Going to the Sun -- Glacier National Park

After spending the morning relaxing, we drove into Kalispell for lunch & a bit of sight-seeing. It's a pleasant town, but the traffic was horrible! Don't know if it's because it was lunchtime or the Fourth of July weekend, but it took almost fifteen minutes to travel just five blocks.

We then drove into Glacier National Park, to the Lake McDonald Lodge. Dawn had reserved an historic (1937) Red Bus for the eight of us for the Going-to-the-Sun Road tour. What a superb trip that proved to be! Even though it was overcast and drizzling, we all opted to have the roof open so we could enjoy the vista. The driver kept up a running commentary (much of it funny) as we wended our way up one of the narrowest, steepest, most spectacular roads I've ever experienced. Hard to believe it was constructed by hand at the beginning of the 1900s (it was completed in 1930).

The scenery is breath-taking. There was still a lot of snow alongside the road, and the clouds provided a fascinating backdrop as they alternated with blue sky and sunshine. At the top, Logan Pass, the wind was howling and it was cold... Needless to say, we put the canvas top back on the bus for the trip home. Unquestionably, one of the most scenic and exciting four-hour trips I've ever taken!

Back at McDonald Lake Lodge, we celebrated with Huckleberry margaritas or martinis as we warmed ourselves in front of the roaring fire in the lodge's massive stone fireplace. We wanted to stay and have dinner there, but the five dogs awaiting us in our rigs needed walking...