Glacier

Remy and I headed out from the Airbnb about 8:30 this morning. I had my usual early breakfast of fruit and almond butter, but left room for a breakfast stop along the way. One thing I'm finding about Montana -- even the small burgs often have items like turkey sausage, as well as gluten free menus. Several of the small towns I went through had their own health food stores (I stopped at one in Columbia Falls and was surprised and delighted at their selection of HerbPharm products.) Columbia Falls even had a foot reflexologist, but she was booked up this afternoon or I would have had an appointment with her.

Anyway, we stopped for a bit of breakfast in Columbia Falls and then drove the exciting, curvy roads past the west entrance to the park and on toward the east side. The upshot of the recent rains was that a culvert had broken and washed out part of the Going to the Sun Road which crosses the park, so only 2 miles of that was accessible from the west and 15 miles from the east. But when I got to the town of East Glacier, a clerk at a gas station said that she thought the park wasn't open from the east. I shouldn't have listened to her, but I did. I drove on a little further, got a great view of the snowy mountains in sunlight, and turned back.

I have to share this picture with you. It hit me in the heart when I saw it, and I turned around to take a picture of it to share with you. Chuck's dad, Bill, was known as Old Chief to his family, and to his kids' friends, back when they were children. When I saw this, I felt him ever so close to me, and I could imagine him traveling the same road -- he drove back and forth to Seattle several times through the north country. Rest in peace, Old Chief.

The following are photos of the beautiful mountain landscapes I saw today, captioned appropriately. Remy and I hiked a trail in the National Forest (not Park) along Hwy 2, as well as the trail to Apgar Village at the west end of the Park. I found a few gifts, and we just kind of took it easy.

From a stop on the west side of Glacier.

From the car, mountaintops in mist. The west side was cloudy. We're looking east.

After I turned around and headed back. Look at the difference in the sky and the distant mountains.

Middle Fork (of the Flathead River, I think.)

Same. This was where Remy and I took our first hike. We crossed the river and went up a moderately steep bank and looked down on the river. We also encountered lots of poop -- deer, for sure, and something else which I hope was a large dog and not bear. Either way, we got back to the car safely.

Looking across Lake MacDonald from Apgar Village.

Same. 

I still haven't met my host, Karen, at the Airbnb, although I've had a couple of very pleasant conversations with her daughter, Jessica. Karen was apparently in Alaska when I arrived yesterday, having had her flight delayed. I guess she got in at midnight last night, and I probably left before she went to work this morning. I hope to meet her this evening, but she is a realtor, so her schedule could keep her out through the evening.

The way it rains here on the west side of the mountains reminds me of Miami. While there's not quite as much sunshine the rest of the time, the rain squalls and departs quite quickly. As I drove back from the park today, I could see the squalls dotted around the valley, and no sooner had we gotten back to the house than it poured. And stopped.

I ate at a kind of fancy place in Kalispell last night, called the 406 Bar and Grill. They had tapas. I had a couple of lamb chops and some fries with chicken, spicy sauce, and gouda cheese. Mmmm. I had lunch today in Apgar Village quite late in the afternoon, so I have a feeling this evening it will be a piece of fruit for supper. Dietarily speaking, the journey has been every bit as challenging as I expected. Now that I'm not trying to ride many miles each day, I'm not as concerned about the vicissitudes of my body; but it's still annoying. I could cook here at the Airbnb, but not having met my host I'm uncomfortable using the kitchen too much, even though her daughter said it was okay. I'd love a nice banana pancake, though.