Eastern Glacier in the Rain

Saturday, July 14th

I awoke to pitter patters on the roof so knew my day's plans were about to change.

No hike before I headed to the east side of Glacier NP.

Did eat breakfast at the campground:  waffle with real raspberry sauce.

Rain wasn't hard but low clouds so you couldn't see the tops of the mountains or else you could see the tops but not the mid section but it was ok, it made you focus on the immediate.

Stopped at Goat Lick Overlook and sure enough there were mountain goats on the other side of the gorge (seen through binoculars) licking the rock wall (there's salt in them thar hills).  Fun little break in the cool mist.

Stopped at Marias Pass (discovered for the railroad, on Patrick's birthday a few years earlier - in 1889) in the Lewis and Clark National Forest which is on the continental divide.

The obelisk at Marias Pass is to T. Roosevelt for
his dedication to preserving the
National Forests & sits on the
Continental Divide

Then on to East Glacier.  I went inside the Glacier Park Lodge (built by the railroad to aid in the westward expansion) which had a marvelous lobby and front garden.

Inside the Glacier Park Lodge

Garden in front of Glacier Park Lodge

Two Medicine Lake

I went on to a very pretty Two Medicine Lake.  The rain stopped just about this time so I could walk the lake shore a bit and took these pictures.  The water is so clear and smooth - thus the great reflection.

Look how clear the water is
at Two Medicine Lake

Reflection at Two Medicine Lake

Had planned to stop at the Blackfeet Pow Wow outside the park but by the time I got back on the road, it was again raining pretty hard so drove on with Great Falls, MT as my destination.  

Almost as soon as you leave Glacier, the land flattens out and you're in prairie.  It's like those colliding plates that formed the Rockies got tired of pushing against each other and just stopped.

"After" Glacier in MT

Lots of grain, checker board fields, rolling hills, bumps and humps.  Pretty country side with few trees so you can see to the horizon.

(Town of Cut Bank - on Rt. 2 east of the park - neat murals and enlarged old photos on the sides of their buildings)

Staying in a KOA in Great Falls with 1000 kids, splash pools, family parties with all the cousins, bunnies and raspberries everywhere.  Rain had stopped by the time I got here and was actually quite warm.

DATA:

Gas:  $53  @ $3.40                   camp (for 2 nights)  $106