Day Twelve: Three Forks, Montana -- Glacier National Park

Wow, I truly hated to leave Ann's place...something about Montana has started to get under my skin, which is even more surprising since most of you know that I am NOT an outdoorsman! My Dad used to say that his idea of "roughing it" was when room service was late, and I come from the same stock! But for some reason I have felt so drawn to the wild western ranching life that Ann and Ivan have chosen. They need to stop being so hospitable for fear I will be back with my moving van! So anyway, it was hard to go, but the road continues to beckon. Today's mission was Glacier National Park. (We tried to talk the Judbergers into coming to Glacier with us, but they had to get back to work today.) I had no earthly idea what I was doing or where I was going, nor for that matter if our good old van would make it over the Rocky Mountains. Thank the Lord it did, and also thank Martha Manikas Foster! Seconds before I was leaving the house 12 days ago I remembered that I wanted to print out an email she had sent me with National Park advice, so I did and put it on my clipboard--still not getting it read. So finally today, stopped in some road construction, I pulled it out and read it. If not for her advice I'm sure I would have missed one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The whole drive up was beautiful but it kept becoming more intensely so as we neared Glacier. The only thing I knew about this park is that whenever you ask people--who know what they are doing with the National Parks--where you should go, they all say the same thing: Glacier. So I added it to the agenda and thanks to Martha's advice, we headed up to Logan's Pass which follows along this unbelievably steep mountainous, treacherous, winding road which led my fear of heights to kick into overdrive. But at the same time it was so exhilaratingly beautiful. I just don't know how to describe it. Mindy googled some pictures of Glacier today, if you haven't seen it, you should try that too. Along the way we saw glaciers and mountain goats and snow tunnels and breathtaking views. Interestingly as the scenery became more and more spectacular, the kids, on their own, stopped watching movies and checking their cell phones for service. They got into it as much as I did, which was even more amazing because somehow we never got around to eating and when we finally reached the Visitor's Center at Logan's Peak and there was NO FOOD for sale, they didn't even complain! For one thing you literally feel as though you are sitting on the top of the world there. This architectural wonder straddles the continental divide and has a view which I believe must be unparalleled anywhere. If you EVER have the chance to visit Glacier - TAKE IT! Admittedly, it is incredibly far from everywhere, but it is well worth the drive. We've already determined that somehow someday we are going to come back and spend a whole week here: exploring, camping, rafting, biking, swimming, climbing etc. Even after a long, long day of driving and sightseeing, we stopped back the little beach where we had first stopped on the way in. It has crystal clear water like nothing we'd ever seen before and we even tasted it and it is clear and cold, way better than tap water. This time the kids put on their swimming suits and played in the water - by this time it is 8:00 and we had never really had lunch OR dinner, so you can see how much they were enjoying themselves! We dubbed it Nichols Beach since we'd had it all to ourselves both on our first and second visits. If you check facebook I have added a few more pictures from Montana. What a place! Finally about 9:00 we drove back to Whitefish which is a charming little tourist area and checked into our motel and the kids swam while I went right next door and got Chinese take-out. It has been a grand day. Tomorrow we are going to sleep in and head over to Erbville! (My uncle, aunt, and cousins in Spokane.) Tomorrow is also the half-way point on the trip (days-wise, not miles!) Good night sweet friends...