Day 9 - Saturday, September 15^th

Glacier

Around 8:00am we finally got out of our sleeping bags and rolled out of the RV park in search for Glacier National Park. It took several small winding roads, where we had to dodge free-roaming cattle, before we finally got to the park area of Glacier.

                It had been a sad drive to Glacier. First passing through Native American reservations where everything looked so dilapidated and poor, that is of course, with the exception of the huge casinos. Later we saw the huge areas of forest that now were nothing but black stumps and charred trunks waiting for a storm to blow them over. The fire stricken areas were enormous. The sights and the thought of the wildlife brought me to tears. But as usual, in the midst of something sad there is also something good, forest fires gives way for new plants to grow and in a few years the area will look much prettier once again.

                At the gate entrance to Going-To-The-Sun Road a visitor center was located. Just outside the building on top a pole a huge osprey had built a nest. The momma Osprey was busy feeding two young ones.

                Barely driven past the gates entering the park we see two coyotes walking along the road. They didn’t seem to take much notice of the cars passing them slowly, as if they knew that, as long as they stayed within the boundary of the park no human could harm them. Jerry and I drove on through the gorgeous park with all the mountains and valleys. We stopped by McDonalds, no not the kind with burgers, but rather McDonald Lake. The huge lodge there was the place where Jenny and Marc, two coworkers from Area, had spent this summer working. Out on the Western side of the park we stopped at Hungry Horse, don’t ask me why they call it that. From here we called Chuck at work, as his family had originated from this area.

                Back at St Mary Lodge at the East Entrance Jerry and I got a beer and spent the evening transferring photos from our cards to the PC. Getting rather late we finally finished and went in search for a campsite. Good Luck! All the campsites were already taken but luckily a nice guy let us pull in behind his car. Quietly we moved into the bed of the truck and crawled into our warm sleeping bags.