8/19 - We left Hot Springs SD and boggied to Buffalo Wy. We stayed at a KOA near a small stream. The section we were in was relatively new and we had a patio site. Very nice.
8/20 - We boogied to Three Forks Mt. Another KOA that was very convenient
8/21 - We traveled most of this day in rain and when we got to Glacier we set up in the rain. Driving through Wyoming and Montana is something that everyone should experience before they die. It is so beautiful here and quite different from the East Coast. Truly Big Sky Country. I really love it here!
8/21 - 8/25 - The West Glacier KOA Campground is very very nice. They have live music, food trucks, and a full service restaurant, in addition to a pool, and adult pool with hot tub, and a liquor truck or rolling bar. Beautiful flowers on much of the grounds. You could stay in the campground the whole time if it wasn't for the beautiful NP that's only a few miles away. The people in the office were very nice, the lady that checked us in was a Graham. No relation.
On the morning of 8/22 we boarded the Red Bus tour cars that they run in the park. These are refurbished touring cars from the early 1900's that they run in the park. We took the tour over the Continental Divide to the East side of the park and on to Many Glacier. We did a similar tour with Mark and Kathy back in 2016. The nice part of this is that you can ride and see everything without worrying about driving.
The day started with rain and fog throughout the West side of the park. Our guide was very nice and she made the best out of the lousy weather. The road on the West side of the park is under construction and the rain this morning and the day before left about 9 miles of enormous pot holes. It was not a pleasant ride. We went from West to East stopping at Lake McDonald Lodge and the Logan Pass Visitors Center. The "Continental Divide"
After we left Logan Pass the weather started to clear. On the East side the fog started to lift and we started to see blue sky and the sun. We headed out the east gate and up to Many Glacier for a great lunch and beautiful views of the lake. We did briefly see a Grizzly Bear on the Many Glacier road but he disappeared into the underbrush before anyone could get a picture. The tour then returns to the West side on the same road. The trip back was dry until we got half way down the West side. We pulled off and put the top back on as the rains came down big time. So we had fog, rain, clearing, rain, and clearing. All in all it was a crazy but beautiful day. This is the only way to see the park. No driving and someone who can give you the history.
That evening we sat in the front seats of the bus in the campground and watched storms off in the mountains and a rainbow as the storms started to clear.
The next day we drove up the West side of the park to a little hikers town called Polebridge. We bought some great pastries, made daily in the general store, and had a lunch from the Wagon in the parking lot. This ride gave us a longer range view of the park and fortunately it was a beautiful day.
On our fourth day we drove to Kalispell for lunch and shopping and then drove through Whitefish. These towns are very nice and we had a very enjoyable day.
Montana is a beautiful state and the Glacier area is just a special park of out great country. My next life I think I'll start out here it is just good for the soul. From heare we began a boogie through Idaho and Washington to our next major destination Newport, Or on the coast.
I will be posting many pictures bur none can capture the true beauty of this area. Enjoy!
