Glacier (41) - August 16, 2019

Friday

We "slept in" today and didn’t leave for the park until around 11 am.  It was nice to just chill out.  We had no trouble getting into the park but of course, parking is always an issue.  We drove over to the St. Mary’s falls area and found a parking spot at the Sun Point picnic area and ate up our lunch food at a picnic table while battling the wind.  As we were driving, we passed a few mountain goats hanging out near the side of the road by the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

The amount of temperature change in five minutes is shocking in this park!  Since we couldn’t find a parking spot near the St. Mary’s falls, we just hiked from the Sun Point area and saw the Barring Falls then hiked back to the St Mary’s falls. The trail started along the banks of the St Mary Lake.

Along the way we saw a large brown animal swimming across the Saint Mary Lake (which is the lake we followed along the hike).  One group of people with binoculars said it was a moose. The next group swore it was a bear and the final group said it was definitely a moose so we decided it was a boose. 

You decide: Bear or Moose

In addition to the boose, a deer, literally walked along the trail in front of us. 

The falls were cool and all in, I think we walked about 3 miles.  

Rather than hike all the way back, we just decided to catch the shuttle from the St. Mary’s Falls Shuttle Station but we waited about 45 minutes.  Right before I was very tempted to just walk back, the shuttle showed up, just in time for a hard rain.  We got some sprinkles but nothing more. 

We hiked this backwards so the sign was at the end of the trail.

We got back to our car then headed out the Going-to-the-Sun Road for the last time.  On our way out we drove the Lake McDonald Lodge loop and the Apgar Village Loop.  The Apgar Village looks like a place we’d like to stay in the future. 

We stopped at a store outside of West Glacier so that Grant could find a shirt but he didn’t like any of them.  But I got a puzzle of Glacier NP! Then we stopped into Amazing Fun Center again and played another round of mini golf, mostly in the rain.  Nick and I tied.  Grant finished a few strokes back and Ryan finished WAY back.  She hates mini golf!

We grabbed pizza at the Glacier Café then drove back to the cabin.  It’s now 8:45 and we’re packing up, showering, and watching tv while grant is teaching Ryan how to solve a Rubik’s Cube.  And it’s fun to listen and watch the two of them!  I really don’t want to leave tomorrow morning but unfortunately, we have to get back.  We’re already planning our next trips – lots to do still – maybe Hawaii over Christmas or Spring Break and five Alaskan parks next summer – who knows. All I do know is that Park #41 was stunning and well exceeded my expectations.  I love Montana!!!

Side notes: 

Ryan pronounced the park Gla-see-er.

She just got Instagram so she posted some pictures of herself and got lots of likes.

Grant is reading the book ‘Eleven’ for 6^th grade. 

Ryan is supposed to be reading the book ‘Of Mice and Men’ for 8^th grade.

P.S.  After inspecting the pictures of the "boose" we took on our phone and zooming in as much as possible, Nick and I both concluded that it was definitely a bear.

Glacier (41) - August 15, 2019

Thursday

Another incredible, perfect, amazing day.  We left the cabin at 7:30 am (which was too late!) and we got to Logan Pass at 8:30 and there were no parking spots but we totally lucked out and found a spot about 1/3 of the mile down the eastern hill of the Logan Pass Visitor Center.  After hiking up the hill and taking a bathroom break at the Visitor Center, we began the 11.6-mile Highline Trail, the #1 rated trail in all of Glacier National Park.  

The hike started out relatively flat and followed the Continental Divide as well as the Going-to-the-Sun Road (starting on a fairly narrow ledge).

The flowers were stunning.  The views were stunning.  The weather was stunning.  We followed that trail for about 3.5 miles then took a break and ate cherries. The clouds settled into the valley and almost looked like a white river.

A little farther along the trail we stopped in time to see two big horn sheep.  We looked at them for a while and I swear I had a target on my shirt because the big one just seemed to follow me wherever I went.  It was honestly, a little bit unnerving.  

We saw chipmunks everywhere and they were super friendly.  

About .8 miles from the Granite Park Chalet, we came upon a marmot who was bold and friendly. 

At the top of the Chalet, we were able to buy some junk food – candy bars, chips, etc. and we just sat and enjoyed the view.   At that point we’d been hiking 7.6 miles (excluding the .35 from the car to the trailhead.) 

Granite Park Chalet

The rest of the trail – the Loop Trail – was 4 miles, all downhill. And it was a steep downhill – the kind that hurts your shins. 

We hiked to The Loop Trail head, and hit the 12-mile mark.  We were able to jump on a shuttle that took us back to the Logan Pass Visitor Center and all we had left was the short walk back to our car – all in about 12.5 miles and officially, the Bomersbach’s LONGEST HIKE EVER! 

We had 30 miles to drive on the Going-to-the-Sun Road but it was the clearest, most beautiful day so far so it was great to be able to see everything.  Immediately past the Western Entrance, we stopped at the West Glacier Café for chicken strips (Ryan) and BLTs for the rest of us.  It was, of course, delicious. We walked into the small grocery store next door to grab a few things then it was back to our cabin to FINALLY relax.  My fit bit currently reads 35,256 steps (14.9 miles).  

What a perfectly amazing day in every way.  I do NOT want to go back to Dallas…ever.

P.S.  I think this is the best hike we've ever done.

Glacier (41) - August 14, 2019

Wednesday

Bucket List Day!  

We left the house at 8:30 am and drove into West Glacier to the Glacier Raft Company where we signed in for our all-day rafting trip.  

The is the West Glacier Entrance

Our trip started around 9:30 with our getting on a school bus and driving about 15 miles east along Hwy 2 (the way we drove the first day we were here towards Two Medicines.)  

We got into the rafts with our guide Matt and four older women from St. Louis and Houston and we floated down the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.  It was amazing, incredible, relaxing, beautiful and PRESTINE!  We were on protected lands the entire trip.  

The first half of the trip was more of a float trip than a rafting trip because of the flow rate of the river.  Matt told us that in June, the entire trip (that took us about six hours, would take less than three hours.) Around lunch time, our boats pulled over to the bank of the river and we ate steaks and salad that our guides cooked for us over an open flame on the side of the river.  It wasn’t a great steak but it will go down as one of the most memorable steaks ever.  Steve, one of the other guides, referred to the steaks as rare, mid rare, medium and well-done.  We got back in our boat (with Ann, Kathy, Kim and Linda) and continued our trip which turned into more of a white-water rafting trip.  We also saw a bald eagle up in a tree, just grooming itself.  

When we were about 20-30 minutes from the finish, it began to rain and we were already wet from the rapids so I secretly wished that the trip had been about 15-30 minutes shorter than it was but it was otherwise, absolutely perfect in every way.  We got back to the raft store around 4 pm and we all bought shirts, hats, stickers…something. It was such an amazing trip.  When we got back to the cabin, Nick and I walked down for dinner at the lodge and we brought back cheeseburgers and fries for the kids.  It was a long day and I was happy to go to bed.  White Water Rafting…CHECK!  

We also altered our trip just a bit to stay here an extra day rather than spend a night in Spokane so Friday will feel like a bonus day!!!

Funny memory:  Every time Matt (our guide) wanted us to paddle he'd say "All forward" and when he wanted us to stop he'd say "And take a break". He had a skater, surfer-dude voice, kind of like the turtle from Finding Nemo.  It was the best!

Glacier (41) - August 13, 2019

Tuesday 

We slept in a bit this morning, had breakfast in the cabin and entered the park around 10 am.  What a difference a few hours can make.  The day before we drove straight it with no line.  Today the line was probably 100 cars long.  Our plan was to hike to Avalanche Lake (about 4.5 miles round trip) but because we got started so late there was no parking at the Avalanche Lake trailhead so we drove ¾ of a mile up the road and parked at a turnout and walked back to the trail head. So we turned this into a six mile hike. 

The hike to the lake was uphill some, initially along a creek, and it was a beautiful day.  

When we arrived at the lake, it was just breathtaking – three waterfalls, fed by a glacier (that you can’t see) that feed the crystal-clear lake. 

Ryan and Grant were skipping rocks into the lake and Ryan accidentally hit an older man in the back of the leg with a pebble and she offered him the most heartfelt apology and asked if he was okay and he was such an ass to her – he said, “Well ‘Sorry’ just isn’t enough.” And he went on and on.  I got mad and said something to him and Grant got mad at me for being "loud and embarrassing" so it all sucked for a while but we all shook it off and went about our day.

We left the park after the hike and drove through Hungry Horse, through Columbia Falls, to Whitefish, MT, a ski resort.  We had a great, late lunch at Jersey Boy’s Pizzeria then we walked around downtown, stopping in some stores and getting ice cream at Sweet Peaks, a place Nick’s co-worker had recommended to him.  The ice cream is made in town!  

After ice cream we drove to Whitefish Lake (basically in the hear of town) then we drove around and looked at homes that were for sale – Nick and I are really learning towards retiring in Montana because we LOVE it here.

From there we drove back through Columbia Falls where we stopped at an A&W fast food restaurant and got Grant a root beer float and Ryan some fries. Then it was off to Amazing Fun Center where we raced go-karts and played a round of miniature golf.  We had a wonderful, relaxing time.

We got back to the cabin around 8, dropped the kids off, and Nick and I ran to the grocery store to grab a few things.  The kids made s’mores at one of the fire pits and when Nick and I pulled back into our cabin, the two of them were swinging on the swing set together, having a peaceful time.

We watched some TV and went to bed.

P.S.  Disturbingly, we learned that a 14-year-old girl died last night on the Going-to-the-Sun Road from falling rocks that crashed into the back windshield of her family's pickup truck.  It happened at 7 pm and we were at that spot around 4 pm coming home from lunch.  It's the first death from falling rocks in 23 years.  So strange to have been on the road on the same day.

Glacier (41) - August 12, 2019

Monday 

Today was an early and epic day.  Up and out of the cabin by 6:30 because we had a more than two-hour drive to get to our trail head and I was a bit worried we wouldn’t get a parking space.  The Grinnell Glacier hike (10 miles, round trip) is in the Many Glaciers area of the park – very far from where we’re staying so we drove back up the Going-to-the-Sky Road and headed out on our hike at 9 am.  

Soooo, there was no rain in the forecast for the entire day today but it basically drizzled on us for five straight hours.  There were parts of the hike that were stunning – probably the most beautiful hike we’ve ever done but the rain really wore on all of us and we were dragging.  

With about a mile to go we even asked some strangers who were returning, if it was even worth continuing and if not for the man’s very emphatic 'Yes, it's worth it', I think we would have all turned around.  We arrived at the fourth lake (Upper Grinnell Lake) and saw the massive glacier and the water pouring into the lake.  It looked like Alaska.  If it weren't raining and we weren't spent, freezing and sore, we would have parked it there for lunch.  Instead we took one picture and immediately turned around.  (Grant wouldn't even join in, he was in such a bad mood!)

All-in-all, we walked past a series of four lakes, underneath a waterfall, up 3,000 feet, down 1,000 feet…you name it .  Five hours later, we dragged ourselves back to the car.  Around 2:30 we stopped for lunch at Two Sister’s Café – very good lunch in between Babb, MT and St. Mary’s, MT. 

Around 3:30 we hit the Going-to-the-Sun Road again, this time stopping at the Logan Pass Visitor Center – the building looked amazing and large but it was tiny inside and it was freezing cold, drizzling and windy outside – so we rushed in, stamped passbooks, bought hat pins and magnets and kept going. 

Logan Pass Visitor Center

At the other end of the park we stopped in West Glacier at the grocery store and bought a few things. 

Then we finally made it back to the cabin at 6 pm

The kids tried to start a fire in one of the fire pits on site but the wood was so wet that it wouldn’t take so they fumbled together some s’mores and we all came back into the cabin and watch Shazam (a game show with Jamie Foxx where the contestants try to guess the name of songs). 

S'more attempt

Now it’s 8 pm and we’re winding down from a very long day.  Nick’s knee is in bad shape from the hike so that may alter our remaining plans but overall, we’re having sooooo much fun and we love this park.  (But we’re sleeping in tomorrow!)

Glacier (41) - August 11, 2019

Sunday

We had a really great day today.  We left our cabin around 8:30 am and drove around the southern border of the park to East Glacier Park then into the Two Medicine area.  There was a strong chance of rain and this was supposed to be the least visited, ugliest, most remote part of the park so we decided to visit it first. 

We parked down by Two Medicine Lake (there’s an Upper and a Lower Two Medicine Lake but this was just “Two Medicine Lake.”  We took what was supposed to be a short hike to Aster Falls.

But we met a nice older couple from South Carolina who told us we should hike on to Twin Falls then take the Ferry back and that we could just pay the ferry captain.  Well, we just blindly did what she recommended (which is unusual for us, mostly for me) and we hiked another long way to where our total hike was 4.5 miles.  We crossed a great bridge and walked out into the open where the lake opened up.  It was stunning.

When we got to the boat dock there was an hour wait until the next ferry and as we sat there and talked with Steve from Seattle, whose wife Jackie is battling metastatic colon cancer, a bunch of other hikers showed up who had all bought tickets on the other side and who all got to trump us in line.  

We met a nice group of older ladies from Northern California who told us we could jump on their group ticket but we decided not to and there wasn’t enough room but the ferry guy said he’d come back and get us 30 minutes later.  So we just hung out and enjoyed the day (and no rain thus far).  Ryan collected rocks, Grant skipped rocks and we just enjoyed the next 30 minutes.  And our ferry ride back, instead of being packed, only had the four of us and Steve and two guys from Chicago on it and it was just so peaceful and beautiful.  

It was now 2:45 and we hadn’t eaten our trail lunch yet because we’d left it in the car.  So we ate on a bench in front of the restrooms -pepperoni sandwiches and fruit – then we drove up through St. Mary’s to Canada.  We stopped at Customs, an experience the kids hadn’t ever had.  And we also stopped and took pictures of the Waterton Lakes National Peace Park sign (or something like that).  

No more than a mile or two into the park, I spotted a grizzly bear on the side of the main road and I pulled over, grabbed my camera and the damn thing crossed the road!  And right as I took the picture he went behind a bush.  Holy cow, we were the only people who saw him and it’s the first grizzly any of us had ever seen. Nick said it was a yearling (a teenager) - it made the trip!

Can't you tell there's a bear behind the bush???

We didn’t stay long in the park before we decided to turn around and head back into the US.  As we drove back to the main highway, we drove on a road that was a free range cattle road and right before we turned on the road that would take us back to St. Mary’s, MT, we had to stop the car so a herd of cattle could cross the street. 

We stopped for ice cream in St. Mary’s then drove the Going-to-the-Sun road back to our cabin.  It started to rain and was very foggy/cloudy which made the experience so cool. But it’s also cool that we can drive it again tomorrow when it’s supposed to be clear. 

We finally got back to our cabin at 7:15 pm.

Glacier (41) - August 10, 2019

Saturday 

Today was the first day of our Glacier National Park (GNP) trip.  We left the house around 7 am and took a flight to Spokane.  We were delayed about an hour but it wasn’t a big deal.

After getting a minivan (we actually paid for an SUV but got the minivan for the same price) we got on the road around 11:30 PDT.  Our first stop was at a Chinese restaurant, Ming Wah.  The food wasn’t the best – very heavy on the fattening stuff – but our waiter (and we think owner) was awesome.  I tried to order a couple of things off the ala cart menu and he told me I should order the lunch special because it was cheaper.  He said, “I’m no hustler,” with a very thick Chinese accent.  It was so funny.

We left Spokane and drove to Hungry Horse, MT via Cour d’Alene, Idaho, which was beautiful.

All-in-all, it was a long drive and we gave back one of the hours we’d gained (Montana is on Mountain Time) but we got to the Tamarack Lodge and Cabins around 6 pm.  Our place is great and we’re about 10 miles outside of the Western entrance to the park.

Nick and I went for a 45-minute walk, then we had a good and fun dinner at the Lodge then went to the grocery store in the rain and picked up food.  Our cabin has a full kitchen!

It’s now 10 pm and we’re all in our own corners winding down for the night.  It’s still raining outside and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow so I’m not sure exactly what our plans are but I know we’ll have a good time.

Can’t wait to see the park!

SD/ND/MT/WY Friday June 21, 2019

We left the lodge fairly early this morning because we had a long drive.  The first part of the drive was gorgeous and COLD.  It got as low as 27 degrees and there was snow on the ground everywhere.  

We stopped just outside of Casper, WY around 11 and had breakfast for lunch as G-Ma’s Diner.  It was delicious.  We had another three hours to go before we arrived at Devil’s Tower National Monument.  I’d wanted to go there ever since I was probably 14 and my family had gone on this trip.  At the time, when we were leaving Mt Rushmore and going to Theodore Roosevelt National Park my dad said we didn’t have time to go to Devil’s Tower.  It’s been on my mind ever since and it was worth the stop.  Not only was it cool, it was also beautiful.  We took the 1.2 mile walk around the base of the tower then ran into the visitor center for magnets and stopped on the way out to say goodbye to the prairie dogs.  I love those little things. 

From there it was just a little over an hour to Deadwood, SD.  This town is very cool – there’s a historic Main Street and the surroundings are beautiful but the town is a gambling town, thus lots of smokers everywhere.  We ate dinner at the Maverick inside the Gold Dust casino and there was no smoke in the restaurant but when you walk back out of the street it smells like an ash tray. 

We’re staying at the Holiday Inn Express in the middle of downtown and we strangely are parked a few blocks away. 

We’re about an hour from the Rapid City airport and our flight leaves at 10:30 tomorrow morning.  We’ll leave here around 8 and be back in Dallas by 2 pm. 

This has been a great trip. 

SD/ND/MT/WY Thursday June 20, 2019

We had a leisurely day today.  Rather than hike another trail in the park, we decided to drive into Idaho and hike there.  We took a highway that followed the Snake River and ended up at the Palisades Dam Recreation Area.  It was REALLY cold so we used the bathroom and ate a picnic lunch in the car.  It was funny because both Nick and I came out of the port-a-potty saying, “that’s the nicest port-a-potty I’ve ever been in”. 

We drove a few more miles up the road and hiked the Palisades Creek Trail.  We just went two miles in and two miles back out and played “I’m thinking of someone” most of the hike. 

We then headed back to our cabin, stopping first at the Colter Bay General Store for some ice cream.

We hung out a bit in the room and then went to the main lodge where we were lucky enough to get an amazing table with an amazing view at the bar the Blue Heron Lounge.  We got appetizers and had a great time.  

And we gave a toast to hitting 40 national parks.  Only 21 more to go.

SD/ND/MT/WY Wednesday June 19, 2019

We checked out of our cabin this morning and drove over to the Laurence Rockefeller Preserve. 

It had a tiny parking lot so we had to wait to park until people left.  The weather was perfect so it wasn’t a big deal to wait 20 or so minutes.  Around 11 we parked and hiked a 3-mile round trip hike back to Phelps Lake.  We let the kids go ahead of us and they enjoyed that a lot.  The little lake was stunning too.  On the way back, we let the kids go ahead again but they apparently hid at a turnout and let us go ahead, then they stayed behind us the whole time in silence, communicating with each other with hand signals.  I love it!  they were trying to make us think they’d gotten lost.  I really do love the creativity.  

The preserve has a small and beautiful museum that we walked through.  I loved it.

From there we drove into Jackson and ate lunch at Roadhouse Brew House and Pub.  We strolled into some stores and of course, bought more stuff.  Jackson is a great town.

We drove back north, into the park and checked into the Jackson Lake Lodge (I’d originally booked the Colter Bay cabin for four nights but I then received a call from someone who works for the NPS, telling me the cabin was only available the first two nights so she booked us in a Jackson Lake cottage for tonight and tomorrow night for the low, low price of $380 per night.  

The cottages are great and the Lodge is amazing – it was built by Rockfeller many years ago so that people could enjoy the park.  After all, he basically donated all the land that comprises the park. 

We at dinner at the 50’s style diner in the lodge, Pioneer Grill.  We just sat at a diner counter, had a quick bit then got into our car and drove around again looking for wildlife.  

While we were in Jackson, Nick bought binoculars so we could spot animals.  Sadly, we only saw some elk. 

Now we’re back in our cabin and the kids are doing this (see picture below) while I’m blogging. 

It’s a little bit after 9 pm and I think we’re going to bed soon.  The plan is to go on a 6-mile hike tomorrow, our last day in the park.