Our trip to Glacier National Park had tremendous value added because our close friends John and Sueann took the train from Elkhart, IN to meet us in Kallispell, MT. We enjoyed 5 days of exploring Glacier from as many different angles as possible. We parked the Whale at the Elks in Kallispell, and John and Sueann stayed a mile away in a villa. Every day was a different adventure starting with a trip to Whitefish Mountain where we took the ski lift to the top. As I've mentioned before, I am deathly afraid of heights, but I wasn't going to stand at the bottom while the other three made the trip up.
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| From the top of Whitefish Mountain |
The next day, we traveled to the park for a raft trip (scenic, not whitewater) on the middle leg of the Flathead River. Our raft trip was guided by a young man named Ryan who was a perfect example of many of the young people, usually college students, who work the national parks. They give tours primarily or are actually park rangers, and they do an incredible job. Ryan was no exception. He was highly knowledgeable about the river, Glacier, and rafting. We got to learn about the river and the park through this knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide.
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| Sueann and the Flathead River |
The third day we took a 7 hour tour up the Road to the Sun in a Red Bus - among the original fleet (refurbished) that provided tours all throughout national parks at one time. Now Glacier is the only National Park with red buses. The top is canvas and can be rolled back to get the full impact of the overwhelming view. Around every curve, we wowed at differences in landscape. The rock formations gave us an idea of prehistoric times when glaciers carved what we see today. One question asked was if when all the glaciers are gone, will the park name have to be changed? No, the park is named for how it was formed, not for the glaciers that currently exist. There are now less than 30 when in the past there have been as many as 135. One side note... the red buses are not driven by young guides. The driver / guides are mature and seasoned with many miles of experience.
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| On The Road to the Sun... from the top of the red bus |
Our fourth day found us exploring Whitefish, MT, an artsy town with many shops and restaurants - too many to get to in our short time in the area. That evening, we took a ride on Lake McDonald in an antique wooden boat. The boats were originally purposed to transport visitors to McDonald Lodge before roads through the park were constructed. On a small portion of the shore, there are a few cabins that are privately owned. These properties were acquired years before Glacier was made a National Park and ownership was grandfathered in. To date, the owners could sell their cabin and property to anyone, and the sale is not governed by any particular set of rules.
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| The Continental Divide from Lake McDonald / Glacier |
Our last day was spent taking a tour of the park and surrounding area in a four seat airplane. Again, I was not about to be left behind. Although the park was somewhat clouded, we had the opportunity to get yet another perspective of this tremendous national treasure! There 's something to be said about having a birds eye view of any location. This view of Glacier National Park and surrounding area was close to spiritual. The loud drone of the single prop air plan muffled by ear phones and the gentle dip of the wings one way or another added to the "other world" sense while we flew. In the picture below, you can see a
small lake. Throughout Glacier there are many lakes, too many to name. This particular lake did have a name - Birch Lake. My brothers and I grew up on a lake in lower Michigan called Birch Lake so of course I had to text the picture to my brother Ted. Small world
We said good-by to John and Sueann the next morning when we took them to the train station. We couldn't be too sad though as in three short weeks we would see them in Elkhart, IN as we make our way east back "home."
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