Medora – Monday, June 2 we pulled out of Medora around noon,
not wanting to rush since our overnight would be spent in a Cracker Barrel
parking lot in Billings, MT. The day was glorious: mostly sunny with some
clouds and temps hitting the low 80s. Our drive took us along I-94, and as we
drove words to the song ”O, give me a home where the buffalo roam, and the deer
and the antelope play…” came to mind. We did see quite a few antelope and deer!
We arrived in Billings at 5 p.m., just in time to have dinner. FYI, there are a
few companies that will allow you to stay in their parking lots overnight
(although it depends on city ordinances), such as Cracker Barrel, Cabela’s, and
the ever popular Walmart.
The next morning, after a relatively good rest, we had
breakfast at Cracker Barrel and departed a bit after 8:30 a.m. Again, we headed
west on I-94 to Highway 89 North, taking us to the small town of White Sulphur
Springs, MT, and the Conestoga Campground where we camped for 3 nights. The
drive was relatively easy, through farmland mainly, but we did run into a
slight construction delay on 89 which delayed us for about 10 minutes. Wish we
could’ve stopped along Hwy 89 when we saw a family of antelope not too far from
the road: Papa, Mama, and 2 little fawns. So darn cute!
The campground has just 49 sites, and few amenities other
than the office/store/clubhouse, and laundry facilities. That said, it is one
of the best maintained campgrounds we’ve been in. They have full hook-ups, fast,
in RV, internet, tubs of flowers and young trees at each site. We were
surprised to find that there was a Model-T club in town that week and quite a
few of the owners were camped at our campground.
It was difficult to imagine what we’d find to do in such a
small town. The average population is under 1,000—mostly farms and ranches in
the outlying area. But alas, we managed to stay busy!
White Sulphur Springs lies at the heart of the Smith River
Valley in west central Montana. For centuries the area’s hot springs have drawn
folks to the region to visit the local untreated springs, which are apparently comparable to the to
the famous springs in Baden Baden, Germany. (Who knew?) This area was used by
Native American tribes for years and was referred to as the Valley of Peace.
Dick did a bit of outdoor housekeeping on the camper
Wednesday morning. It’s amazing how dirty the camper can get! He cleaned off
the seemingly millions of bugs, washed the exterior windows, and the slide
awnings. That day we met Ron and Pat, full-timers for over 25 years, from the
San Marcos, Texas area. And, I should add that we met their little pug named Missy,
as well.
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| Clockwise from top: The Castle, parlor, tea room the recoigraph (early version of a copy machine), and the master bedroom. |
The Castle is a 12-room mansion built in 1892 by Bryon Roger
Sherman. This Victorian landmark is made of hand-cut granite blocks hauled by
oxen from the nearby Castle Mountains. All
rooms were laid with hardwood floors and covered with Belgian and Oriental
rugs. In the bathrooms were washbowls (painted, as is in vogue again) and stands
of Italian marble; the light fixtures were of crystal and brass. This Victorian
landmark is now the home of the Meagher County Museum, and is complete with
period furniture, mineral samples, clothing and artifacts from the region's
past, mostly donated from the locals.
The hot water system was interesting. Sherman installed a large water tank in the attic, supplied by heated water from the basement heating system and pumped by a windmill in the northeast corner of the yard. In 1894 he enlarged a pond on his ranch that was fed by an abundant spring, and laid a 20” pipe about 150 yards down the hill to a two-story electric light plant in the basement. The electricity was then carried into town on bare wire strung on pine and spruce poles. The plant could run only about six hours before the pressure of the pond became too low, so consumers learned to plan their activities around the 'on' hours, but they could lay claim to living in one of the first towns in the state to have electricity.
Sherman didn't live in his stone castle too many years before retiring and moving to California. About 50 years later, the Meagher County Historical Society restored the structure to much of its Victorian splendor. In the 1990s, the group built a large carriage house behind the castle to house the carriages and sleds that had been stored in several ranchers' barns, as well as the old bank, a schoolroom, a stagecoach from the Canyon Ferry line, two horse-drawn fire engines, and saddles, chaps, and mementos from the days of the open range. Sure wish we could’ve photographed the interior, as there were so many cool things in both the carriage house and castle. One of my favorites was this burlwood carved organ (photo scanned from their brochure).
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| Antique burlwood organ. |
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| Clockwise: Glacier Park RV Park sign, office, the park, and our site. |
Glacier Peaks RV Park has 60 RV sites, including RV pull-through
sites and tent sites, all nestled beneath pine trees that reach the skies, and
with full hook-ups. There are also, cabins for rent, and on-site laundry
facilities.
Saturday began our full day of sight-seeing through Glacier
National Park. We chose the West Entrance, located just off Highway 2, and
after a stop at the Canadian Visitor Center (just outside the park) we
proceeded to the Park’s Apgar Visitor Center for detailed information on how to
make the best use of our days here. We elected to start our drive on the
“Going-to-the-Sun Road” which heads northeast through the park. Photos and
words cannot describe the beauty of what God created and left for us to enjoy.
This 50-mile long stretch of road rises 6,646 feet to the
Logan Pass Visitor Center. This road follows the shoreline of McDonald Lake and
eventually hugs the cliffs below the Continental Divide to the Pass.
Our next stop was at McDonald Lodge, located at the northeast
end of McDonald Lake. Added to the National Register of Historic Places, the
McDonald Lodge was built in 1913 (originally the Lewis Glacier Hotel) in the
Swiss chalet style, by John Lewis, a land speculator from Columbia Falls, MT.
It was built during the time when it was the trend by railroads to build
destination resorts in the areas of exceptional scenery, thus attracting
tourists to the area. Great Northern Railway acquired the hotel in 1930,
renaming the hotel in 1957 to what it is today. Over the years the hotel has
changed hands many times, but it has always retained the name. The 3-1/2 story
lodge was extensively renovated in 1988-1989, restoring details that had been
obscured over time, or damaged by the Snyder Creek flashflood of 1964. The
foundation and first floor walls are built of stone, with a wood-frame superstructure.
The lobby is a large open-space that extends to the 3rd story, with
a massive fireplace and concrete floor scored in a flagstone pattern that has
messages in several Native American languages inscribed into it. Balconies
surround the open lobby (as well as the exterior) which is decorated with skins
and taxidermy mounts of several native species acquired or trapped by John
Lewis in the park. Many
of the original furnishings have remained with the lodge, such as hickory
chairs with log frames, the piano located in the lobby, a large table and many
of the trophies. Other furnishings are reproductions of the originals.Our next stop was at the Johns Lake Loop for a 3-mile round-trip hike to the lake (actually more like a pond) hidden deep in the woods. The path takes you through moss-laden woods with huge boulders and tree-falls, and back to the road to a magnificent waterfalls along McDonald Creek. On our way back to the truck we elected to detour from the path, walking the road and stopping at other waterfalls along the way. The "glacier bloom" made the water in the rivers, creeks and falls a beautiful ice blue.
We made quite a few photo-op stops along the way to Logan
Pass, 33 miles from the west entrance. Again I say there are no words to
describe the beauty. We attempted to find a parking spot at Logan Pass, but due
to the beautiful “weekend” day, there were none to be had so we continued to
the east entrance to the park, again taking every opportunity to stop and take
photos. Traffic was quite heavy, and a slight delay due to road construction on
the east side of the pass made for slow going. (The Montana Department of
Transportation has to work on the roads when the weather is decent due to the
heavy snowfall and winter road closures.)
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| These are scenes taken throughout the park. There are so many beautiful vistas. The red buses are tour buses available for 1/2 or full-day tours through the park. |
From the east entrance to Glacier we drove north to Many
Glacier, another beautiful area of the park, boasting the Many Glacier Hotel.
Another destination hotel, it was built by the Great Northern Railway in
1914-1915 along the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake. The 215-room hotel is very
secluded; every room is rustic, yet comfortable with modest amenities and
old-world style accommodations. There are no televisions or air conditioning in
the rooms, but do have private baths and direct dial phones. The idea is to
have guests get out and enjoy the outdoors, including bus tours, boat cruises,
horseback riding, tennis, etc.
Our drive back to our RV park was long, as we elected to take
a different route: Hwy 89 to Hwy 2…almost 100 miles rather than the 80-or-so
miles through the park. As we neared Columbia Falls we noticed that a fire had
broken out along the North Loop road through Glacier National Park. Officials
closed that road to traffic; what had started off as a 5-acre fire in the forestry
area west of the park quickly grew to 20 acres, then 30 acres, and by Monday
night it had grown to at least 60 acres and had sparked a few fires in the
Park. The forests here are so dry that anything can spark a fire.
The day was long and hot (99°)…and rather than cook dinner
when we got home, we stopped to ask where the “best burger to be had” was. What
a surprise! It is at Tien’s Place, an Asian restaurant adjacent to a casino in
Columbia Falls. So, off we went… The burger was delish, and it was served with
the crispiest and best French fries! YUM! Oh, and the Montana-brewed ale was
pretty good, too!
As I mentioned, the temperatures were hot! They registered in
the high-90s and low-100s. WAY too hot to do much outdoors, so we took Sunday
off and stayed around home. We did manage a trip to Kalispell, just a few miles
away, to Walmart to load up on groceries, and then a stop at DQ for a couple of
blizzards. YUM—the perfect “snack” in the middle of a very hot day!
Monday was
another long day, as we again headed through Glacier National Park. On our way
we were fortunate to find parking at Logan Pass at the pinnacle of the drive
through the park. We stopped in at the visitor center, but found the excitement
to be on one of the hiking paths leading through snowpack to Hidden Lakes
Nature Trails. There was a mountain goat making his way through the area,
calmly eating and strolling along. Cool! Apparently there are many more as this
is a mountain goat study area, but one is all we saw. Oh, we did see quite a
few ground squirrels, though.
We captured the goat on video making his way up the walkway to better feeding grounds; he was just a few yards ahead of us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Then, on to
Waterton Park in Alberta, Canada, just a mere 138 miles away. Also located with
Glacier National Park, it is referred to Waterton-Glacier International Peace
Park, created in 1932 by the U.S. and Canada. Waterton, a gorgeous little town,
within the park boundaries is “open” only during the summer months. (During the
winter months snowfalls can reach 10-15’ in town, winds can reach up to 100 mph,
and temps can dip well below 0°F for days on end. Population can soar to over
2,000 during the summer months, while the winter months boast less than 90
according to the 2011 census.)It was recommended to us that we take a lake cruise, so that’s what we did. We boarded the “International,” a 125-passenger cruise boat for the 2 hour-15 minute cruise to the southern end of Waterton Lake, to historic Goat Haunt. (Its name comes from Goat Haunt Mountain, an 8,641-foot high summit to the east, perhaps named by the Blackfeet for a concentration of goats there many, many years ago. But mountain goats do not inhabit Goat Haunt. The elevation is too low and the heavy forest surrounding it is not their favored habitat. The only goat is a metal weather vane on top of the observation pavilion at the Forestry Station located there.) There are no roads to Goat Haunt, which is actually in the U.S.; the only way to get there is to hike, or by water. Waterton Lake, the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies, dips below 400’, and spans the international boundaries of the 2 countries, marked by a straight swath of cut trees through the forest. The cruise offered us photo-ops of scenic bays, mountains and beautiful wilderness surroundings in both old and new-growth forests. Although we didn’t see much wildlife, only a couple bald eagles, we certainly enjoyed this little cruise.
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| Clockwise from top: the International cruise boat, Jeremy was the docent for the cruise (very interesting and very entertaining!), the tectonic phenomenon (the wood is angled bottom right towards the middle top between the plates), and one of the bald eagles who nicely posed for us. |
The trip back to the dock took us past an interesting geological phenomenon (see above), where two tectonic plates came together and were pushed up. A piece of wood was caught between, and over the years has become petrified. Pretty cool!
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| The Prince of Wales Hotel overlooks the harbor in Waterton. The scenes are taken of Waterton Lake. |
The site for
the hotel was selected in 1912 but it took until 1926 to get the land leased
from the Canadian Government; construction began soon thereafter. The original plans were for the hotel to
appear similar to a French of Swiss chalet, with a long 3-storied, low-roofed
building with a central lobby and approximately 300 rooms. Mr. Hill, president
of the railroad, changed his mind several times, so that some of the building
had to be rebuilt 4 times! Today, the building is complete with just 86 rooms
in 7-stories, crowned with a 30’ bell tower. All materials and supplies for
construction were shipped via railway to the town of Spring Hill and then
transported the last 25 miles by mule team to its destination. Numerous
obstacles faced the construction crew, including a spring thaw that turned the
25 miles of road into a muddy quagmire and high winds that blew the building
off center twice. The fear of these high winds almost caused this project to be
abandoned, but the building was finally completed and opened in July 1927.
Today, the building will sway slightly when the winds are heavy, but there is
no danger because the building is anchored to its site by large cables
installed from its loft, through the structure and into the ground.
The 9+-mile drive to Red Rock Canyon provides gorgeous views of alpine
meadows filled with colorful wildflowers, hanging valleys, and of course, the
jagged mountain peaks of Glacier National Park.
And, Red Rock Canyon itself needs to be seen to be believed. We were surprised! Layers of
red and green bedrock layers offer a brilliant contrast to each other and the
lush surroundings of the area. Glacier-fed streams flow through the canyon,
making for the perfect place to cool off on a very hot day! The parkway itself
follows the ancient buffalo trail used by First Nations hunting parties
hundreds of years ago.
Leaving Red
Rock Canyon, our drive back into the U.S. and back to our park took us about 3
hours, so we didn’t arrive back ‘til almost 8 p.m. It was a long, but wonderful
day. We are so blessed to be able to see this vast and beautiful land. Thank
you, God, for all you’ve created.
Tuesday, as I
write this, Dick is off on his motorcycle riding around Flathead Lake. The
temps are in the 90s, with just a few clouds floating by. These are some of the
photos he took during his ride.
Dinner tonight was at Tien's Place, where we noshed on Chinese food. Dick had sweet and sour prawns; I had medium spicy cashew chicken. YUMMY!!
Tomorrow we leave, heading to Newport, WA for 5 nights, where we look forward to visiting with friends whom we’ve known since we moved to that area (Coeur d’Alene, ID) in 1990. More on that next week.
Tomorrow we leave, heading to Newport, WA for 5 nights, where we look forward to visiting with friends whom we’ve known since we moved to that area (Coeur d’Alene, ID) in 1990. More on that next week.
Until then, blessings,
dear friends. Stay safe!
RJ and Gail
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