After two long days of driving, I finally arrived at the Glacier Park Lodge just outside of Glacier National Park. The lodge was built by the Great Northern Railway to attract passengers on their railroad to explore this area. The lodgepole pine was used extensively to build the lodge, including the rather impressive timber in the lobby. My room was basic, and unfortunately not air conditioned during the rare heat wave in Montana. However, the beer and swimming pool were cold enough to prepare me for the park.
The first major stop in the park was Lake McDonald which is a large, clear lake in the middle of the glacier valley. The guides make sure to clarify that the park was named after the glacial activity that carved the valley, not for the presence of glaciers - although some are still around. Unfortunately, global climate change is affecting this park severely so even those may not be around much longer. The lake was gorgeous as you can see.
The red buses used for tours are the original buses used in the 1930's for tourists on the Going-to-the-Sun Road which was carved out of the valley walls to provide an excellent view of the park and easier access to other areas. The park restored the buses and still uses them to bring the next generation of tourists the same vistas our grandparents experienced.
Logan Pass is the summit of the Going-to-the-Sun Road at 6,640 feet. The area just opened the week before I arrived and was still covered in snow. It was a welcome cool breeze from the hot valley floor including refilling my water bottle with fresh mountain spring water - much better than Arrowhead! Visitors from Canada and the East Coast abounded all enjoying the incredible place.
On the way back, the roof was open but the ice cream lines were too long. We passed through the Blackfoot Indian Reservation and learned about the history of the region. After another long day of driving, it was back to the lodge for dinner and another hot night in the lodge. Below are the rest of the pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment