Twomerang!
Gla-sure is pretty up here!
We arrived in Columbia Falls, Montana, a small town outside of Glacier and plopped down for the week. We almost didn’t make it this far north but Kate Krieger, one of my old improv teammates said she was living near there for part of the summer. I figured, I get to see breath taking beauty and get to hang with one of my favorite people? Why not?
The park we stayed in was super packed due to the Paul McCartney concert in Missoula (well over 2 hours away) We were only able to get a spot with no grass up against a fence, but we were lucky to get it. The campsite was 15 mins from the entrance of Glacier national park, and they had a butcher shop on sight. While there we bought Jerky, Bacon, Pepperoni, and Trout! We loaded up!
The first day we chilled for a bit, drove into town to grab a bite to eat at Tamarack brewing company. The food was good, and the drinks were nice and cold. Afterward we popped into a park near by to grab a quick geocache. On the way home I got pulled over for going 35 in a 25. The cop was nice, told me where the speed trap was for next time, and gave me a ticket of $20. Luckily in Montana you can pay the cop directly! Talk about convenient!
Our first full day there we head into glacier to do a little kayaking on Lake Macdonald. The water was crystal clear, and the mountains although obscured by smoke from fires in Washington state, were amazing. Half way through our kayaking we stopped on the shore, and Jeena FINALLY learned how to skip rocks. It was then that she finally became a man. Wait, a WoMan. After our exercise we headed to the other end of the lake for a scenic boat ride. The tour guide gave us some interesting facts about the area, although his delivery was a bit dry. That night we made dinner at home, and then met Kate and her husband Aaron at the famous Blue Moon Night Club. Everyone we talked to said we needed to check this bar out, and check it out we did. This place was filled with taxidermied animals.
There were Polar Bears, Grizzly Bears, big horn sheep, big horn sheep, big horn sheep, and well, the Polar bears were the highlight. It happened to be karaoke night so we listened to heavy set men regail us with Whitney Houston songs. Luckily the brew moose drool was flowing so it was rather enjoyable. We’re really lucky to be able to do this trip in the first place, but to meet up and share it with so many old friends is really something special.
The next day we worked and then head out to Aaron’s parent’s house on Whitefish lake. There we drank, swam in the frigid waters, drank, had a great dinner fixed by our hosts, drank, went down to the lake, drank, started a fire with driftwood, and drank some more.
Our conversation ranged from Non-Newtonian fluids, to faith. Which if you think about it, not such a giant leap in topics. We didn’t stay too late because I had dreams of getting up at 6am to go for a hike in Glacier. Although when morning rolled around a dream is all that dream was.
We slept late and decided, hey why not just get a tour to take us on the Going To The Sun Road. We will be able to see a lot and really not have to work too hard for it. We set up a 3:30 tour with the famous red bus. The views on the road were amazing. I’m a little afraid of heights so at times I was looking down or trying not to pee, but I made the journey all right. When we got to the top at Logan Pass we only had 40 mins so we quick ran down a trail to see big horned sheep and mountain goats in their natural habitat. The trail we were on was called the Highline Trail which was basically a narrow cliff wall with a rope to hold on to. I made it right up to the rope, about puked from fear, and then turned around.
Overall we wished we had seen more of Glacier National Park, but what we saw was well worth it, and we will definitely be back for more. Montana is now our favorite state. Sorry, NC!
I grew up in Montana and now live in Las Vegas, but I miss Montana everrrry day. You were indeed lucky to see some of the places you saw. Lake McDonald is beautiful, and Montana will always be home to me. I found this site trying to find a picture oft he taxadermy animals insidee of th e blue moon because a sign that said Blue Moon on the outside of a shop here reminded me of going there with my dad when I was little to see the animals. If I remember correctly, there was a bear standing on hind legs that wasnt in your picture…I was told it was a Kodiak Bear. I’ve lived in placess like Kalispell, Evergreen, Whitefish, Libby, Troy, and Trego. Whitefish lake ised to be my playground…I’m glad you enjoyed it there. 🙂