Sunday, May 14-Tuesday, May 16                                                                                             Bad Rock B&B Columbia Falls, Montana

We’re finally in Montana!  It sure is beautiful, and the sky sure is big, just like they say!  These are scenes from the car.  Andy has driven almost every mile of this trip.  I’m happy to sit in the passenger seat, looking at the map, making reservations for the next place, and soaking in the scenery.  We like listening to audio books, which I get from Audible, or sometimes I’ll download them free from the library.  We have especially enjoyed Tony Hellerman’s books about a Navajo police officer and his various adventures on the Navajo and Hopi reservations and in other parts of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.  It’s fun to hear about places that we have now seen for ourselves.  I’ll include a list of all the books we heard and read at some point in the blog.

It was still snowing in Glacier, and all the roads were not yet open for the season. We thought it would be too cold to camp, so I  found this bed and breakfast on-line and it was a good choice. We were the only guests, so we got to pick our room.

I’m sorry I didn’t get more pictures of this place, and the people we met there.   Mark the owner is from Tennessee, and has had a career in biomedical technology; a very sharp guy.  Donna is the manager and chef.  She found the job on a website for seasonal employees; she is from New York and wanted to see some of the country, so she took this job sight unseen and has been coming for 3 summers.  We met a lot of people who do the same thing; some work for the Park Service, others work in restaurants or hotels.  The idea kind of appeals to me, but I wouldn’t want to give up summers in Maine.

Anyway, Mark and Donna both know a lot about Glacier and gave us great advice about hiking.  Mark lent us some bear spray.

This is the time of year when the bears are coming out with their cubs, and they’re hungry.  Glacier is home to the largest population of grizzlies in the lower 48; about 1,000. Mark predicted that we would see at least one, but we didn’t.  I was kind of disappointed and relieved.  The weather cooperated for us; it was sunny and cold but beautiful!

Lake McDonald

There are 25 glaciers in the park, and 200 lakes.  We didn’t see any glaciers; either they were covered with snow, or the roads weren’t open to get to them.  I would like to go back and see them before they’re gone.  Global warming has already reduced them by a third, and they may be gone entirely in a generation.

These pictures are from the Trail of the Cedars, a lovely short walk through ancient cedar and hemlocks.

 

We hiked to Avalanche Lake

then drove up the west side of the park to Bowman Lake.

The road had just opened that day.  On the way we stopped at the Polebridge Mercantile; a country store kind of in the middle of no where. They have a bakery and are famous for their bear claws.  Mark told us that his European guests have read about this place online and ask for directions.  I didn’t have a bear claw, but I got a savory pastry that was pretty amazing.

The next day, we explored the east side of the park.

 

Glacier makes the cut as the most beautiful park so far.