On to Glacier

I knew I was going to have to deal with laundry on the road at some point. In the Vegas suite, we had a washer and dryer available. There was a washer/dryer at the hotel the night I picked ML up. Now, in the deep of the Northwest, I'm running out of Hanes.

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I woke up on the banks of yet another river, Snake River this time. I find myself in a good campground when nature's wake up call is the breeze through the trees or the call of birds; not the jake brake from the government 18-wheeler churning by the grounds at 7:30 in the morning. I guess that happened conveniently though, as I had another long day of driving coming up. Glacier National Park was within reach, but it wouldn't be until the following day that I would see it.

The drive out of Windust took me along a very peculiar access road. I saw a lot of government vehicles traveling in both directions, and it was placed in a more-than-palatable scene. Route 263 continued along the northern bank of the Snake River. The river maintains it's path to the east, and the road turned north into these very unique canyon embankments. The road was tucked in about 100 feet down into these canyons that were colors of tan & pale, with occasional grass caps and plateaus. Let this be another reminder that the scenic routes of this country are not to be passed up. Driving in itself can be a relaxing way to spend vacation if you can find the right byways to enjoy it.

I filled up about 10 minutes outside Spokane, then found a laundromat to turn over some soiled linens. I pulled up, and a girl came out of the building. She motioned towards me, it turned out she wanted my attention.

     "Are you coming in for a tan?" asked the girl, wearing a branded apron over casual clothes.
     "Huh?" *then I noticed this laundromat is also a tanning salon* "OH. Ha, no I am not" I replied.
     "Oh ok, I'm just running out then, I'll be back."
           ....I looked around furiously for a gym, Pauly D, or Vinny.

No one needed to do their laundry at 9:30 on a Thursday morning in West Spokane, which was nice - no one around to swipe my stuff. I was able to clean my car and reorganize some things while my clothes got washed & dried. One Walmart stop later, and I was off to Idaho and Montana.

I reached the outskirts of Glacier and started to hunt for a campsite. It was a Thursday in mid-summer, and many campers decided to start their weekends early, as I hoped they wouldn't. My target site was Flathead National Forest, where there should have been pull-up campsites. However, it was located far off the main drag, and I was beginning to lose sunlight and cell service. I wanted to be set up before dusk, but I also wanted to see if there was a great (or even just a decent) campsite down this road.

Long story short, I lost 45 minutes of daylight looking for a site that may or may not have existed, and my phone couldn't tell where I was. The long southeast trek led me to a dam that was pretty cool, but otherwise an annoying inconvenience while finding camp for the night. I stopped at 3 other completely booked campgrounds before getting a recommendation from a desk attendant that one place might have an overflow camp lot. I didn't know what that meant, but sounded good enough. I dashed to my final location and spoke with a charming dame who was happy to offer me a spot in her overflow area. It was a large football-sized field that had a few campers along the perimeter, near the trees and local road. I laid claim to a small plot of grass, set up shop, and took advantage of the showers on site. I returned and enjoyed the show of the sky unfolding itself from daylight. As the colors from the sun faded into the horizon, Montana proved its quality. A vast sky of bright stars swallowed the view of the atmosphere. 3/3.

First rule of National Parks - start early. I hit the road by 7AM, in the park 30 minutes later. Again, I had no plan for Glacier. I heard about "Going to the Sun Road," that was it. I was moderately delighted to hear that Glacier's feature was this road, because there was so much to see while on it. Ideal drive-thru conditions! I set out on the trek to St. Mary. I believe that would also be the point closest to Canada, on my trip.

Entrance to the park

Mountains

The Weeping Wall
I was in a bit of a rush to get by here, fuzzy quality

I drove to Logan's Pass Visitor Center, which was just over halfway down the 50+ mile road.

Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park
Blue - driving, Light Blue - hiking

I got to Logan's Pass early enough to get a parking spot, some weren't so lucky. By 8AM, the place was swarming with families and hikers alike. I packed a few snacks & waters and made my way on foot, southwest to Hidden Lake. I had no intention of hiking at Glacier, but I had the time in the morning to do as I pleased. It was a moderate hike up to Hidden Lake Overlook where the path continued into the pass, but was closed due to high winds.

Logan's Pass

Hidden Lake resting under Bearhat Mountain

Hello Mountain Tom

The hills were alive. The air was fresh. These national parks are indeed a treasure. I got my fill of great scenery and decided to move on. In my return to the parking lot, I noticed an adjacent path that I didn't see on the way up. It was headed southeast, into a tree line that kept its secrets by sight. Of course, the path wasn't noted on my map or NP guide. I drove all the way across the country, so I was certainly taking that path. It paid off, as I found myself walking over large snow masses around to another vantage point of Hidden Lake. It was hold-onto-something-at-all-times windy, where I ended up taking a moment to snap a few pictures.

Just to confirm that I was the one behind all the shots

Life in the wild

Jackson Glacier, predicted to disappear by the year 2030

I made my way back to the car after a morning of hiking. Returning to the parking lot, newcomers were like vultures swarming for any remaining scraps of parking. As soon as my foot hit the asphalt, a Honda van holding a vacationing family followed me right up to my car, waiting to take my spot. I got out of the lot and continued on. I got out at a few spots to take some pictures, the real treat waiting for me at Saint Mary Lake. I pulled up and sat there for lunch, taking in the view.

Saint Mary Lake

Finishing up lunch, I took off for Bozeman, MT. I reserved a site the night previous, after realizing that it's just a smart thing to do when you can. Bear Canyon Campground was my destination, and there was some more driving to do.

Fast forward to Bozeman, nothing exciting happened on the road. Lots of conservative/christian radio programs on the air though, and I was surprised to hear Rush Limbaugh in almost every state I drove through (although maybe I shouldn't have been).

I set up camp (nothing special at this one) and went into town for dinner. I found a taco joint connected to an ice cream stand. I was happy I didn't need to look any further for sustenance. Bozeman has a very hip, small college town feel. Most to all pedestrians and citizens were younger than 50, everyone was walking, car traffic was light. Pubs with street facing windows littered the main drag, and poured their unique chatter and sound into the avenue. I think I would like living in Bozeman.

The stop in Bozeman was because I couldn't make it to Yellowstone in one day from Glacier, or at least, I wasn't willing to. Staying overnight in Bozeman allowed me to approach Yellowstone at an early hour to get a decent campsite. I had concerns that it would be packed, so I chose a location about 45 minutes west of the Yellowstone entrance that was populated with campgrounds.

Next up, Yellowstone!