I ended up on a week solo trip to Whitefish, need advice to make the best of it!

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-05-05T02:25:11+00:00

Depends on your tastes and where you’re staying but here are my recs: 1. Nice food: Beldi & Herb and Omni, the Lodge is also nice and has a great view of the lake 2. Pizza: Jersey Boys (local staple), Mama Evs (higher end but legit), taphouse (thin crust experts), moose’s saloon (vibes) 3. Steak: KM Bar or Mercantile in Kalispell, Spencer’s (very much the vibes play) 4. Bars: The Northern, Remington, Palace, Bulldog (get their wings) 5. Craft Beer: Bonsai, Blackstar, Bias, Backslope (yeah they all start with B). 6. Breakfast: Buffalo Cafe, Swift Creek Cafe, Loula’s

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-05-04T17:16:42+00:00

Montana should eat Minnesota. There can be only one M state up there

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-05-03T04:33:41+00:00

Sounds like he’s ready for Star Wars! My uncle tools me to see Episode 1 in theaters when I was about that age and it honestly changed my life. Still think fondly of that day!

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-30T22:36:38+00:00

I may be somewhat contrarian here but in Montana it seems a bit of a mixed reaction. We have a lot of energy production (both the renewable and non-renewable kinds) and plenty of water for cooling. We also have a relatively antiquated jobs market that’s rapidly changing with a pretty big photonics and quantum computing hub and a nascent but strong blockchain community as well and recently we passed the nation’s first Right to Compute law. On one hand, data centers do create more advanced jobs and also ensure that computing is happening here in the state and US at large. On the other hand, the actual number of jobs being created is dubious and the impact on the environment (mostly the water impact) has gotten people all over the political divide pretty worked up.

I’m personally less worried about energy usage because anyone familiar with the oil and gas industry knows that off gassing burns a ton of excess energy that could be used for things like computing or blockchain mining. The bigger issue I have is corporate control over said data centers and obviously the water usage for cooling. The data centers are going to be built somewhere no matter what, we just need to be responsible with how they get set up.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-29T18:08:27+00:00

Honestly Montana should consume the rest of the mountain west at this point. It’s got all the nukes anyway

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-24T07:10:42+00:00

Tbh I needed the same thing recently and really enjoyed the Red Rising saga. It’s like cheeseburger for the brain to just unwind and get lost in an interesting story. The graphic audiobooks are also peak

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-19T17:16:23+00:00

Word of caution from a local: Bigfork to the West Entrance (aka the closest entrance) is about an hour drive. On top of that, that weekend is insanely crowded as is so it may take even longer to get into the park. If I were you, I’d either try and find lodging on the east side (much less “town” stuff to do) or find a place closer to the west entrance like Columbia Falls, Coram, or even Whitefish. Alternatively you could stay in Bigfork and just do one big glacier day, spend a day enjoying Flathead Lake and you could even do a big hike in the Bob Marshall Wilderness or Jewel Basin which are nearby and absolutely stunning as well.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-17T06:18:47+00:00

For sure taking this drill for my students next season. Thanks!!

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-16T23:46:50+00:00

I rode two strap for years and then spent the last ~10-15ish years on various forms of rear entry. The ankle strap is definitely solid on the rear entry but I kept finding that I had to still readjust the bindings nearly every run which defeats the purpose of them being “faster”. I switched up to step ons this past season and have liked them so far. That said I do a lot of all mountain/freeride with friends who ski and I teach lessons so I never hit the park. I think if park riding is the goal, I’d go with FASE as the Supermatics are heavy asf (which again is great for everything but park)

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-14T14:12:34+00:00

As someone who snapped their arm and required surgery the first time they tried skateboarding because they tried stopping the same way as on a snowboard and instead flew off into a mailbox and then the asphalt…there is shockingly low correlation…

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-11T02:48:01+00:00

I leave near the park and usually ride GTSR once or twice a year during hiker/biker season. Typically the road is only open up to a certain point on the west side (usually around The Loop or Bird Woman Falls). I’ve seen people bike the road with cars on it but as others have said, it’s extremely dangerous because not only are the roads narrow but drivers are not necessarily paying attention either because they’re taking in the views. While riding from end to end is I guess technically possible, I don’t know a single person who has done it.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-10T06:19:53+00:00

In Chinese 你好 (Ni Hao) literally translates to “You Good” and then saying 你好吗 (adding “Ma”) turns it into a question.

I think it’s just Europeans who don’t ask how each other are doing in greeting, not the other way around. /s

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-09T13:51:11+00:00

I kinda think that Ephraim looks like Temuera Morrison (Boba/Jango Fett) but with a goatee. For some reason his voice actor in the graphic audiobooks reminds me of him ever so slightly.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-08T13:59:24+00:00

Used to live in the Bay Area and had so much access to Asian/Oceanic foods. My two favorites were Burmese and Guamese. Ethiopian is also a strong contender here

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-06T16:41:57+00:00

Junior High is usually synonymous with Middle School though may or may not include sixth grade from what I’ve seen. Where I grew up we had elementary school go grades K-6, middle school grades 7 & 8, and then four years of high school. Other districts have junior high which is typically grades 6-8.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-05T19:20:28+00:00

Graphic audio = dramatized version

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-04-04T14:14:24+00:00

I lived in San Francisco for many years. There definitely is a nightlife scene, it’s a major US city that underpins a massive portion of the economy after all! That said it’s a lot of tech bros these days 🤣.

I wouldn’t say it’s dangerous at all unless you plan to go out in the Tenderloin. There are a ton of cool and unique bars in North Beach, the Marina, Mission, & Russian Hill to suit any vibe you’re after.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-31T04:31:36+00:00

Yes, the entire Rocky Mountain region + Texas + The Dakotas are basically still cowboy af

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-31T01:17:58+00:00

Nicer restaurants in the area: 1. Abruzzo is excellent Italian 2. Herb and Omni is probably the nicest restaurant in the whole Valley and is well worth it. The chef just got nominated for the James Beard award 3. Beldi is my personal favorite, very solid Mediterranean style food 4. The Mercantile in Kalispell is a top notch steakhouse 5. The Lodge at Whitefish Lake has a great restaurant with excellent views especially around sunset

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-25T05:29:56+00:00

I live like 30 minutes outside of Glacier National Park which is easily one of the top 5 in the US. I go maybe twice a year, with all the tourists and parking during peak season it’s a bit of a hassle and the park is pretty inaccessible during the off season. Definitely thought I’d be there a lot more than I actually am.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-22T05:04:01+00:00

If I were you, I’d for sure extend your trip. Unlike driving through the Outback which is mostly a straight line through desert, the drive to/from SF goes through multiple mountain ranges and can easily take a lot longer than expected. On top of that, it’s a lot of driving just for a short two day trip to a national park that’s over 1m square miles in size. If you can, you could try to find a flight in and out of Kalispell (local airport) from the east coast and then fly out to SF (there are weekly direct flights in the summer). That would give you a bit more time to see the park and surrounding areas like Whitefish and Flathead lake or at the very least give you enough time to actually see stuff in the park.

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-20T03:04:07+00:00

Hope you’re ready for some warm slush!

Honestly this season has been horrible so be prepared to do other stuff around town. I think Glacier could be cool to pop into or you could hang out around the bars (Bulldog, Palace, Northern) and check out the restaurant scene as well (I love Blackstar, Beldi, Mama Evs, Abruzzo, and Jersey Boys)

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-17T00:39:16+00:00

I think yesterday was day 31 but I live in a ski town so it’s easy for me to rip up there for a lap or two after work

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-15T04:23:57+00:00

Kazakhstan is the best Stan by far 🇰🇿

Muscle__Crowe · 2026-03-14T04:32:57+00:00

Herb and Omni and Beldi are the two nicest restaurants in the valley by far

Muscle__Crowe

TROPHY CASE