When we planned this trip, the first thing on our agenda was to go back to Glacier National Park, because the last time we were there, the Going To The Sun Road was closed at Avalanche Pass. We had planned to drive from the west entry to the east exit on that road. So, our the plan for this trip, was to try again, only this time we were to going drive from east to west. This morning, when we were preparing to leave for that park, Fox News was reporting that fires had closed part of it. Further investigation indicated that the Going To The Sun Road was closed at Logan Pass and the east side of the park was closed. Our plans to drive across the park were sniffed out once again. And to add insult to injury, the weather was predicted to be rainy. Well, after discussion, we decided to drive around the south side of the park to the west gate and enter there, as we had last time. We left the hotel at 8:30 under overcast skies, and a chilly 59 degrees (that bottomed out at 48) and drove west.

There was rain all around us, but we managed to arrive about an hour and a half later without getting wet. At some point the mountains became visible, and although they faded dimly into a purple haze along the horizon, we were able to see patches of snow and ice in the crevices on their angular faces.  

We passed through several small towns…old towns…some with nothing to boast about, not even a gas station. There was one with a main street of buildings crying out for some TLC, that held a bank, several bars and casinos, and even a Ford Truck dealer, right there in downtown.   Not sure I could live 50 miles from a grocery store and other services. In fact, I know I couldn't.

As we drove, Steve told me a story. He was talking to the desk clerk at our hotel who noted that his email address was hegolfs. So she asked him if he had played the course in town and he said no and she told him that she played it often. And she told him stories of wild animals on the course, and one particular story about a huge rattle snake that she wanted to run over with her golf cart. Steve, joking, said to her, you should bring a gun and shoot them, and without hesitation she replied, "Oh, they don’t allow us to bring our guns on the golf course".   And we laughed. Well, this is Montana.

When we arrived at the park, we headed for the infamous Going To The Sun Road. Not knowing where Logan Pass is, we figured we would just drive until they turned us around, like the last time. We drove along McDonald Lake and stopped several times to take in the view. The air was heavy, the clouds hugging the mountain ridges like grandma’s shawl. And the light was low, so my photos are a bit dark. But they represent exactly what it was like being there. We stopped at the rapids on the river that feeds the lake, where the water rushes rapidly downhill and falls wildly over the rocks like a water fall.   We stopped many times to take photos. The mountains are regal as they rise high above the canyon floors, and below the tree line it was clear where the trees were green and healthy and where they had burned in a forest fire.

We reached Avalanche Pass and were allowed to continue on. And we did for another 16 miles, to Logan Pass. So we actually saw a lot more of Glacier Park than we did last time. And although the rains came before we got to that point in the road and were turned back, it was OK. We felt it was a better day than we thought it would be at 8 AM this morning.

After driving back down to the west gate, we continued on to Kalispel and checked into our hotel for the night. Tomorrow, we head for Canada and the Canadian Rockies.