We were in the truck getting ready to pull out of Missoula, MT this morning when Randy appeared at Esther's window to give her a hug and kiss goodbye. He had just finished his first job and was on his way to the next. We got last minute advice on what roads to take into Glacier National Park. We left in rain and overcast weather much like we had all yesterday afternoon. It continued until we reached the KOA at Whitefish, MT. We stopped for lunch at a scenic outlook that displayed low hanging clouds which covered Flathead Lake and the surrounding hillside. Flathead Lake is the largest lake west of the Mississippi. We checked into the KOA and though they advertise WiFi, it sure doesn't work very well. The site is nestled in a pine and fir woods.
It is very level and long enough to stay connected if we had wanted. We took an hours nap and then went to 5Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner. Way too much food. Need to order the mini burger and small fries to share next time. And should order small drinks as well. We went from there to Walmart to re-supply our food and snack stocks. Came home and unloaded the pictures and then wrote in this journal. We are going to update our finances next and then head to the hot tub. It is open 24x7 as long as we are quiet. We might even take a dip in the pool as it is inside/outside.
6/22/2010
Ate breakfast at the KOA at 7:15am this morning. Eggs were a lot better than the Missoula breakfast, but only had biscuits, gravy, scrambled eggs, and toast. No Meat. We then left for the west entrance of Glacier National Park. Though it wasn't raining, the skies were overcast and low hanging clouds hid the mountain tops. We decided to take one of the "Red Bus" tours to the top of the "Road to the Sun".
However the road was only opened to the Weeping wall. The last 28 miles were still covered with snow and declared impassible by the National Park Service, so we could not get to the east side without driving around the base of the mountains. Even though most of the mountains were obscured by the low hanging clouds, it was still an awesome sight. We saw three long horned rams at the top.
Coming down we saw a mule deer. Once we got to the top, the driver removed the canvas top of the bus. The buses have been in operation since 1936. We were in a seventeen passenger bus, but we only had eleven, so Esther and I had a whole seat that holds four for ourselves. When the driver took the top off, she also distributed Pendleton wool blankets for each seat. And we needed them. We left from the Apgar Village. There was already one person on the bus when they picked us up. We then stopped at the Lake McDonald Lodge and picked up 6 more passengers. When the lodge was first built, the only way to get to it was by boat. Consequently, the front of the lodge faces the lake and there is a nice boat dock on that side. We were able to get coffee to go for the trip up there. The ride up confirmed our decision, that neither one of us wanted to drive up to the top. Even just sitting on the right hand side was scary. The drop must of been a couple of thousand feet. At almost every turn there was another waterfall or cascade coming down from the top of the mountain.
Even going thru the tunnel, water poured down on the top of the car. If we had the top down then we definitely would have gotten wet. Might be refreshing in August, but it would have been really cold today. One of the prettiest falls was the haystack falls. Off in the distance we were able to see the "Bird Women" falls. Most of the pictures show overcast skies and low hanging clouds. One day we will need to come back when the sun is shining as I believe the view would be spectacular. Our guide, Colleen, spent last year driving a shuttle in Antarctica. She was well trained and a competent driver and guide. She was very knowledgeable when you consider this is her first year at Glacier National Park.
After our bus ride, we drove back to the KOA, stopping only to refuel and to pick up a bottle of Cabernet and Zinfandel. We ate a quick lunch then headed for the hot tub. After 30 minutes we were both pretty warm and came back to the trailer for a nap. Got up around 6:00pm, cooked a steak on the new grill, and ate dinner. We uploaded our pictures, checked email, and wrote this journal. "We plan to return to the hot tub after dark I plan to put away the hoses, hookup the truck and get ready to depart for Crater Lake Oregon tomorrow morning.
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