Glacier National Park July 7-9, 2010

We left Many Glacier campground early.  We took Rt 464 from Babb to Browning.  It was a much better choice.  The road was fairly straight with rolling hills, open and green to infinity.  We saw several deer along the way.

We traveled along the south boundary of the park via Rt 2 out of Browning.  Our destination was Apgar campground at West Glacier.  There was a long line at the entrance.  We wondered if we would be able to find a site at the campground.  It is summer season now.

Upon entering the campground we noticed the first site was unoccupied.  I turned right in.  The motorhome ahead of me passed it up.  A few minutes later he was back around wishing he had taken it.  He did manage to wedge his into a small site across the road from us.  When it is busy it is not a good time to be greedy with your site selection.  Vacant is good.  Take it.

The weather was much better this side of the park.  The air was warm, sun shining.  We took the bikes off the back of the MH for the first time in a while.  This is a good place for bike riding.  There are many bike trails.  Many parks have few and it is not worth the effort to take them off.  To our surprise, Darlie had two flat tires.  A neighbor came to the rescue with a battery operated pump.   It did the job quickly.  I will buy one of those as soon as we get to an auto parts store.

We cooked out on the grill then started a fire for the evening.  We sat outside until nearly 10:00 PM.  It was still daylight when we came in.  It isn’t dark until about 10:30 PM here.  It reminds us of Alaska in that respect.

The national park system is implementing a shuttle system throughout the park system.  Several of the parks we have visited have them.  It reduces traffic to the scenic points reducing congestion.  The system has just been implemented here in Glacier.  Here the shuttles are free and run on a regular schedule.  On our previous visit we rode the Red Bus Tour up over Going to the Sun highway.  (www.glacierparkinc.com)  Today we used the free shuttle.  They don’t stop at all the scenic overlooks so the Red Bus Tour is nice for a first time visitor.  They have convertible tops providing an unobstructed view of the mountains.

We got off at Logan Pass visitor center to play in the snow for a while.  There was still drifts over ten feet high.  Kids were snowboarding.  Others were having snowball fights.  Still others were hiking up the snow covered mountain to some distance attraction.

We saw a pair of big horn sheep, marmots and ground squirrels.  We sat and ate our lunch on top of some rocks in the midst of the snow field.  You could hear water running very swiftly under the snow.  Care must be taken where you step.  You might find yourself in the drink.  A freezing drink, that is.

We boarded another shuttle to travel down the other side of the pass towards St. Mary.  As usual, it was a spectacular view.  We saw deer, elk and some mountain goats on this segment.

My Florida friends would like some of this delivered right about now.

It was a fun day.  We met people from all over the country.  It was fun comparing RV notes with some and just learning about the lives of others and why they had come to Glacier.

Once back to our campground it was time to cook some chicken over the grill.  Darlie made some corn on the cob and zucchini squash.  We stuffed ourselves.  Why do things always taste so much better out in the woods.  Maybe that is why grizzle bears eat in the woods rather than McDonald’s.  We could learn a lot from bears.

As the sun set, we mounted our bicycles for a ride in to Apgar Village.  It is a busy tourist place with hotels, restaurants and of course, gift shops.  The bike trail circles through the woods as it winds along towards the village.  We had seen deer along the trail times past but tonight none showed themselves.  That didn’t mean they weren’t there.  

We rode along the lake front.  Lake McDonald was as smooth as glass.  There was a carpet of cotton from the cottonwood trees floating on top.  Fishing boats glided over the surface.  Kids laughed and played along the shoreline.  What a beautiful place.

Today, July 9th is laundry day again.  It has been two weeks.  We have a nice pile.  We have learned it takes no longer to do four loads than it does two loads at the laundromat.  We got the oil changed in the MH as it has been 8,000 miles since we left home.  We found a location with a laundry, oil change and RV wash all together.  There was the added benefit of a wifi connection too.

We just loaded everything back into the MH.  We will head back to Apgar for the night.  We may stay another night or move on.  We haven’t decided.  Our next adventure will be Yellowstone.  Glacier is very busy so we know Yellowstone will be a nightmare.  It may end up being just a drive through.  We have seen so much of this wonderful country that missing Old Faithful will not ruin the day.  There is much more than just the tourist sights.  Most of which is secluded, wild and peaceful.   I will take that over crowds and steam any day.