The Mercantile had a phenomenal bakery inside. And the Northern lights Saloon served gourmet dinners and beer in mason jars. In a couple of days the village was hosting Aurorafest, their big summer concert. Local and national musicians come to play in this beautiful valley next to the Flathead River. This was beginning to seem like my kind of place.
I quickly met some locals and was offered a free campsite by the river if I wanted to stay for the week and attend the concert. The food from the bakery was so good and the free spirits of the village drew me in. I stayed and had a wonderful time. Sleeping in, lazy walks to the Merc for lunch, napping in the afternoon, a swim in the river then to the Saloon for dinner and drinking beer from a mason jar all night. Fascinating talks with people from various backgrounds and some lost souls in this village of pop. 50, run soley on gas generators, with no electricity.
The concert was a great experience with several bands highlighted by a reggae troop out of Seattle. Man, you just haven't lived until you've danced under a full moon in the middle a lost valley in Montana, to the upbeat tunes of a 10 piece reggae band. So even though I thought I wanted solitude, turns out I was needing an authentic experience. I got one in Polebridge.
Polebridge and Aurorafest -
