We’re glad to hear that the traffic congestion in Whitefish has settled down a bit over the past few days, especially with the resort town hosting its annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest starting on Friday.

Whitefish got hit with a double dose of fall road construction with the rebuild of U.S. 93 through the downtown corridor and the next phase of Central Avenue reconstruction going on simultaneously. Add to that the construction of a new Casey’s bar on Central Avenue and it’s been a test of endurance for motorists.

Nonetheless, the project has been handled well, and delays are fairly minimal. Everyone involved, including the drivers, can give themselves a hand.

A silver lining is, of course, the dozens of construction jobs that have been created by these projects.

Even though it may take a few more minutes to get through town, don’t shy away from Whitefish. Businesses there need your support now more than ever. Make plans to stop in at the Oktoberfest over the next two weekends, where all sorts of enjoyable activities will take your mind off the traffic woes, and don’t be afraid to visit the shops and restaurants. You will get the same friendly service as always.

THE WILD KINGDOM is always full of impressive surprises and we got one recently in Northwest Montana in learning about the impressive movements of a young grizzly bear that managed to swim its way east across Flathead Lake last year.

Wildlife managers have long known bears to have incredible homing skills and they’ve suspected them of making significant swims across other waters, such as Hungry Horse Reservoir. But crossing the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River? There needs to be proof for something like that.

And proof was provided earlier this month when the 4-year-old female bear dropped a satellite collar that carried GPS coordinates of her movements. Downloaded data from the collar showed she left Painted Rocks Point south of Lakeside around Labor Day of 2010, swimming south to Cedar Island then three miles to Wild Horse Island. She then swam about a mile south to the foothills northwest of Polson Bay, before making an estimated 12-hour swim, a seven-mile crossing to the east shore with a one-day layover on tiny Bird Island. She has been roaming in the Swan Lake area ever since.

This bear is definitely a big traveler, having been captured in 2009 in the Foothills Road area east of Kalispell with a sibling and her mother, then being relocated with her family group to the Spotted Bear area east of the Swan Mountain Range. From there, the grizzly somehow made it all the way to the Flathead Lake Lutheran Camp south of Lakeside on the west side of the lake, where a grizzly bear is indeed a novelty.

State officials can’t say how the griz got to Lakeside, but judging from her subsequent aquatic exploits, it’s a good bet she got wet on her way west, too!