Terry and Kathy Living Our Dream: Glacier National Park

It was Tuesday, July 26th and the itinerary had only one major attraction on it and that was to travel on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park with our friends Cheryl and Gerry Leblanc. The camp hosts Jeff and Cindy Brett at Rollins RV Park were very helpful in advising us of the best way to see the park. We went to Many Glacier first which is on the east side of Glacier and then traveled through the main section of the park from the east to the west which was really nice to exit on the west side after a long day. During this day trip we had racked up 320 miles. Whew, we were all glad to be back at the campground.

On the way to Babb, MT. we followed the Lower St. Mary Lake. Turning left at Babb took us right to the Many Glacier Entrance into the park. The road going into the park was very rough but was well worth the time it took to dodge the pot holes. A sure sign an animal was in the area was all the vehicles pulled over on the side of the road and people walking back to a specific spot. We were amazed when we spotted the grizzly bear everyone was watching. Many Glacier Hotel is at the end of the road and located in the "Switzerland of North America" as stated on the page in the link I have provided.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is 50 miles and is the only road that crosses the park in Montana. It is a narrow and winding two lane road with hairpin turns. It is one of the most scenic drives in the world. In many places on one side of the road is cliffs while the other side of the road is a drop of many hundreds of feet with no protected guardrails. Breathtaking can be used to describe the views and also a feeling when you approach one of those areas on the road with no guardrails.

There were many places to pull off the road to take pictures. As we tried to capture the beauty in a camera frame to share with others, the feeling of the God's Holy Presence was so magnificent as we enjoyed the mountains, glaciers, animals, waterfalls, lakes, forest and even down to the smallest wildflowers. Glacier National Park is a wonder of the world!

Goat Lick Overlook- we spotted an eagle.

Mountain goats come from the higher elevations to the natural mineral licks along the Middle Fork of Flathead River. Apparently the goats need the salts and minerals found in these banks. We did see a mountain goat with her baby going up but could not get a good shot of it with my camera.

I thought this was hilarious. World's Largest Purple Spoon "maybe"

Cheryl and Gerry pose for the camera at Lower Saint Mary Lake

Enjoying our retirement together.
Cheryl and I worked with each other for many years and both retired from Tadlock Pipe & Rentals, Inc. in 2014.

The shadows of the mountains are seen on top of the water.

Lake Sherburne

The color of the water changed as the sun cast it's rays upon it.

Waterfall near the end of the road at Many Glacier.

Find the hidden object.

Have you spotted it yet?

Grizzly Bear- we watched it for awhile just in awe to actually see one in the wild. Oh and we were far enough away from it not to bother him and most importantly he could not bother us.

The colors in the rocks were just as pretty as the luscious green forest.

These little critters were not disturbed by the many visitors in the area.

I do believe Terry could have picked him up as long as he was feeding him the cracker..

The name of this creek is Swiftcurrent Creek.

We listened to the sounds of the water as it rushed by us.

Swiftcurrent Creek is the major stream draining Many Glacier Valley.

It feeds water to several small natural lakes.

The name is very appropriate for this creek. That water was rushing down with very strong currents.

East Entrance into the park.

Saint Mary Lake elevation is 4484 feet.

St. Mary Falls

We had to feel the cold water. Yes it was very cold.

This water was such a beautiful teal color.

Climate Change in The Crown of the Continent
In 1850 the park had an estimated 150 glaciers, in 1968 the number was 50
and today there are only 25 glaciers remaining in the park.

The wildflowers were just as noticeable as the mountains.

Bighorn Sheep are famous for their big curled horns. The horns can weigh up to 30 pounds while the sheep themselves can weigh up to 300 pounds. They can move on level ground at 30mph and can get up the mountain slopes at 15mph. The Bighorn male sheep are also known for their head-to-head combat.