[One last summer post -- couldn't leave out Glacier National Park :-)]
As part of our Montana adventure in June, we drove up to Glacier National Park. My mom had told me about it many times as she'd spent a memorable summer there in the 1960s. While the previous winter's weather made the hikes more limited and closed the Going to the Sun road even though it was late June (too much snow fall this past winter = too much melt and engorged rivers during the summer), we had a fun time anyways. The rivers were impressive and
. They poured over the rocks with great force and generated a lot of energy and volume.
On day 1, we took one of the
 We had a good guide who actually lives an incredible life: he lives in a cabin that he built himself. There is no power and he lives 20 miles from the nearest mercantile. During the summer, he leads the red bus tours and during the winter he cross country skis. A true mountain man. First stop was
. It was a picturesque spot and SPL found a
at the gift store (and John was quick enough to capture the photo with his iPhone). Here is a photo
while we were traveling in the red bus. And here's one of
riding on the red bus. SPL had a good time learning how to
with some older kids.
On the red bus tour, we also saw the l
10% of the park in 2003. 136,000 acres burned in the park after a five year drought and a summer season of almost no rain. This was the most area transformed by fire since the creation of the park in 1910. We also
cross the road but no bears thankfully.
On our own hike, we discovered this
. It was
and
and was definitely a photo moment. We had fun throwing rocks into the river,
finding curiously shaped fallen trees,
,
,
and showing
when wanting to climb a rock (video).
One of the most interesting places we visited
(on the recommendation of the red bus tour driver). It's a town of just a few inhabitants and it feels like we walked into another time. There is no electricity, no stop lights or signs, and no flush toilets. The mercantile had a great collection of old time tools and gadgets. It also had some yummy stuffed pockets that we ate for lunch on the front porch.
The best part was just spending time together at a slower pace,
,
, seeing scenic vistas,
,
,
@ the Whitefish fair (SPL got an awesome sugar rush -- it was quite comical!), and breathing the fresh Montana air.
Montana, we'll definitely be back some day!