While we were in Great Falls we took some time to see the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. It is a new facility with wonderful displays highlighting the travels and travails of these important explorers.
I flew out of Great Falls on another business trip, and Tom moved the APPLE to the west side Glacier National Park. When I flew back into Kalispell, MT a few days later, we headed south in the truck to Ronan for a visit with our friends, Don & Bernie Lake. We had met them in AZ in '98 and had spent a few days parked in their yard later that year. We touched base with them in AZ in February, and they invited us for another visit this spring. (Actually, they said something like "You know you'll be in trouble if you come to Montana and don't stop to see us!") We had a wonderful time spending time with them and their lovely family, and boy, did they feed us like royalty! We went exploring out to the Kerr Dam near Polson, MT where we scampered down 600+ steps to the view point of the river valley. The trip back up wasn't so much fun, but the view was worth it! It was a short but very sweet visit. Thanks Don and Bernie!
Glacier National Park was spectacular. Even on cloudy days, when the mountains were shrouded with mystery, the beauty surrounded us and soothed our souls. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was only open for the first 15 miles. The next 10 miles were open for hiking and biking. The rest of the road was closed due to snow. One day Tom loaded up his bike and headed up to the gate at Avalanche Creek. Then he biked the next rigorous 10 mile section. Along the way, he encountered two grizzlies! He stopped his bike, rang his bear bells and shouted to announce his presence. Luckily they ambled off into the woods in search of something other than Finlander flank steaks for lunch. (By the way, do you know how you can tell the difference between black bear and grizzly droppings? The grizzly droppings are the ones with the bear bells in them!)
There were lots of critters around the park. Tom saw a black bear one day while out exploring. There were roughed grouse, spruce hens, ducks and geese nesting in the park. Whitetail and mule deer flourished in this area. On one of our bike rides five mule deer were browsing right near the road, and they barely noticed we were even there. I guess the fresh spring grass was more interesting than we were!
The Apgar Campground we stayed in is on the West Glacier side of the park. Adjacent to the campground is beautiful Lake McDonald nestled against a backdrop of awesome mountains. We never got tired of pausing by the lake to soak in the spectacular panorama.
Along the open part of the Going-to-the-Sun Highway, there are several beautiful pull-outs along McDonald Creek. The roar of McDonald Falls echoes against the mountains. At another spot, the water tumbles over the Sacred Dancing Cascade.
One day we hiked 5 miles (round trip) to Avalanche Lake. The trail info said it was only a 505 ft. total elevation gain--what it failed to say was that you go up and down that 505 ft. about 22 times!! Our legs got a bit of a workout. We hiked though large stands of cedar and western hemlock, passed by a waterfall, spotted some deer and ended up at a jewel of a lake encircled by lofty peaks covered with snow and ice. Some hikers we met on the trail said they had heard and seen some avalanches earlier that day, but all was quiet when we arrived at the lake.
Tom and the APPLE stayed at Glacier while I made a trip back to Minnesota for business. One nice thing about the timing of this trip is that it coincided with my mother's 75th birthday. My sons, Chris and Marc, along with Chris's girlfriend, Lynn, and her daughter, Kaila, headed down to Black River Falls, WI, to help celebrate this special occasion. My brother, Irwin, and his son, Jamie and family also drove up from the Madison area. It was a wonderful chance to all reconnect.
Tom had a good time exploring more of the park while I was gone. One day he hiked the strenuous trail to the Mt. Brown lookout. This trail climbs 4,325 ft. in 5.4 miles!! At least half of that distance involved trudging through snow. The view from the top was spectacular (but Tom didn't have the digital camera along, so you'll just have to imagine it). The 10.8 mile round trip took him about 7 hours to complete. He was one tired fella when he got back.
The next day Tom hiked the John's Lake Loop and then the Trail of the Cedars, just a light day of hiking. The following day he hiked to the head of Bowman Lake plus the Huckleberry Mtn. Nature Trail--about 15 miles total. He also took lots of photos whenever the weather would cooperate enough. Most of the time it was cloudy and cool, but every now and then the clouds would break, and the photographer would be busy.
It was still a bit early for too many wild flowers to be blooming, but Tom spotted a group of glacier lilies one day that he went back to photograph another day. He also spotted a tiny new flower that he hadn't seen before. When he looked it up he found it was called a calypso orchid--what a delicate beauty.
After I returned from my trip, we headed east on beautiful Highway 2 which wound through green valleys along the snow-capped mountains. However, once we crossed Marias Pass, the land changed drastically. The bare rocky mountains rose straight up from the prairie. Along the road near East Glacier at the edge of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, there was a pull-out by a very unusual metal sculpture. It was two Native Americans on horses--all made from old car parts. It was fascinating to see the creativity of the artist.
We drove into the east entrance to Glacier NP and drove the section of road that was open on that side. Beautiful St. Mary's Lake is nestled at the base of more snow-clad mountains. We were blessed with blue skies and sunshine, so we had to stop for lunch and enjoy the inspiring scenery.
We even took time for a short hike to Baring Falls. It was a wonderful way to break up our day of driving.
After our hike, we hit the road again and drove north into Canada, heading for Waterton National Park. That's where our next travelogue will begin.
