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| The smoke was really blocking the view on the "Going to the Sun" road Glacier National Park |
I do remember that the smoke from Washington, Oregon and Kelowna, BC (where Norm’s sister and her husband live) were really hazing out the mountains. Oh, such a disappointment!
This campground was VERY different from what we have been experiencing so far. Our luck ran out, I guess. The sites were extremely small and uneven. When you stepped out the door, you had to be careful not to trip over your neighbor’s sewer line, and forget the use of the picnic table. There was really no place to put it. Oh well, with the wind blowing so fiercely we probably wouldn't have used it anyway.
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| Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park is a Civil Engineering Historic Landmark. After seeing this, it's no wonder! |
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| A tunnel in the mountain of Going to the Sun road, as seen from inside our 1920's Jammer tour bus. |
Glacier has a main attraction. The Going to the Sun Road. This narrow, two lane highway which spans 53 miles across the park, is both a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
This road is one of the most difficult roads in North America to snowplow in the spring. Up to 80 feet of snow can lie on top of the summit, Logan Pass! The road takes about ten weeks to plow, even with machines that can move about 4000 tons of snow in an hour. There are very few guardrails on the east side due to the repeated avalanches over the years. With sheer cliffs and drop-offs, this makes driving it a little hair-raising!
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| Mountain Goat sighting near Logan's Pass |
We booked a tour on one of the beautifully restored 1920 Red Buses called “Jammers”. In 2002 Ford Motor Company donated 6 million dollars to renovate 33 buses. These buses now run on cleaner burning propane fuel, with emissions 93 percent less than the older buses. Yeah, Ford!
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| Looking down into a Red Jammer tour bus |
We decided on the 6 hour tour that took us over The Going to the Sun Road, past the famous Logan Pass, and down the other side of the mountain to McDonald’s Lodge for lunch.
Unfortunately, the smog was particularly bad that day. We could see the mountains that were directly around us, but the distant vistas were almost nil. Regardless, it was a fun day, and gave us a taste of the road, and what it was like to take a 6 hour tour, which we had never done.
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| 1920's Red Jammer renovated with a partnership with Ford Motor Corp. |
Monday, July 20th 2014 - Day 51
We rose to another day of smoky haze, and the addition of threatening skies. Oh, what to do.? Where to go? The choices seemed to be to either go back and drive the Going to the Sun Road and perhaps hike the trail at the summit of Logan Pass, or drive an hour to Many Glacier and take a hike there. It seemed to make sense to go the Visitor’s Center and ask their opinion, and to be ready for anything.
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| The skies were looking pretty ominous when we started out at Many Glacier Hotel |
Well, we were glad we did. The wind was still strong, and in fact, it was blowing 90 mph the day before up at Logan’s Pass right where we wanted to hike and it was predicted to be similar today. Since it involved a narrow ledge with a huge drop, we thought it not a good option. We may be blown over the edge - not a good way to get to the bottom! So, Many Glacier Lake, it is!
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| Norm on a suspension bridge during a hike |
We donned our backpacks and made sure we had our raincoats. There was an option to cut 3 miles off the hike by taking a boat across Many Glacier Lake, hiking ¼ mile, then another shuttle across Lake Josephine. One would then hike a trail up toward a glacier. (The snow was still too deep to reach the glacier, so part of the trail was closed.) Norm and I, feeling particularly ambitious, decided to hike the whole way, and leave the option for the boat ride back if we felt tired (and if there was space available).
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| A lovely lake along the trail in Many Glacier |
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| Shuttle boat for hikers. |
By this time, the dark grey swirling clouds were thickening over the mountain, and within a few minutes, a freezing cold rain was upon us.
We walked as fast as we could for the few miles to the boat dock, hoping there would be room on board. When we arrived, we were shocked to see dozens of people already there – completely filling the covered shed. No one would move to make room for two more soaking hikers.
Luckily, we were able to get on board before the skies opened up with driving rain and sleet.
Finally, after the two boat rides with a hike in between, we got back to the hotel and joined many others having their picnic lunches in the main lodge. We all sat around, exchanging travel itineraries and stories while a professional pianist (also a guest) played “Stormy Weather”.
Tuesday, July 21st, 2014-Day 52
We woke to rain on the roof, for the first time in our trip. Funny, but it a strange way, I was rather glad. Time to relax, catch up on the blog and emails, and have a nice pancake breakfast. I have been dying for pancakes for many months, and we just never took the time.
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| There are not too many hikes that could be as beautiful as this! |
A little after noon, we noticed the sun had come out! The sky was clear, and the rain seemed to have cleared the air. We both agreed that if we didn’t see the incredible views of Glacier National Park from the Going to the Sun Road, and hike that crazy trail, we would forever regret it. So we quickly got ready for potentially a long day, and jumped into the car. I drove.
Oh my Gosh! What a difference a day makes! It was like removing glasses that are all smudged up! Oh, THAT’S what those mountains and valleys look like!
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| What a difference a day makes! Not quite the same angle, but same mountain range, different days. |
The day was so glorious! The sun, there at 6600 feet, felt really good, not cold, and the breeze was gentle. The views along the hike were mesmerizing, but we only went a few miles so we could head further down the road where we remembered the truly awesome lookouts were.
Between Norm and I there were several hundred photos taken. In fact, I have had such a hard time deciding which to post here.
We got back before dark with smiles on our faces as we prepared to leave Glacier National Park.
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| Alison hiking along Logan Pass |
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