First of all, I realised after I posted last night that I had forgotten to tell you all the funny story about our sat-nav or GPS (aka ‘punch it Margaret’). Well, you know they say never trust a sat-nav, that came true for us. When we were trying to find the ski-lodge ‘Margaret’ took us down a gravel lane that stopped rather abruptly and poor Si had to reverse the car through bushes and get us back on a real road.

We saw a man cleaning his car so stopped to ask him the way and his reply was “you followed your GPS didn’t you? It happens all the time.” It would appear that ‘Margaret’ didn’t realise that a new road had been built that leads to the lodge.

It would appear that the older we get the more stupid we get!! Do you remember how last night I said we didn’t have a TV in the room? Well …………. we have of course! We discovered it this morning when we opened the door to the TV cabinet. Shoot us now!! Ha, ha, ha.

Last night we had a deer grazing outside our room and a black squirrel on the balcony  but alas ………. not a bear in sight!!

Si’s pork belly!

Si’s elk

Sandra with her buffalo

One excellent thing about last night was that we ‘fine-dined’. This is something we have not had the opportunity to do very often during our trip as some of the places we have been staying in do not do ‘fine-dining’. Just down the road from our lodge was another lodge who had the most lovely restaurant and it has to be said that the food and wine were fantastic.

Sandra with her Franjelico

Si with his whisky and wine

Si did not have ribs at this fine dining establishment, instead he started off with pork belly, followed by elk and I started with soup followed by the buffalo! (Apologies to any vegetarians reading the blog). This was all followed by huckleberry tart with home-made vanilla ice-cream, coffee and liquers.  It was a good job we walked down the hill because we wouldn’t have been able to drive back up!!

Anyway, to today’s business! It was cloudy and cool when we awoke but the sun soon appeared and it reached a very warm 82ºF.

We reached Glacier National Park (GNP) and the first thing you see is Lake McDonald. What a spectacular sight that is. I actually took my socks and shoes off and had a little paddle.  The water was cold but not ice-cold as I imagined it would be.

Lake McDonald

McDonald Falls

McDonald Creek

Bird Woman Falls

McDonald Creek Valley

The Cloud

‘Going-To-The-Sun Road’

A Sandra ‘special’, taken through the car window as we were on a one-lane road and couldn’t stop!
‘Going-To-The-Sun Road’

Logan Pass

Si with Heavens Peak in the background

Sandra with Heavens Peak in the background

Waterfall

Tour buses

‘Going-To-The-Sun Road’

The one thing you do in GNP is to drive the ‘Going-To-The-Sun Road’. The road climbs higher and higher from about 3000 feet above sea level rising to over 6000 feet at Logan Pass. The road is quite narrow and as you climb the temperature drops and you see snow on the mountain-tops and at the side of the road.

Going-To-The-Sun Road is the only road that crosses GNP, going over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. It was completed in 1932. A fleet of 1930s red tour buses called “jammers”, rebuilt in 2001 to run on propane or gas, offer tours on the road. The road spans 53 miles (85 km) across the width of the park.

We had been travelling up the road for about an hour when suddenly the sky turned black and it started to thunder and lightning. By the time we got to Logan Point, where we intended to turn around, it was pouring with rain together with some hailstones as well. The temperature had dropped to 49ºF.

Going up the hill I of course, was on the sheer-drop side of the car.  My heart was in my mouth a few times I can tell you. There are waterfalls all along the side of the road, watering rushing down the mountainside. It surely is a sight to see.