Monday, June 6

Wow! What a terrific day we had today. We left Great Falls about 8:00 this morning and drove close to 200 miles to the west entrance of Glacier National Park. I realize that 200 miles is a long way to go for a day trip, but believe me, it was well worth the time. Glacier National Park is a large park on the Montana/Alberta, Canada border. There is basically one 48 mile road that crosses the park from East Gate to West Gate. Normally you would go to one side and drive to the other. Unfortunately, with the snow received - the Rockies got 200-300% more snowfall this winter than usual - the road was closed for all but 16 miles from the west side and 14 miles from the east side - the section in the middle was still snow covered. We chose to go to the West Gate and then, if time permitted, go to the East gate. (We didn't make it.) The 46 mile drive around the southern edge provided terrific views of mountains, rivers, trains, waterfalls, and inspiring vistas. The snow in the mountains is melting and there were waterfalls everywhere. We passed trains that were high above us - they looked like the toy trains you would see at the Christmas exhibit at North Park Mall. The mountains were spectacular - very rugged and beautifully covered with snow, glaciers, and green trees.

After we reached the West Gate, we had lunch, visited a couple of souvenir shops and then started up "The Road to the Sun." At the beginning of the road is a huge glacial lake - Lake McDonald. It was formed thousands of years ago by a glacier that was at least 2000 feet thick. Remnants of the that glacier still exist high in the mountains above Lake McDonald. The lake is quite large, but has little vegetation growing in it due to the extremely cold water. After passing the lake, the road follows the river that feeds water from the melting snow toward the lake. Due to the extreme snowfall this winter, the melt is very high and the river is raging. We followed the road to the point where it was closed - Avalanche Lake. We walked the boardwalk back into the forest toward Avalanche Lake and looked at waterfalls way toward the top of the mountains - very beautiful. One way to get around the park is by tour bus. The picture of the old car is one of the tour buses. They have a fleet of these vehicles with canvas roll-back tops that will take you through the park.

Glacier National Park is extremely beautiful. I hope someday to return to drive the entire Road to the Sun. There are beautiful park lodges and cabins throughout the park. Boat tours, bus tours,and hiking trails are available for a fee, and beautiful views are available for free. Unfortunately, the glaciers will not be around for long. Due to global warming it is believed that they will be gone in 20-30 years - very sad!

We got back to Great Falls about 8:00 this evening after driving a little over 430 miles. Needless to say we are tired, but we are both very glad we made this trip. We almost didn't go due to the distance.

Tomorrow and Wednesday are days for cleaning, laundry, paperwork, orientation, and rest. May not blog those days! Until next time - Happy Trails!