Glacier National Park Day 2

Day 2:
Really, it’s the first day in the park. But, yesterday was such an adventure that it’s hard not to count it as part of the Glacier experience.
Our little rental car is a convertible Mustang and if you ever want to search for a dead body in the trunk of a car, I would skip these Mustangs. You can’t get much of anything at all in the trunk. We put one suitcase in the trunk and the other in the back seat which was fine unless you had to stop somewhere.
But, for cruising the mountain roads, it’s nearly perfect. You can take the top off and see so much you can’t see in a regular car. Mountains straight up on both sides of the car at times and nothing obstructing the views.

The weather is incredible. It was 42 when we got up early this morning and the last I looked it was 70 and mostly sunny.
Hard to beat that coming from Texas where it’s been mostly in the upper 90s.
I don’t know what the temps were at the higher elevations but I can deal with 42 as a low just about any old time.
Montana is the Big Sky Country, but it’s more than that. It’s the really big, blue sky country. Up here in the higher altitudes, away from the air pollution of the thickly populated areas of our wonderful nation, the sky is blue beyond belief.
At one point during the day, we were waiting on construction crews. Unlike the hot areas of the world, it was no real big thing to sit and wait on the construction to let us pass. We were looking up at the mountains and watching really white clouds blow past and the skies were a blue that has to be seen to believe.
That was a truly great experience in itself.
Lake McDonald is quite the sight. It’s the third really beautiful lake we have run across so far, but it won’t be the last. Later in the day we came to Saint Mary Lake which fell in line with the others. Very, very scenic.
Really, right now, if I had to pick the prettiest of the lakes we have seen I wouldn’t be able to take a clear winner because they are all outstanding. One thing about Saint Mary Lake that might have set it apart is the surroundings. The glacier covered mountains of the park rise thousands of feet above the surface making it an incredible sight.
Lot’s of waterfalls in the park. We did a 1.6 mile round trip hike to Saint Mary Falls which was a nice little walk in the woods. I probably don't need to say that it was well worth the hiking distance, but I will anyway. It was well worth the hike.
Another very nice waterfall was McDonald Falls which was right on the road and the very first waterfall we saw in the park.

None of the falls were huge. Although, Bird Woman Falls were pretty tall, the width was not significant and it was dying out from the end of the season. Expect it to be a lot better in late Spring when the snow melt is so huge. I think late May or early June would be possibly the best times to see Glacier but I am not sure how early it opens up.

The Falls here don’t match anything at Yosemite or Yellowstone, but they are still outstanding and worth viewing.
Logan Pass is a bit crowded for my taste. The visitor center is crammed full of people most of the day.

But, in the scheme of things it is a pure joy to behold. I think the high there today was in the high 50s. The wind was blowing hard through there in the morning and it was actually a bit cold.
I am a little surprised by the lack of elevation of the local peaks. I did not know much before I came and I still have much to learn.

They seem much higher than 10,000 feet, but the tallest in the park is about 10,400 feet.
Logan Pass is 6646 feet which is not all that high and wouldn’t seem to be that cold, but it feels pretty nippy up there. Probably, it is not elevation as much as it how far north it is.
We didn’t see much wildlife today, just a few deer and smaller mammals.

Tomorrow, we are determined to see a bear and some mountain goats. Supposedly, they are visible often in the Logan Pass area.
They love the high up cliffs and their coats are bright white. Shouldn’t be hard to find one if they are out and about.
A bear might be another story.

Going to the Sun Road is the only real road in the park, or the only one that is substantial and goes all the way through.
This road is incredible to drive on and of course, very scenic. It is extremely narrow at some points and two full size vehicles can barely pass each other. It is also under construction. There were a lot of delays and we found out later that it didn't open until July because it was wiped out by an avalanche.
But, as I talked about earlier when I was enjoying the color of the sky, the delays were actually enjoyable. For one thing, it’s just not hot up here. Another reason is there is so much scenery to enjoy while you are waiting on the flag person to let you by.
Parts of the road have no rails and it’s a steep drop off making for an exciting drive. They are probably widening the road somewhat and improving it.
It would be sort of an inconvenience if you are in a hurry. But then, if you are in a hurry in this park you are making a huge mistake.

The food in the park, or right out side of the park has been surprisingly good. I don’t know how they got anybody talented to work out here in the wilderness, but we have had some really good meals. Maybe chefs like to see all of this scenery, too.
Huckleberries are a big thing here, so are Cherries. I think we missed on the fresh cherries but we have had some good huckleberries.

We had dinner at the Belton Chalet tonight which is located right outside the park and it was extremely good. The soup was as good as any I have ever had.
Go figure.

I think a lot of the people here are transients. They work here in the warmer months and head to warmer climates. Apparently, this whole area pretty much shuts down in the winter time which is too bad because it would be an incredible sight with all the snow.

What a day it was. My first full day in Glacier National Park. Incredible place