This years National Park winner was Glacier (Mark's entry). We devoted 7 days to our road trip, but really needed much more time to get our fill. It is always difficult for me to sift through our hundreds of photos and pick out ones to use. I want to post them all but I have attempted to pick out just a fraction that will help us remember ....
Day 1: Little Bighorn Battlefield and Billings
We left early Saturday (12th) and were going as far as Billings.
Emm made sure to give Stewy some extra love before we took off.
Our first stop was in Buffalo WY. We were just passing through but I would have loved to check out the charming downtown a bit more.
We had a picnic at the city park and we were intrigued by this very old school (and frankly dangerous) looking piece of equipment. Turns out it was a vintage merry go round similar to this
We didn't look quite as experienced or graceful but we had just as much fun.
They just don't make playgrounds like they used to!
We stopped to visit Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Crow Agency, MT. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty remarkable. One of the things I love about road trips is the things you get to see on the way.
Very educational and worth checking out for sure!
We got to Billings about dinner time and walked from our hotel to this sandwich shop. I haven't been through this town since we moved but it felt familiar as it was our "big city shopping hub" all those years we lived in Cody. The sandwich shop was so good!
We called it a day after a trip to the pool (of course). Yep, the girls did jump on the beds .... a little;)
Day 2: Old Montana Prison, Flathead Cherries and Kalispell
Our second night destination was Kalispell. We had no real plans for stops along the way, but it just so happened that we were ready for lunch when we hit Deer Lodge, MT. At first glance this little town of roughly 3,000 left a lot to be desired, but as we drove down main street we were impressed with the smattering of museums all within a block of each other. We were especially intrigued with the Old Montana Prison and spent a little time exploring.
The prison was built in the 1800's and was the first Territorial Prison in the western United States
It came about in response to an increase in criminal behavior due to the Gold Rush
It closed operations in the late 1970's when a new prison was built about 5 miles west of Deer Lodge and it became a historical site.
A hidden little gem in this small town. It was creepy and fascinating all at the same time.
We carried on toward Kalispell with a stop at a road side stand on the west shore of
Flathead Lake to get some cherries:)
We checked into our room, grabbed some pizza at MacKenzie River and then Mark and I went for a walk to check out some of the downtown features.
Day 3: Whitewater Rafting, Lake McDonald and Big Creek Campground
When Mark researched for the trip, he had asked me what I thought of a rafting trip.
I thought it would be memorable and we decided to go for it. We booked a half day trip
down the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.
We have floated the river several times in northern Wyoming and Bailee and Karsyn did a whitewater trip for Youth Conference last summer. They offer a few different options and we did the trip with Class II-III rapids.
Truth be told ... I was terrified! Not so much about the thrill factor, but the possibility of falling in or tipping the raft into cold water. I don't know what the deal is, but over the last several years I have developed an intolerance for cold water that is unbearable. Just walking in the river (with sandals) to get in the raft had me on the verge of a breakdown ... it's so weird. Anyway I was not too proud to wear a wet suit even though I was literally the only one in the entire group that did.
The girls had a good time making fun of me:)
There was a fair amount of leisure floating in between rapids like Bonecrusher, Jaws and Pinball. Once you start through the rapids, you really can't be taking photos. They have a photographer take pics through a stretch of the trip for purchase after. I usually highly oppose this kind of gimmick, but this called for an exception. There were some much better action/thrill shots, but this was the only one you could see us all (+our guide Jake and Jon and Colleen our California friends)
It was a pretty awesome 7 mile trip. And nobody ended up in the water ... well Mark and Emmrey jumped in at one point by choice:)
Once we got dried off and warmed up, we made an official entry into the west entrance of the park to lunch at Lake McDonald.
The scenery was ideal, but it was a little breezier than we expected.
These two ventured into the lake and tried to convince me that "it's warmer than the river" ...ha!
Bailee's mirrored sunglasses were too tempting for Mark to pass up!
We set up camp at Big Creek in the Flathead National Forest. It was the perfect site right on the banks of the river.
Mark didn't waste any time getting out the rod and catching some beauties!
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| Bull Trout |
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| Westslope Cutthroat |
Day 4: Avalanche Lake and Huckleberry Ice-Cream
We woke up our first morning in camp to pretty frigid temperatures delaying our plan to utilize the shuttle system in the park most efficiently. It was hard to leave the tent and cook breakfast as early as we hoped.
The amount of visitors to Glacier makes the shuttle system a necessary tool to combat traffic. It's great in theory and more relaxing than navigating the roads/crowds/parking lots on your own, but it can be frustrating as well. We got to Apgar Visitor Center and had just missed the last shuttle (they come every 15-30 min). There is no guarantee when you will get on, it just depends on how many people are already in line and when the last one left. We were 1 person too many to make it on the next one and so we sat for about an hour just to get on the shuttle. Mark was getting antsy and irritated but the chances of finding a parking spot at the top is pretty rare ...so we waited:)
At the end of the boardwalk the trail begins to climb with views of Avalanche Gorge
And then another 5 miles (mostly uphill) through the hemlock forest.
The trail was crowded ... like too crowded and as it opened up at the lake people were in masses along the shores. We hiked a little further to get some space ....
We had a light lunch and Mark wanted to try fishing for a bit.
Emm gave casting a shot too, but Mark was the only one that landed any.
We relaxed and soaked in the gorgeous views!
Forest fires in the surrounding area left the air a little hazy from the smoke impeding our view of some of the top peaks.
Avalanche Lake is a site worth seeing.
It was a long day of hiking and just getting around. We went looking for some Huckleberry ice-cream and found it at Sweet Treats
The Huckleberry was the real deal!
Getting to sit in the giant Adirondack wasn't bad either.
Then it was back to the beach for dinner and some time by the water
Day 5: Highline Trail
Wednesday we set out for one of the most popular hikes in the park. We caught the shuttle and headed to Logan Pass by way of Going-to-the-Sun Road.
The Highline follows along the Continental Divide and the scenery is insane!
There are stories of people running into bears on this trail. One of my greatest fears on any hike, but I don't even know where you would go to give them space on this trail. The only thing that eased my anxiety a little was that there were other hikers all over (which I hoped would ward off any bears)
You wouldn't know it from these photos, but the trail was actually crowded.
With the trail hugging the cliffs there wasn't room for two people to be side by side
which meant a lot of yielding.
At about 1/4 mile into the hike you hit the famous ledge with a drop of about 100 feet to the road below. It doesn't last long but it certainly made me feel uneasy. I can't imagine taking little ones (littler than ours;) on this hike. Thankfully the Forest Service has installed a cable rail.
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| on the way back to Logan Pass |
The trail makes a loop and hikers can complete the loop in 15 or so miles. We did roughly 8 miles and stopped halfway at Haystack Butte for lunch. Mark and Emmrey climbed around the mountain slope for Huckleberries. You are allowed to pick a quart per person/day. They managed to collected a baggy full.
Our lunch spot with outstanding views all around
We didn't run into any bears (thank goodness) but we did stumble upon a group of bighorn sheep on a slope not far from the trail.
Wildflowers were plentiful:)
A must do hike if you visit Glacier. There is just no other way to see these views from the road.
We were spent when we got back to Logan Pass. We caught a shuttle right away and then had to wait a half hour or so at Avalanche Lake to get back to take the final shuttle back to Apgar Visitor Center.
It was another long day that ended with another taste of Huckleberry Ice-cream. This time at an old time establishment called The Huckleberry Patch.
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| Mark manages to capture the most flattering shots |
We made our Campfire Pizzas again for dinner. This time we had to use the stove since there was a fire ban.
Don't know what the deal was, but Emmrey and I could not find anywhere to eat that we weren't being swarmed by wasps. We finally ended up in the car.
Didn't seem to bother these three at all:(
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| deep discussions with dad |
We ended our days with time by the water .. . reading, skipping rocks and of course a little fishing!
Day 6: Packing up and Many Glacier
Thursday we packed up and said farewell to campsite #13 
We had a 2+ hour drive to the east side of the park and Many Glacier
The road from the East entrance to Many Glacier was one of the worst I have been on and we were all anxious to get out. We had our lunch at the picnic area
Emmrey was over the moon that we bought the canned cheese for crackers. This was a staple on our trips as a kid, but my girls have not been so fortunate;)
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| a little round of Tic-Tac-Toe |
We walked 2 miles of the Swiftcurrent Nature Trail around the lake from the picnic area to the lodge and then spent a whole lot of time just relaxing by the lake.
Showing off some skills
The lodge is located in the part of the park referred to as the "Switzerland of North America". I loved the old chalet feel even down to the bathroom signs. The halls were lined with photos comparing glaciers from years ago and how they have shrunk or even disappeared ... pretty fascinating.
When Mark and I visited Glacier as newlyweds, we stayed a night at the Main Lodge (not this one). It was like stepping back into the 1900's. No TV's in the rooms .. but why would you watch TV when you have views like this. I could sit on this balcony all day.
That was about it for our time in Glacier. It went way too fast!
We headed to Great Falls MT where we spent the night.
Day 7: Heading home
Friday morning nobody was in a big hurry to get going {not as exciting to be going home}. We put in a good audio book and passed miles and miles of farm land and civilizations that you wonder how they still exist.
I personally love seeing old abandoned buildings as we road trip and imagining how it was when they were in their glory.
Not even halfway home, we were already day dreaming about glorious Glacier. What a time we had!
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