Road Trip to Glacier.

So, I know I start way too many sentences with "so" and "anyhow", and I also use far too many exclaimation marks. Really! I also use commas completely wrong, and too often, but they say to write the way you talk, and that's how I talk. Actually, I don't think they say that, I think they say to write about what you know, but whatever. This is how thoughts leave my head and also how they leave my fingertips. So here you go. My three day road trip to Glacier National Park, written as if I was talking to you.

First, a tiny bit of background. Don't worry, it's short and sweet,  and if you're not interested then just cruise over to the next paragraph.

Glacier National Park was designated as a park in 1910, and in 1932, Rotary Club members convinced the United States and Canada to join Waterton (Canada's park) and Glacier together to become the world's first International Peace Park. In 1995 it became a World Heritage Site.  However, Native Americans first arrived here roughly 10,000 years ago. It contains 762 lakes, 24 species of fish, 71 types of mammals, 277 species of birds and 1132 species of plants! There are only 25 glaciers left, down from an estimated 150 in the mid-19th century. Don't tell me that global warming isn't real. There is also one mountain called Triple Divide Peak, which straddles the Continental Divide and sends water three ways...towards the Pacific Ocean, Husdon Bay and Gulf of Mexico watersheds. I guess it could be considered the Apex of North America! Anyhow, that's my history lesson.

We left Cranbrook early, hoping to beat the heat, however the weather was gray and cloudy and the rain started before long. Not a downpour, but just enough to make everything cold and damp and to make everyone cranky. (By "everyone", you can probably guess I mean me.) The border crossing was quick, only two other vehicles ahead of us, and as we glumly drove through the gloom, we spotted this:

So, umm, seriously, what would you have done? Exactly.

All their whiskey, brandy and eau-de vie are distilled on site. We tried a wheatfish whiskey, I did not like it....too strong and burn-y. We tried a fireweed bourbon, I did not like it...too strong and bourbon-y. We tried a pear eau-de-vie, I did not like it at first....tasted like moonshine, but 32 pears are used for each bottle and it had a fabulous pear aftertaste. And we tried Daughter of the Sun, a cherry brandy with 22 pounds of cherries in each bottle. Ummm, yeah, I could still be sitting there today...it was spectacular.

So, feeling somewhat fortified and warm, we continued on and in no time we were here.

 

I love these wooden signs, they look so...original? I am somewhat obsessed with anything from the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's and I get all sappy and maudlin when I'm lucky enough to be able to see, and stay at places that are evocative of those years, so excuse any blathering prose that might come flowing from my fingers.

I was surprised that the entrance fee was $30, whether you were staying a day or 7 days, it was a set rate of $30. I thought they'd have a day rate, but I guess it's just easier to charge one price at the door. I have to say, the whole park was immaculate, and you could see renovations and upkeep going on everywhere, so the money does get used in a good way.

So, we stayed in a little cabin called Glacier Motel on the Bluff....built in the 1920's! Oh my god, it was awesome! Tiny, tiny, tiny. One queen bed, a small desk with a chair. A small closet area to hang a jacket or two. The bathroom had an itsy-bitsy sink, toilet (of course) and a small shower, no tub. It was very dated, wooden panelling, single pane window that didn't open, and it rattled when Steven touched it, I think the caulking was from the 1920's too. I believe a strong wind would have blown it right out. No TV, no wifi, and just one small lamp. It was perfect. 

It was on a steep bluff (thus the name) and overlooked the Flathead River. This was our view from the back. It was a nice way to relax after driving through the rain. By this time the weather had cleared up, still a bit gray, but no more rain, so we went for a walk along the top of the bluff. The path was at the edge, within a foot or two I'd say, and no guard rail. I was pretty sure I was going to catch my foot in a gopher hole and go cartwheeling down to the bottom, but all was well.

We decided to go to the visitor centre in Apgar (which is the little town at the beginning of the park) and get some maps. I can't function in a new place without a map. I'm being serious, my sense of direction is non-existent, I get lost in a hotel hallway.

We waited in a short line to talk to a Park Ranger/volunteer and the fellow whose line we ended up in was about 3 or 4 hundred years old. I could hear him talking to the kidlets in front of us and and I could also feel my eyes getting ready to roll out of my head and bounce right out the door. He was annoying and slow. Well, my apologies to the powers that be, that was ignorant of me because when we got up there he asked us where we were from and I said "southern BC" and he said "Oh, give me a town". I said "Cranbrook" and he said "I was born and raised in Fernie." (Which, for my non-BC friends, is an hour down the road from Cranbrook, Steven was born and raised there, we were married there and both our kids were born there.) Turns out that he and Steven have loads of friends in common. Can you believe that? He gave us some great tips and hints about seeing the park, and as we were leaving he glanced around and reached under the counter and discretely held his hand over mine, and gently dropped these into my palm.

 

It was sweet, and I felt like such a cow for my earlier impatience. 

By now it was suppertime so we drove down the hill to a local restaurant in West Glacier. Steven had fish and chips, which he said were pretty good and I had this:

Does it look gross? That's because it was. I ordered a chicken wrap, and this is how they make them. I know it looks like tuna or salmon, but it was chicken. It had dried cherries in it, and cilantro. Not a combo that works well. The dish beside it contains potato salad, which was kind of ok, not great, but edible. Steven had a side of coleslaw with vinaigrette with his meal, and I'm pretty sure the oil was rancid. So, just so you know, don't order those items when you visit. It was the West Glacier Cafe.  And my pickle was soggy too, to top it off. Look at it, lying there all limp and curled up.

But still, a lousy meal away from home is still better than a lousy meal at home, and everything is an adventure. We wandered through the grocery store (with more craft beers than I have ever seen in one place) and the gift shop, where I bought some huckleberry tea. Then we went back to our little cabin-from-the-past and went to bed. 

We had the alarm set for 7am, everything I had read about the park said that the earlier you go, the better, all the parking spots fill up super quick and if you want to stop for photos, lunch, hikes, whatever, any time after 11am generally means the parking is hard to find. We heard the neighbors leaving early, so we decided to get up and hit the road. I was up by about 6:30...which, for those of you who know me, is incredible. We had a muffin at the same cafe as last night (the only place handy) and it was pretty dry, and they only had Coffee Mate, no cream! Luckily we had a cooler with us, and we had some strudel, buns and kelibasa for later.

Ok! Let's hit the road! There was just a short line up, maybe 5 or 6 vehicles in front of us at the entrance, and as we climbed higher and higher the skies got bluer and bluer. The speed limit is generally about 25 mph, some spots a bit more, some a bit less, depending on where you are in the park. The traffic was minimal, we had lots of time to slow down and gaze, and all the good pull over spots for photos were empty.

I had my camera ready for The West Tunnel....the pamphlet says "Imagine the time and manpower it took to bore through this mountain using 1926 technology!" Which, ok, yes, that's true, but anyone who has travelled through BC has seen tunnels just as old and 10 times longer. I'm not complaining, we chuckled about it because we were expecting something truly spectacular.

As we drove higher, we could look down into the valley below us and it was like we were above the clouds. It was a pretty amazing sight, and my pictures don't do it justice. It looked like a giant being had packed the bottom of the valley with cotton batten and tucked it in neatly at the edges of the mountains.

The Triple Arches are considered an architectural and engineering marvel, they allow the water to flow under the highway without any eroding of the banks, and I did think that they were pretty amazing.

This is Bird Woman Falls, 492 feet! The arch below the road allows the water to flow freely

without eroding the sides of the road. I mean, it's a looooong drop down if the road washed 

away. 

This picture (below) shows how the road twists, and the steep drop-off at the edge, and

how little guard there is at the side. Not for drivers with vertigo!

Before long we arrived at Logan's Pass, which is the summit. There is a large parking lot, a visitors centre, washrooms, areas to sit and have a snack (bring your own...no food sold here) and it's also the start of a huge amount of hiking trails, which was on my agenda, thus the need to get a parking spot. As I mentioned, we were told that parking is at a premium at around 11 am. We were there at 9-ish, and it was packed. We were so lucky to get a spot. It's kind of a shame that there isnt more room, really, but the park can only expand a certain amount. People were driving around and around and you could see the stress on everyone's face as they'd just miss a spot. We pulled in, and there was a vacant spot right in front of us, and we grabbed it.

So off we hiked! The weather was quite cool, in a perfect way, because the climb was all uphill. Not in a Macchu Pichu type of climb, but uphill nonetheless. There were people around, but not a lot, considering how crowded the parking lot was. I don't know where everyone was. 

The trail started off through alpine meadows that were loaded with flowers. I've never actually seen an alpine field filled with flowers before, at least not like this. It was just gorgeous. There was Indian Paintbrush, fireweed, purple asters, white daisies, yellow daisies,  buttercups and a wild snapdragon type of thing, as well as things I didn't recognize.

There were little streams running down the hills, and flowers everywhere.

It was interesting to see snowpack with flowers growing right beside it. 

We could see goats on the hills as well. It was very "Sound of Music", and if was a braver woman I would have twirled around and sung the iconic song, but even I have my limts. It was enough embarrassment for Steven as I laid on the boardwalk to take a picture.

As we hiked higher, the crowds lessened. The first mile or so was on a boardwalk in order to keep people off the delicate land, so it was an easy walk, and nice for older or less healthy folks.  

We eventually got to Hidden Lake, look at the colour! Actually, I learned that the colour of glacier- fed lakes is from silt called "glacier flour"

"The silt is created when rocks underneath the surface of the ice are grinding from the movement of the glacier. The rock flour is very light and stays suspended in the water for a long time, as it's too light to sink, but too heavy to float to the surface. The sunlight that reflects off this rock flour is what gives the lakes their spectacular turquoise blue or green colour."  The colour was fabulous, and the water was ice, ice cold, baby.

We walked a bit further, towards the clouds you see, and then we headed back to the car.

I stopped at the visitors centre for a quick bathroom break, and I thought for a moment that I was having altitude sickness hallucinations as a stall door opened and three, yes three, identical little girls came out. It was either triplets, a vision, or a scene from a Stephen King book, because they were very solomn looking, covered with adorable freckles, hair in pigtails and wearing little matching cotton sundresses. If I'd had water in my mouth I'd have done a classic spit-take.

When we got back to car, I told Steven to take five while I got a drink, organized my camera, fixed my sandels and whatnot, but the frantic rush of vehicles to line up for our spot as soon as we got into the car made us decide to just quickly go. Vehicles were zooming towards us, and two large SUVs stopped, one to the left and one to the right. They were both ready to pull in, eyes glaring at each other and engines revving as they inched forward. Meanwhile, a tiny import was trying to squeeze through to weasel his way in. Cars were also behind us, wanting to pull in directly behind us as we pulled out. Whoever was going to get our spot was totally dependent on us....whether we backed out, pulled out to the left, or pulled out to the right. I felt very powerful. I sort of wanted to grab the cooler, get out a snack and settle on the hood of the car for a little break, but I think that may have caused unrest and riots. We left in the direction to give a Toyota our spot. 

So,  Logan's Pass is about half way through, and as it is the summit, we were now on a gradual decline, but the scenery was still pretty incredible. This is tiny Wild Goose Island.

Stopped for a quick roadside lunch once we reached the bottom. 

So, then we left the park, headed north, and re-entered the park at a smaller entrance, so that we could head to the area called Many Glacier. There is an astounding hotel there, built by the  Northern Railroad in 1914-1915. Yowza!  This is a view of the hotel, from the dock, and below this is the view from the hotel itself. Can you imagine opening your hotel room curtains in the morning and seeing that view? Double yowza.

The lake is called Swift Current Lake, and as we were driving in, I noticed the river beside 

the road and it was flowing at a furious rate. I commented "whoa...look how swift that

current is." and to my amusement I saw a sign that said "Swift Current River." I felt

pretty smug, actually.

After this, we left the park again, headed south, and re-entered further down in the area known

as Two Medicine. Back in day, before the Going to the Sun road was completed, Two Medicine 

was the primary destination for travelers coming from the East. (Not like the Far East, but just eastern US and Canada)

It was just as beautiful as all the other areas, and we decided to treat ourselves to a boat cruise on St. Mary Lake. The boat we were on was called The Sinopah, and guess what? It was built in 1928! I was ridiculously excited about this. It hadn't had any "issues" since 1938, so I felt pretty safe. 

Breezy and relaxing, beard hairs blowing in the wind.

We were allowed to stand on the bow of the boat, so of course you can all guess what

I wanted to do, but I totally restrained myself from the ultimate cheesy outburst.

After a reasonably informative tour (learning about the Blackfeet Tribe that originally settled here,

and I say "reasonably informative" because you know half of what you hear isn't true) we had to 

end our tour of the park and head to Kallispell for the night.

We drove around the perimeter of the park, to the south and back up to Columbia Falls and down to Kallispell where we had an excellent steak dinner at Winchesters, even though the picture

looks like it's not so tasty. 

And that's it. The trip is worth taking, it's one of the top ten beautiful drives in the world, and it should be on every ones "To Do" list. I didn't think it was as terrifying as people say, but it was most assuredly  as breathtaking as I've heard.

Fin. 😊