understand it's a quality ski complex with 112 runs and 14 ski lifts.  I talked Amy into piling into a gondola rather than a lift for the ride up. I'm kind of reluctant to sit on a lift while that was her preferred mode of travel.

We ascend 2400' to the peak and the views are great.

We were surprised at the distance of the ride.

There is a mountain biking course that is very popular.  The cyclists jump on the Lift with their bikes and then descend.

At the peak, there are multiple signs that provide a lot of good info for skiers.

And the views, wow.

After an evening of rain a couple of days ago, the views had cleared but unfortunately the smoke is socked back in.  We could barely make out the mountains in Glacier.

Center right in the above picture, we spot several plumes of smoke, all recent additions from lightning strikes.  We entered a restaurant/bar and on the bottom floor, there was....

....an exhibit that included a grizzly, black bear and mountain lion.  I don't like my odds if confronted by one of these.  When we do our first real hike, next week, we'll both carry bear spray as is advised.  During my research for the ride in Glacier, I read accounts by cyclists who recently completed the ride where they saw bears. In one case, a grizzly was walking up the road ahead of the cyclist, pausing to look at the cyclist, kept walking and only when a cyclist coming down the mountain startled the bear, did the bear move off the road.

For the ride down, Amy chose the chair, I jumped in the gondola, lol.  During a hike, I can stand on a precipice with hundreds of feet of drop and it doesn't bother me much but for some reason, the chair is a problem for me.

It appeared the mountain bikers were having a blast!

Whitefish Lake in the distance.  What a view!