A Lake Break from the Lake and Back to the Show!

Our final performance at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival was a blast. Afterward there was much partying and rejoicing, yet there was no partying for the wicked. Rather, the road beckoned me for an early morning start of the return drive to Boise. Have I mentioned just how much I like driving in the hot stinking Nevada desert in August?

Desert dream condo along the road.

Back in Boise, I cut the lawn, washed the car (because that’s what you do if you care at all about your car), and began the mentally challenging process of unpacking while simultaneously repacking. Why would I do this? Because like any reasonable person after having spent six weeks at a lake, I needed a week at another lake to unwind, and Flathead Lake in NW Montana fit the bill. It helped that Aunt Mary and Uncle Frank offered their lakeside guest cabin to us.

Here’s an interesting note: Flathead Lake’s 197 square miles of surface area beats Lake Tahoe’s 191 square miles. However, Flathead’s 5 cubic miles of water is dwarfed by Tahoe’s 40 cubic miles. So remember, when the inevitable apocalyptic water shortages come, let’s drain Lake Tahoe, OK?

Thus Natalie, Lilly (the dog), and I traveled north to Moscow where we rendezvoused (that’s a funny word!) with Simon and continued northward, arriving at Flathead just in time to see a wildfire’s giant plume of smoke transform the sun into a deep red ball; an ominous start to my post-lake lake adventure.

By morning, the smoky forest haze was accompanied by a cold front’s high winds resulting in 4-foot high white-capped waves and their dramatic crashing on the seawall. Yep, we know how to time a summer trip!

Think there's a fire nearby? The bright dot is the
sun... you can stare at it forever!

What to do? Drive to town of course! And we did… north to Bigfork where it was even smokier and everything smelled like it was recently dragged through a campfire pit. We also traveled south to Polson where we shopped the junk stores and enjoyed a “Pirate” Belgian beer at The Cove Deli and Pizza. This eatery isn’t lakeside nor is there a cove nearby, but they have a pirate theme going on all the same! It must be HAAARRRRRD to make living in Polson!

A heart healthy lunch in Bigfork and OMG! Hot
chocolate with whipped cream, sprinkles,
and candy on the side!

Belgian Pirate beer and traditional pirate food.

Simon and I did manage to get some dockside swim- and sun-time in and, without doubt, the highlight of our trip was hiking to the 7,500 ft. summit of Mt. Aeneas in the Jewel Basin. Why this peak is named after the Greco-Roman hero I do not know. And, until I consulted Wikipedia just now, I didn’t know there was a Greco-Roman hero named Aeneas. In any case, we had lots of fun saying “Aeneas” (go ahead… say it aloud!).

The summit of Mt. Aeneas. The view north into
Glacier National Park reminded me of the
Alps… only smaller and without glaciers.

Studly Do-Right pondering life and the meaning
of everything... Or just listening to music.

Like all trips, this one had to come to an end. But the show must go on! And it is! The cast and crew of Forever Plaid regrouped in Boise, rehearsed, and has launched a 21-performance run of the show. And, if the reactions of the initial audiences are any indication, we’re taking it all the way to Broadway baby!

I've been on stage with two rock bands featuring fog machine
show-closers, but never a musical... until now!
Check another one off the bucket list!

Thanks for coming along on the TourAlongWithTodd BLOG—The Tahoe Edition!

And who knows… I might just throw some random posts at you down the road.

Until next time… Ciao!

Studly Do-Right holding back a wall of
frightening ice with his MIND POWER!