Western Trip #2 Day 6: Glacier National Park, Montana-July 13, 2019

The big day finally arrived- the Mountain Majesty tour of Glacier National Park. The family had tried to take the Crown of the Continent tour two years ago, but, as I've mentioned, the Going-to-the-Sun Road wasn't open all the way across. So, they took as far as they could on the west side, then went back down the road, around the bottom of the park, and then as far in on the east side as they could. My daughter J and I had decided that since we'd seen that far end, we could take this slightly shorter, cheaper tour. The end effect would be the same- we would have crossed Glacier National Park.
I got up at 7:10 after being awakened by rain and got dressed and J got up at 7:30. Our breakfast supplies worked out fine. J went up to the office to get ice for our water bottles. We loaded up the thistle backpack and left at 8:37, with the odometer reading 42918. This would be the day that I would put the fewest miles on the car until the day I turned in the car, I figured.
Two miles and five minutes later, we were parked at the Apgar Visitor Center. We saw a bus unloading as we walked up and I noticed that there were older people and kids. I suddenly knew exactly what it was- Road Scholar Grandparent and Grandchild group. There is a woman in my water aerobics, who does those trips with her grandson and they have a great time.
The kids were having a great time shopping in the shop, when we went in to get my National Parks Passport stamped and to get a sticker for the cover of the album about the trip. We had various signs to check out, as well as baby birds that I noticed hatching up at the roofline outside. So cool!

We made sure we made a pit stop, before we got on Red Bus #96 with Gene, our driver and guide. It was a good and full bus, at that. I sat next to the window, with J next and then a couple by the door. Since everyone was accounted for, we left at 9:15, fifteen minutes early. Very quickly, we saw a deer!
We headed up the Going-to-the-Sun Road toward Lake McDonald Lodge, experiencing both sun and rain. We stopped around 9:50 along the lake to be able to take photos. We could see across the lake to where there had been a fire, but green was showing through. We learned that what looked like Queen Ann's Lace, was really Cow Parsnip. Not as glamorous a name.

Minutes later, we stopped again to take photos of McDonald Creek with its water made green by glacial silt, and yet looking clear, when you got down to the platform just above it. What a gorgeous sight! We'd gotten this far the last time, but it is still  a sight to behold.

 

Gene pointed out an avalanche chute up on the mountain, shortly before we went through a tunnel, that was farther than we'd gotten last time. It had a handy viewing hole out the side.

One of the reasons for taking the Red Bus tour is that they roll back the roof of the bus to let you see what is above you and in Glacier, a lot is above you. For instance, we were able to photograph this waterfall, when there wasn't a spot to pull over to do so.

We got to see a hanging valley off in the distance. It is a valley that is cut off by a deeper valley, or, as in this case, a cliff. Here are closeup and distant views of it.

 

Gene told us that the road opened June 23rd this year. He regaled us with stories and facts, but mostly stories, as he felt they were better.
We saw Heavens Peak, which is 8,987 ft,  several times. Finally, at 10:50, we had a stop that let us read signs about it and photograph it, flowers, etc. I do like wildflowers and am always happy to take a few shots of them.

As we drove along, we saw some wonderful sights-wildflowers (beargrass, blue lupine and others), waterfalls, dramatic clouds, and random patches of sunlight. Looking at the map, I was thrilled that I had not driven this and dealt with the incredible hairpin turn known as the loop. I could just sit and enjoy the views. I could also wonder how long it would be before the weather caught us.

One of the bad things about not being able to cross the park the last time was that many of the postcards, especially in sets, were of this central section of the park. One of the most popular was of the Weeping Wall. This stretch of about 100 feet is a cliff with water pouring over it. I got a few shots as we passed by.

It was getting chillier as we climbed and J and I pulled one of the blankets that the bus provided up over us. I looked out of the open roof and could see wisps of clouds that didn't seem that high above us. As I looked forward, it looked like we would eventually drive into a cloud. Meanwhile, there were some amazing views.

As we entered the cloud, it began to rain on us. Gene pulled over the bus to pull up the roof about 11:15. One of the guys kindly got out and started helping him. J laughed, when I pulled the heavy wool blanket over my head, but I was in no mood to get all wet. Soon enough, we were on our way again and could see snow out the window.

At 11:30, we pulled into the very popular Logan Pass, where it was lightly raining. Good thing we had umbrellas! This was to be a pit stop and brief look around. We were at the Continental Divide and at an elevation of 66467 feet.
There were a lot of people here, especially because this is the one place with restrooms. I chose the ones on the lower level, as did J, because the line wasn't bad. Then, we climbed up the steps to the building. We went out behind the building and looked at the beginning of the trail to Hidden Lake. The rain and a little thunder had stopped. We went inside looked at some of the exhibits, some of which helped me identify flowers we were seeing,  and the crowded gift shop. J was looking for Glacier coins, but they were the same as down at Apgar. A thermometer told us it was 64.8 degrees.
You'll notice that the Canadian flag flies here, too. That's because the park actually straddles the border. The Canadian part is called Waterton Lakes National Park. The border crossing on the west side has been closed, but you can reach it from the east.
On the tree in the second photo, you'll notice light green at the tips. Spring comes later up here.

This first flower is definitely a glacier lily. The second seems to be some kind of spirea.

It was getting close to the time we were due back and we headed back out front. We discovered a ramp that would definitely be easier on my knees. When we got close to the bus, a lot of the group was looking over to the hillside on the opposite side of the road. They said they said they saw bighorn sheep over there. With the brown of the mountain, it was hard to see them, but my camera's zoom came in very handy. They were coming down the mountain and there were quite a few. While Gene jokingly said he'd used a special whistle to bring them down, we heard that the thunderstorm had probably sent them down.

Gene took the tarp roof back off the bus and we were headed off again at 11:58. As we came up on the exit, some of the sheep had made it down to the green and were easier to see. As we headed down the road, we passed a nice wall of snow.

Before Siyeh Creek, we came upon this great view of a mountain with a "bowl" of snow on it. Below it, there is a trail and a lovely waterfall. We could also look back toward Logan's Pass.

By 12:18, we were at the Jackson Glacier overlook. A glacier! One of the relatively few still in the park and one of the few not back in the wilderness. The glacier is the seventh largest of the remaining glaciers in the park. It sits on the north side of Mount Jackson. It lost almost a third of its acreage between 1966 and 2005.

 

We could also see destruction from the Reynolds Creek Fire back in 2015. We learned years ago in Yellowstone, that trees that have been killed by wildfire at this altitude don't usually fall down. It will take decades for a new forest to grow and mature.

Saint Mary Lake is the second largest in the park, but it sits at a higher altitude than Lake McDonald (4484 ft.) and its waters are colder. The lake is 9.9 miles long and 300 feet deep, with a surface area of 3,923 acres. The little island is Wild Goose Island and rises just 14 feet above the lake. The weather had cleared and the view was just lovely. However, in less than a minute, the clouds were back! The view behind us on the road was quite nice, too.

12:35 found us at Rising Sun. Here would be our lunch stop at Two Dog Flats. J and I figured that the best thing to do would be to eat first. We put in our orders for the Huckleberry Pulled Pork Barbecue (huckleberry bbq kurobuta pulled pork, cider house slaw and a sesame seed bun) for $12.25 and the Redneck "Prairie Fire" Bratwurst (caramelized onions, pretzel roll) for $11.65. For sides, we chose baked beans for the former and Baked Lay's Potato Chips for the latter.  J got her usual Coke and I ordered Diet Coke. Then, we sat. The meal was taking so long, that once again, we took turns going into the gift shop, which was right next door. I was just finishing paying, when the meals showed up at 1. It turned out that I had failed to see some pins, so we had to stop in the shop again afterwards.

The restroom was at the bottom of a flight of stairs, which my knees hated. After that, we headed outside to take some photos of the view. The grass was so green and the sky was a fabulous blue. As best as I can determine, the flowers are, in order, sticky purple geranium, cinquefoil, and lupine.

 

When we left, we headed to Saint Mary Lake again, but a different vantage point. The scene was so beautiful now with the rain clouds gone. Wild Goose Island was easier to zoom in on here and you could see that it was just a few trees and a little rise on the water.

 

There were so many wildflowers here! Gene lent me a book and I jotted down the names of flowers that looked like some I'd seen, but it is really hard to decide sometimes. I uploaded photos to Google to search for names and had luck at times. If I could guess what a flower is, I'll put a caption on it below. Otherwise, feel free to just enjoy.

Mountain Heliotrope

Yarrow

Yellow Sweetclover

Cinquefoil

Common Selfheal

Thimbleberry

Showy Fleabane

Some of those names are amazing! Fleabane! Thimbleberry, which sounds like something out of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

By 2:00, we'd climbed back up to 5,281 feet and the Jackson Glacier Overlook again. This time, we had time for signage.

The view was so much clearer and prettier now.

While the view was prettier, the signs were downright depressing. However, this is why I was so anxious to get here and see glaciers.

We drove further up the road (up, because we were gaining altitude). The view out the open roof was great. The second picture below is Blackfoot Glacier.

At 2:22, we were back at Logan Pass, which is named for the first superintendent of the park. The Blackfeet Nation called their land "The Backbone of the World", while the white man called it the "Crown of the Continent". In either case, it is gorgeous here. We had more time to walk around and take photos.

Two versions of dandelions. Even these seem special here.

More flowers:

Something in the stonecrop family

Pink Mountain Heather

Indian Paintbrush

I decided to walk along the path to Hidden Lake a bit to take advantage of the sun for more photos. I even got a shot of a Columbian ground squirrel. Gene had surprised us earlier, when he mentioned that they were the animals at Lake McDonald Lodge, that we'd seen two years ago. We'd thought- as do most people- that they are prairie dogs. There are no prairie dogs in the park.

 

At 2:50, we were heading back down the road westward. With the clear skies, we had some magnificent, albeit terrifying for those of us with acrophobia, sights. We stopped at times, too. I did doze off now and then throughout the day, as is usual for me on a bus, I'm afraid.

Lupine

Common Daisy

Alberta Penstemon

The Weeping Wall

Around 3:50, Gene stopped at the Red Rocks Trail and Overlook. Here we learned about the red argillite rocks, which was often used by Native Americans to make pipes. Then, we went down the trail to the overlook. That water of McDonald Creek looked so beautiful, but it had to be cold. And yet, there were people in it!

 

Fireweed

It wasn't a long drive from here to Lake McDonald Lodge. Gene told us that this is where the staff lives, although in dormitories that on the property. He likes living there. We arrived there at 4:15 and were told to use it as a rest stop, but to be sure to go through the lodge to the other side, which was actually meant to be the entrance to the lodge. You see, back in the day, folks would travel by train and then by carriage to Lake McDonald down at the Apgar Village end. Then, they'd travel by boat to this end of the lake and the lodge. So, they entered from the lake side.
The main room of the lodge is quite nice and has a roaring fire.

Back on the bus again, it wasn't a long drive back to Apgar Visitor Center, which we reached at 4:50. J and I each gave Gene a $5 tip and thanked him warmly for the tour. While J shopped, I tried, unsuccessfully, to post on Facebook. I was more successful at finding more flowers.

Morning Glory

Wild Bergamot

We left the parking lot at 5:19 and were parked in front of our room 2 minutes later (42921). We unloaded our stuff and unwound a bit, before leaving at 5:40 to walk to shop and then eat. We found a few things to get ourselves and others, before going to Eddie's Café for dinner at 6:07. It was just up the street from the office for our lodgings.
We'd eaten inside, when we were here two years ago. Today, we opted for the picnic tables out on the front deck. The air was nice and it wasn't buggy. I decided to try a Mission Mountain Huckleberry Wine for $6 and it was quite pleasant. J's Sprite was $2.50. We ordered Joe Cosley's Bacon Chicken Wrap for $13.75 and Izak Walton Huckleberry Club for $14.50 and split them both. They were very good. We still had room and couldn't pass up the chance to share the $8.50 Huckleberry Cobbler. It was great! With a weird 3% fee plus the $6 tip, the bill came to $43.85. It's high for sandwiches, but we are in a national park and had a great view of the lake.

 

We left at 7:10 and took the opportunity to photograph the lake, the distant mountains, and the Apgar Village before heading back to pack up everything in anticipation of leaving tomorrow.

We were so glad that we came back here to do this! What a terrific day! I drove only 3 miles and took 422 photos! (And that should explain why there are so many photos in this blog for today.)