Alan and I vacationed in Montana with Bill and Diane Brannen. We went to Glacier National Park. During our stay, we drove all the way around and stayed at the Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton, Canada. Bill and Alan took hikes while Diane and I enjoyed the views from the lodges! There was a beautiful scene in every direction.
Saturday – On our way to Montana, the right engine on our plane would not start. So we went back to the gate. Our delay meant that we would miss our connection. Alan got off the plane and secured a new route for us – – with first class on the first leg of the journey to Seattle. But instead of getting there at 1 PM, we would arrive at our condo at 1 AM.
Sunday – We went to the park. The weather was wonderful. Our first wildlife sighting – a deer in the parking lot. We went on a 2 mile (one way) hike to Avalanche Lake. I groaned and griped the entire way, but the view was fabulous. Little chipmunks scurried everywhere. One bold fellow ran right over Bill’s shoe.
Monday – The wildlife sighting of the day – prairie dogs. The boys went for another hike. Diane and I visited Lake McDonald Lodge and took a boat tour. Then Bill and Alan took us back on the trail that they had just finished because it was a beautiful, easy hike. I didn’t moan nearly as much.
Tuesday – We took the Red Jammer tour. We saw a coyote on the road, looked at a lot of trees, and learned about the park. After the tour, we hopped in the car and drove all the way to Waterton, Canada where we spent the night at the Prince of Wales hotel. The views from the lobby were breath-taking! Diane and I saw a fox scurry over the patio area. Meanwhile, Alan and Bill hiked Bear’s Hump – they are pointing to it in the picture. They also had breath-taking views.On a drive in the evening, we saw a moose!
Wednesday – It was a cold day in Canada. We took one more drive to Lake Cameron (the road where we saw the moose). Today we saw 2 small black bears with a momma, one baby brown bear with mom, one deer, and several rabbits = all from the safety of the car. We saw one more bear on the drive back to the states along with cows and horses roaming on the road. We drove to Many Glacier Lodge where it was opening day. Again, Diane and I stayed in the lodge and the boys went on a hike.
Thursday – We got back in the car and drove to the Hungry Horse Dam and Big Fork – a quaint Montana town. We then drove to a lodge owned by the resort on Flathead Lake. It was rainy, but we went inside and the boys played ping pong. Later in the evening, we went to the rodeo. It was quite entertaining! We saw a double rainbow . . . over the trailers!
Friday – We drove back to East Glacier. Diane’s dad knew a lady from church working in the East Glacier gift shop. We found her. Small world! We ate lunch in the lodge, but it was rainy and the boys chose not to hike. It was the last night for Alan and Bill to relax in the gigantic hot tub.
Saturday – We flew home. The Minneapolis Airport had iPads in the waiting areas for all passengers to use. Very cool.
The King Family 