Glacier - This Time It's Open

Our trip to Glacier two years ago was a sad one.  The park was still closed.  Not so this time!!
We've settled into the RV park (a very nice grown-up park with good services) only to learn that we need to replace the two house batteries in the RV.  Made arrangements to take care of it locally in a few days.  But, now, let's get down to the good stuff!! 

Put Finn into day care near the park and learned we were free until 9 p.m.  There have been a few short power outages and I would be concerned if our a.c. failed and he had been left for an entire day.

We drove the 15 miles to West Glacier and stopped at the Apgar Visitor's Center.  Lake McDonald is miles long and I just couldn't wait to cool my toes in the icy water.  Interesting how that cool rushes through and cools the whole body...  Then we left for the Lake McDonald Lodge.

The main reason for the stop was to see our neighbors, Melinda and Glen Walker, who spend amost half of each year working in the park.  Melinda's accounting office is in the lodge and Glen's is on the road - he drives one of those cool red tour buses.

The lodge, like most park lodges, is about 100 years old.  We love them for their charm.

This hotel has a small intimate feel.  This is the main lobby. 
There's also a fireplace big enough to stand in.

We arrived a short time before Glen returned from his tour.  He's the guy in the white shirt smoozing with his charges.  This is the time they hand out the tips...

We will return home about two months before the Walkers' return to New Mexico.  We hope to see them for dinner early in the week before we pull out.

Ed is totally fascinated with these old buses.  They're modern today and run on propane.  The white truck shell of the vehicle is original and everything else is up to date.  Each park seems to have its own color.  Yellow in Yellowstone.  Red here in Glacier.

We piled in and Glen drove us to our car.  Classy!

We headed up the 50 mile long Going To The Sun Road with lots of stops along the way. 

This spot along the river is so pretty...

...that some people miss the signs.  Just sayin'.....

The park is beautiful.  There is running water everywhere as the seasonal snow melts and, sadly,

the glacial melt increases.

It was early in the day and the haze had not yet lifted, but the view of the valley and the river

 is breathtaking.

The Going To The Sun Road is a 2 lane wonder that hairpins its way up the mountain.  There is a 10 year restoration going on to improve and save the road that brings with it 30 minute delays.  No one seems to care.  You just get out of the car and get lost in the scenery...and then suddenly you're moving again

having taken hundreds of photos in every direction.

The view is different with every turn.

Lots of waterfalls and places to stop along the way. 

Here, the falls are visible from the top all the way down.

We arrived at Logan Pass at the top and stopped in the main Visitor Center there.  Each one has its own small museum, rangers to answer questions or suggest activities, and a store.

S'cuse us.....Coming thru.....Step aside....

 The mountain goats just ignore the humans.  They are so cute both in their physical presence and in their command of the land.  These guys can be aggressive. 
There are signs everywhere warning to watch out for the goats.

Maybe Mama was modeling good behavior for the offspring....
The goats are losing their winter coats.

There's a 1 1/2 mile hike at Logan Pass to Hidden Lake.  The ranger said it was 60% covered in snow but we wanted to do it and ventured out.  What the ranger didn't mention was that it was uphill on slush with lots of slipping and sliding.

We got up about halfway when I saw this hill.  We chickened out and turned around.

Now we have a reason to return here again...

The view of the Visitors Center at Logan Pass from up on the hill.

We stopped to photograph Jackson Glacier on the way down the mountain.

Saint Mary Lake on the East side of the park.

We took the long route back and made a stop at East Glacier Lodge.  It's across from the Amtrak station where some of the train tours come in to see the park.  It another gem.  I was wondering if those front porch logs came from redwoods.  Never got an answer.  This lodge is actually outside the park on the indian reservation.

Beautiful inside and out.  This is where the golfers like to stay.  It's a huge property and ultimately our favorite of the all the lodges.

We passed Goat Lick on the ride back.  The goats come to this spot to lick the

salt and minerals off the rocks.  There were two relaxing and licking on the little ledge.

There was a large group on the other side of the road.

The mom and kid were perched on the very edge of a long cliff...

Ed managed to follow this guy up the entire cliff.  They are so agile and sure footed.

Could they have sticky pads on their feet...???

We needed a day to rest after such a long first look at the park.  Then we were ready for Day 2. 

We made a visit to the butcher shop right outside the RV park where they smoke their own meats, prepare sausages, and sell high quality hormone free fresh meat. 

They also put trimmings outside to feed the eagles who visit daily.  They have for several years.

Ed took Finn for his morning walk and was able to observe the visit. The eagle was sitting in the

tree and took off while Ed was photographing.  It's always thrilling see these regal birds.

We had decided to make the trip around the park to the Canadian side. 

Waterton-Glacier is an International Peace Park World Hertiage Site.

The fastest way to accomplish this was to cross the Going To The Sun Road and access the Canadian border crossing from the East side.  We left early and had the road almost entirely to ourselves.  Driving up through the moving clouds with the peaks covered below us...

 We crossed into Canada...

 ...and got our first look at the Alberta side.

 It began to rain.....make that pour.....about this time. 

The Prince of Wales Hotel was built by the Great Northern Railway and opened in 1926.

  It was supposed to resemble a French or Swiss chalet.  Named for Albert, the Prince of Wales who became king and abducated to marry Wallis Simpson.

The staff wears kilts in a red tarten plaid - the House of Stewart tarten. 
High tea is served in the lobby twice each day.

 The huge lobby was full of people because going out was not fun due to the rain.

 We had hoped to walk some of the scenic trails, but it was raining buckets, so we had a good look at the surrounding scenery through the windows...and departed.

We met this lovely lady along the road.  Her ear tags made her look like she was dressed to the 9's.

Some rancher will be missing part of his herd.  They were on the road for miles.

Do cows really come home...?

 Back in the states we drove into Many Glacier.  By the time we arrived at the hotel the rain had slowed but the wind was blowing and the temperature had dropped drastically.

Many Glacier Lodge was built at about the same time as the other lodges in the park.

 The surrounding views are wonderful.

 Many Glacier Lodge is reminiscent of East Glacier Lodge.

On the trip back over Going To The Sun Road we stopped to admire this view of the

Logan Pass Visitors Center. 

 The rain stopped and the sun began to peak through the clouds.

This view of the valley had a surreal aura.  So beautiful... 

We drove 250 miles today...in the Jeep.  The entire park is nature at her most glorious.  We will be here a few more days and hope the weather turns in our favor.  We want to hike some to see the park from off the roads.  Mosquitoes are vicious because of all the rain and the many lakes and running water everywhere.  Oh well, we'll just bathe in bug spray....

We walked the 3 mile loop to Johns Lake through this lovely old growth forest.  The trail looped around this small lake and back to the main road.

Bathing in bug spray didn't help Ed at all.  He emerged covered in welts.    He always does.

We followed up our walk with a stop in a rocking chair on the patio of the McDonald Lake Lodge.

That's a huckleberry margarita....Y.U.M.M.Y.  Got me pretty drunk.  It was worth it!

Huckleberries are major here.  They aren't farmed but grow wild and have to be found and hand picked.

Going price:  $16/lb. or $50/gal.

Later in the day we drove to Whitefish.  It's a lovely upscale community just a few miles from our park.

The next day we drove into Kalispell - the big town in the area.

The old court house, built in 1904, has just completed a major restoration.  I really love the old

buildings all built with quartersawn oak.

 All the Flathead County records have been bound and are displayed in these cabinets.

 The Assembly room has a display of old cameras on the back wall.

 Next stop:  The restored School Museum. 

The local historical society has set up very interesting displays on the history of the town.

There are also two large assembly halls that are rented out for all sorts of events.

 The most popular museum in Kalispell is the Conrad House which was built in 1895 for the founder of the town and has been completely restored.  We got there too late to take the tour.

 On our way off the property we met this little guy who just sat and devoured his dinner and didn't seem to mind at all that we were present.

We're taking the RV to have the house batteries replaced in the morning.  We leave the next day.

We have loved the time we spent here.  Glacier National Park is beyond description.  Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons still hold the number one spot for us, but this is a place we could visit again and again.

We are fortunate in that we have managed to see all of the park, but we would wish for more down time to really get "into" the park when we visit again.  The grandeur of the mountains, all the lakes and rivers that run through here, and especially the way the clouds sit on the mountains.  And the wildlife...

Note Added:  We found out that there had been a huge mudslide on the Going To The Sun Road the day before we hit the road again.  There was a car totaled and rumor of some injuries - not confirmed.  It took three days to open it again and there was concern about rain in the forecast and another possible slide.  How lucky we were...

This has been a VERY special week...