Going to the Sun

Another bucket list item is in the books.  Yesterday, we visited Glacier National Park. I had read that 95% of the park is wilderness, so when I say we visited the park, think of dipping a toe in the ocean, because that is about what our experience amounted to. Nevertheless, what a dip it was. This place is incredible, indescribable and beyond amazing.

Since a picture is said to be worth a thousand words, I will let the pictures tell the story. I would have to add that experience is worth a thousand pictures, because nothing could capture the vastness and the grandeur of this place.

What we saw was part of the Going to the Sun Road.  So, I offer these lame photos for your perusal.

The Going to the Sun Road begins at West Glacier, MT 

and winds through beautiful trees until it comes to Lake MacDonald.

 The lake is several miles long and is the result of glacial action during the ice age. It is an Oligotrophic (characterized by a low accumulation of dissolved nutrient salts, supporting but a sparse growth of algae and other organisms, and having a high oxygen content owing to the low organic content.) lake. Notice how clear the water is.

The river feeding the lake is wild and has lots of waterfalls and rapids. 

Past the lake, the road begins to climb. As it does the most breathtaking (literally, when you are driving a winding road just barely wide enough in places for two cars to pass each other) views of mountains and valleys begin to appear.

Obviously, I need some work on my selfie technique.

 We ultimately arrived at Logan Pass Visitors Center at 6,646 ft. elevation above sea level, which appears to be timberline in this region. The visitors center, however, was closed because of a "battery problem." We got no further explanation. There was a Park Service truck on the scene with a hose leading from the truck to the visitors center building. Consequently, our visit to the Visitors Center consisted primarily of waiting in line with several dozen of our best friends to use the composting toilet.

The Logan Pass Visitors Center

This is the truck that was "fixing" whatever was wrong with the "batteries." 

On the way back down the mountain, we stopped at the Lake MacDonald Lodge. The Lodge was apparently built around 1912-14.  It has been expanded since then with other buildings being added to the property.  It is quite typical of lodges built in that era by the railroads. I don't know that this one was a railroad lodge, but according to a placard, the only way to get to the lodge in the beginning was to take a train to West Glacier, trek overland by wagon or car, and then take a boat from the lower end of the lake to the lodge.

These interesting buses, which feature a full length sun roof, carry passengers up and down the Going to the Sun Road. They are White buses sporting a Ford logo under the White logo. White hasn't built trucks for some time. I wonder if the chassis and bodies have been maintained, but the drive lines have been replaced with Ford parts ??

This is the camp store, which is a typical gift shop.

The front of the lodge, which used to be the back of the lodge when guests arrived by boat.

The lobby.

Click on this one to blow it up so you can read the placard.

The back of the lodge, formerly the front

This dock caters to the rental motor boats and rowboats, but 

I suspect it replaced the ferry landing of 100 years ago.

The grounds have the most beautiful flowers. The hanging baskets are nice, too.

The fireplace in the lodge lobby is huge and inviting. 

After our visit to the lodge, we traveled back down to the town of Hungry Horse, where we stopped for huckleberry pie and huckleberry ice cream.  There is a thriving economy based on huckleberries here. Long may it thrive!

Today, we plan to visit Flathead lake, the biggest natural lake in the western USA.