Glacier National Glacier National

Driving the plains, you begin to see the snowcapped peaks in the distance. I am unsure how many miles we traveled as the mountains loomed larger and larger, with me thinking we would arrive “any minute now.” While driving, we did agree that “Big Sky Country” is appropriately named, but we are still trying to figure out why the sky seems so much wider and closer than in Texas, even west Texas.

We made a brief stop in East Glacier Park Village at the World Famous Whistle Stop Restaurant for lunch and were introduced to their award-winning huckleberry pie. Our plan consisted of “GO and SEE,” little unprepared as to what to how best to see and enter the park. As a meticulous planner, this “fly by pants” trip was a little out of zone, and as with most things, good and bad aspects to that to have no set schedule, but on a few things that required better planning. (Next time, meticulous side rule.)

Glacier Village, we headed north along the shores of Lower Lake Mary up to Many Glacier, located in an area described as the “Switzerland of North America.” This was one of our favorites stops and is home to the Many Glacier Hotel. The hotel was of Swiftcurrent Lake inside Glacier National Park. Standing over the bridge, where water flowing from the lake forms rapids as it travels down one of the many creeks, was mesmerizing. I could have stayed there for hours listening to the water and enjoying the beauty around me.

Our plan was to cross the park via the Goingto-the-Sun Road, but even though it was early July, the road was still closed at Logan Pass (a 6,646-foot-high place where you cross the Continental Divide) due to late snowfall and avalanche danger. We had been told the vistas seen from the Going-to-the-Sun Road are breathtaking and a photographer’s paradise. Alas, that will have to be saved for the next trip. We were able to go far enough on the road to get to the Jackson Glacier overlook, which was awesome. The Goingto-the-Sun Road is a winding road that provides many pullouts for sightseeing and