Glacier National Park | My Reality Show

On the third day of our Montana trip, my husband and I decided to have a large breakfast. When we walked around downtown Whitefish the night before, we saw a small cafe tucked away off the main streets. It felt inviting, when we saw the cozy booths and the wooden paneled walls filled with pictures of wildlife or landscapes. A large fireplace decorates one wall – the stones reminiscent of the mountains surrounding us. Most of the tables were full at the Buffalo Cafe. Luckily we found a booth close to the fireplace. We hoped the classic breakfast would keep us full until after we got back from exploring.

Taken from the bridge at the entrance of Glacier National Park

We were lucky to be greeted with another sunny and warm day, when we entered Glacier National Park at the main entrance. We heard about how beautiful Going-to-the-Sun Road is, but the nice man in the booth informed us that the road was closed for the season for road repair. He told us about another route, so we found Carmas Road and headed on our way. Our first stop was at Lake McDonald at the Fish Creek camping site. The water of the lake was still and only a few city sounds interrupted the quiet. It felt serene.

A little creek flowed to make its path through the sandy beach. We found a large walking stick to help us balance and were able to walk across the jagged rocks without ending up in the lake. We sat upon an old log and listened to the “sounds of silence.” Even the birds were enjoying the quiet that day.

Only a few people were exploring the area. We decided to head back to the car, where we were greeted by a bus filled with teenagers. Their voices swarmed around us like bees waiting to get out of their hive. It felt like a bit of luck had been showered upon us – it was nice that we got to enjoy the quiet time when we did!

We travelled up the road a little longer and spotted a sign for a trail. Having been greeted with another sign about bears, we decided it was too far of a walk to go without bear spray, so we took a long look at the majestic trees. A little further down the road we came upon a beautiful sight.

Many saplings were growing, each fighting for their space, reaching towards the sun. Which one would get to be the tallest, I wondered.

On our way back down the road, we found the visitor’s center and went for a hike to find a small camping area with cabins and shops. There we saw the other side of Lake McDonald. We sat on a bench and watched people fishing and admired a group of four women getting in kayaks. Their paddles made ripples in the water.

Before we knew it, it was early in the afternoon. We headed back and made a stop at The Huckleberry Patch in Hungry Horse. We quickly browsed the shop to see if there might be a gift to buy. I had a hankering to get some huckleberry jam but couldn’t figure out how to pack it on my carry on, so we found the ice cream shop instead. While we read the menu, a lady came running in. “Does anyone want this huckleberry ice cream cone? I got it for my husband, but he bought something else for himself,” she huffed quickly. She was a little out of breath and sounded a little peeved.

“I’ll take it,” I said, after looking around to see if anyone else wanted it. Since no one else said anything, the lady gave the cone to me. “Thank you,” I said to her before she flew out as fast as she entered. You can never have too much ice cream when you’re on vacation! My husband bought a different type of cone, and we sat at a table and stared out the window making sure not to waste a drop.

When we got back to Whitefish, we found the City Beach of Whitefish Lake. A family played frisbee on the beach and wiggled their toes in the water. It was nice enough for a swim, so we headed back to the lodge to swim in the warm pool.

That night, we went back to the Buffalo Cafe and had the Parmesan crusted chicken breast, which was grilled and “finished with a lemon pepper aioli, served with roasted carrots and mashed potatoes.” It hit the spot!

The next day, we got up early and drove back to Spokane, Washington. We made it – even though the “change oil” light – which started to shine shortly after we started our road trip – still shined. The car and driver got us to where we wanted to go. We arrived at the airport well before our flight was ready to leave.

Thanks for reading! It was fun to write about and remember our trip. 🙂

We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ~Anaïs Nin

On the second day of our Montana road trip, we had a quick breakfast at the lodge and stopped at a nearby grocery store to pick up lunch. Cell phone reception is spotty, so we knew we had to rely on an old fashioned map and our own good sense.

We visited the area in October. The trees were starting to yellow, but mostly evergreens were in view. Our travels took us through the small towns of Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, Martin City, and Coram.

Traveling along Highway 2 – the sun peeked at us from behind tall trees.

Highway 2 travels along the outskirts of Glacier National Park from West Glacier to East Glacier. The roads were well maintained and not too scary as we passed through the hills. It’s a 28-mile trek from West Glacier to our first stop.

Some of the areas are not well marked. We were lucky to find this spot and made a quick turn onto the road that led us to a parking lot and rest area. We got out to explore some of the paths. A train trellis can be seen in the middle photo above and the photo on the right. We learned how the goats like to stop in the spring to get nourishment from the wet seeps that hide in the rocks. The goats visit the band of rocks along the Flathead River mostly in May and June, but can be seen from April through August. Glacier is heavily populated with bears, and we didn’t want to meet any up close, so we ate our lunch in the car, with the windows rolled up!

A short jaunt lead us to Bear Creek River Access. Some fishermen were trying their luck at this spot, but they weren’t getting any bites. We sat a short time to admire God’s creations.

Next, we stopped at the Roosevelt Memorial Obelisk, which was built at Marias Pass on the Continental Divide in 1931. To learn more, click on the pink text highlighted above.

We continued on Highway 2 to East Glacier, then headed north/northwest on Highway 49 and drove through to the Two Medicine Entrance Station.

After seeing this sign, we took a little walk around the man made trails, where there were plenty of other people making noise to hopefully scare off any bears!

More time was spent admiring the scenery! The rocks look more colorful here. No bears or wildlife approached us.

We headed back the way we came.

That evening Hubby enjoyed a Montana pork chop, and I had a delicious piece of salmon at Abruzzo Italian Kitchen in downtown Whitefish.

When we got back to the lodge, we went outside and sat on the patio by the river, and there is where we saw a little deer chomping on the neighbor’s lawn. Such a nice ending to a great day.

I thank you God for this most amazing day,
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees,
and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural,
which is infinite, which is yes. ~E. E. Cummings