Winding Down in West Glacier

Dave and I made our last entry into Glacier National Park this morning.  We had both Hilltopper bicycle batteries charged and we were able to ride over ten miles with a little help from the batteries.  We saw a doe foraging through the picnic area.

Our picnic dinner last night was a success.  Why does food seem to taste better when eaten outside?  We picked a spot that someone had evidently just vacated, because the campfire was still smoldering.

We sat by Lake McDonald after we ate and enjoyed the views as the sun got lower.

 

The water was so clear that the multi-colored rocks and pebbles showed up.  How would you like to do a jigsaw-puzzle of this picture? 

This afternoon I made a final trip to the village of West Glacier, which is located just outside the park entrance.  I visited the Canadian visitor's center which features the province of Alberta.  We didn't go to Canada this trip, but ten years ago we stopped at West Glacier before we went on to the Canadian part of the park at Waterton.  We also visited Cardston's Carriage Museum, the Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo Jump, Drumheller's famous paleontology museum, Banff, and the towns of Salmon Arm and Hope.  In July of 2001, the U.S. dollar was stronger against the Canadian dollar!

Canadian Visitor's Center in West Glacier

Alas, this stuffed grizzly inside the Canadian visitor center was our last chance to see a bear on this trip.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the West Glacier KOA and head west on Highway 2 all the way to Deer Park, WA, which is north of Spokane. 

Our site (#139) at the KOA

Not the 3rd, Not the 5th

It's the 4th of July!  Happy Birthday, USA!

A flag flying behind an RV at the KOA.

Dave and I went for a bike ride today at Apgar Village.  Only one of the batteries for our bikes had power, so Dave used the battery on the way out, and I used the battery on the way back.  Since our bikes are regular bikes and still work with good old pedal power, we got along just fine.  We just avoided going on any hills.  We'll recharge both batteries and go on the ride again tomorrow.

The creek flowing into Lake McDonald

We drove to nearby Columbia Falls visit the town and go to the grocery store.  They had a Smith's which is a chain of our Fred Meyer, so we were able to get the store discounts. 

Flowerpot outside the Lake McDonald Lodge

We hatched a plan to celebrate the 4th.  Instead of driving to Whitefish to see their fireworks show, we will go back into Glacier and have a picnic at the Apgar picnic area.  This time, however, instead of eating sandwiches we bring along, we'll bring along our grill and some hot dogs.  Dinner by the lake--I like it!  Then at 8 pm we'll attend another ranger talk at the lovely Apgar Amphitheater.  What a way to celebrate!

Avalanche Creek along Going-to-the-Sun Road

Exploring Apgar Village

I think yesterday's action-packed day tired me out today.  We went for a walk along the Apgar bike path and I made it there, but Dave went and got the car so that I didn't have to walk back.  If I don't take a preventative Tylenol before going on a walk, I generally get pain in my hip which bothers me.  That's why I like bike-riding--it doesn't give me hip pain!  Maybe tomorrow we'll bike on all the Apgar and Fish Creek bike paths. 

Last night, Dave and I attended a very informative ranger talk at the Apgar Campground amphitheater, which is located at the west end of scenic Lake McDonald.  The topic was about trees.  Ranger Becky gave us a lot of information, including how to identify different trees, and her presentation was interactive and enjoyable for all ages, from children to senior citizens. 

The Apgar Amphitheater

Ranger Becky holding up the number of vascular animals in Glacier National Park.  The audience had to guess what each number stood for.

The final number was the number of tree species in the park, a low enough number that it ought to be easy enough to identify all of them.

She also had the audience play a game that identified the functions of each of the parts of a tree.  You would be surprised how involved the children in the audience were during the presentation.

Some of the trees surrounding the amphitheater:

 

This morning, Dave and I attended the non-denominational church service here in the lounge of the KOA.  It was a  well-done service which included several hymns and several praise songs, prayers, a responsive Bible reading, and a short devotional based on the Bible reading.  It was very nice to informally worship the Lord with the others that attended the service--a good way to start the day.

As Dave wrote in his blog, we intended to drive up to Polebridge, but we turned around when the road turned to gravel.  On the way back to Apgar, we saw a deer in McGee Meadow.

During our picnic lunch at Apgar Village, we enjoyed another good view of Lake McDonald and the snow-capped mountains.

After lunch we went on the ill-fated (for me) walk from the village to the Apgar campground.

Many trees burned during the big fire of 2003, but there are still lots of trees in the park.  Many of them are lodgepole pines and cedars.

I snapped a photo of a few of the many ferns we saw.  It was an enjoyable, peaceful walk, except for my hip pain.

In case anyone is interested, the Apgar Campground looked very nice.  No hookups, of course, but the price was right at $10/day for senior pass holders, and $20/day for others.  We saw a few big rigs in the campground, but most of the sites were more suited for average or smaller rigs. 

We are spending the rest of the day relaxing at our KOA campsite.

West Glacier Didn't Disappoint!

This morning (Saturday) Dave and I entered Glacier National Park's West Glacier Entrance.  There was a long line on this beautiful holiday weekend day, but the our day's activities in the park didn't disappoint. 

Our first view of Lake McDonald was great, with the lake reflecting the mountains.  What a view!

We drove on Going to the Sun Road for the 16 miles that it was open.  That took us to Avalanche Creek.  We tried to take the free shuttle for hikers and bikers that went 9 more miles, but after standing in a very long line for a while, we didn't feel like waiting the hour that it would take to get on a shuttle. 

After finding a parking spot in the very crowded day-use A loop, we walked along the handicap-accessible "Trail of the Cedars". 

The trail was part pavement and part boardwalk.

Avalanche Creek

We came upon a couple being married along the trail.  This was a highlight of our day!

One of the many downed-cedar trees along the path.  They have a shallow but intricate root system.

After a picnic lunch in the day-use area, we headed back down Going to the Sun Road and visited Lake McDonald Lodge.

At 3 pm, we took the 1-hour guided boat ride on Lake McDonald.

The following picture shows the deep aqua-colored glacier water that formed the lake.

I took way too many pictures--good thing they were all digital!

An Unexpected Trip to Many Glacier

As Dave wrote in his blog yesterday, the weather was cold, rainy, and windy, so we decided not to go on the nature trail at Sun Point.  We went for an eight mile drive north to the tiny town of Babb, and from there we went west back into Glacier National Park to tour the Many Glacier area. 

Before we even got to the Many Glacier Entrance booth, we saw several good views of Lake Sherburne. After entering the park the views of the mountains continued to entrance us.

This one reminded us of our trip to Utah last spring.

The Many Glacier road ends after about five miles, with the (no-hookup) campground at the end, and with lots of opportunities for hiking.  Another surprise was in store for us as we explored Swiftcurrent Lake and the Many Glacier Lodge.  We had lunch at the Lodge.  The food was mediocre, but we had a view of the lake in the dining room which was undergoing renovations. 

Side view of Many Glacier Lodge and Swiftcurrent Lake.

A closer look at the Lodge.

When we arrived at the lodge it was raining hard and the parking lot was up on a hill above the lodge.  We got soaked and chilled as we descended the stairs.  The welcoming fire inside the lodge felt good!

Our view from the dining room.

The inside of Many Glacier Lodge reminded us of Wilderness Lodge at DisneyWorld in Florida. 

We enjoyed one more view of the mountains before heading back to the RV park.

The spillway that created Swiftcurrent Lake.

This morning (Friday) we left the St. Mary KOA and drove along Highway 2 to the West Glacier KOA.  This KOA is a top-notch facility but pricey at $300 for five nights. 

My laptop USB problems are solved.  To read all about it, see Dave's blog.  It was quite an adventure!  Thank you, Dave, for getting me all fixed up.  I am once again a happy camper now that my USB ports are working and I can use my mouse.