6,500 Miles With the Crazies - A National Parks Road Trip Extravaganza

[HouCuseChickie]

You are transporting me back in time to 1984 when my sister, her husband and I took my high school graduation trip to Yellowstone, Tetons and Glacier. I will preface by saying I grew up in Colorado in the foothills of the Rockies, so mountains are my happy place and where I reset. One of my most favorite memories of that trip was camping at Flathead Lake and our trip up Going to the Sun Road at dusk. By the time we were coming down, it was full on dark and the number of stars out was absolutely mind blowing. Then we stopped at the Weeping Wall and all just stood there in the dark, with the water weeping down the wall, with the skies lit up with a bazillion stars. It's one of my absolute favorite nature memories, so thank you for taking me on this trip down memory lane! And happy belated birthday!

Thank you! We'll also be hitting Yellowstone next in this TR. A little spoiler alert, but we didn't go down into Grand Teton this time. We could have, but the visibility was absolutely awful. It was pretty bad when we were there in 2018, but people on my National Parks groups were saying you could barely make out the mountains due to the smoke. A friend was there just before us and her pictures told the same story. So, we just skipped it this time. I do have some Weeping Wall pictures coming up in the next day...although, not in the dark. While not in Glacier, I did finally try my hand at Milky Way pictures, since we had a few clear nights in higher elevations. Not quite the magical experience you had in Glacier, but both were fairly interesting evenings. While I technically grew up at the base of mountains, our mountains are more like CO's and WY's smaller foothills. In college, we were northwest of the Catskills and southwest of the Adirondacks, but still nestled in a lot of the foothills that lie in between. I think this is why eastern parks, like the Smokies, just don't have the same impact on me.

New Jersey's Watchung Mountains

Looking west to Second Mountain from a ridge of First Mountain - part of the Watchung Mountains in New Jersey Though New Jersey has man...

endangerednj.blogspot.com

 

[HouCuseChickie]

How far is Abilene from where you live? There is an ignoramous who works with me and last night he was asking me about the US and what I thought was the nicest state, and isn't Texas the best state because they have all the cowboys wearing hats and chaps and carrying whips, etc. I was like....um, I'm pretty sure that's not standard style there, and we have cowboys in Wyoming, too. No chaps, but they do wear the boots and hats. Then he asks if they really kick men in the jewels with those boots on, and says he always thought cowboys were all gay, etc. Just FULL of stereotypes and misinformation. I was so glad when he was sent to a different station so I didn't have to listen to all of the rude assumptions anymore. I should have asked him if he didn't live in a windmill like normal Dutch people and why he wasn't wearing his wooden shoes.

Abilene is about 6 hours from me, but...I have been there. David's dad grew up in Abilene and I visited at least once. I know I went there for his grandfather's funeral and I got a whole lesson in clapping out my shoes for scorpions. And I've never seen cowboys wearing the kind of getup he's describing. Granted, I don't know any career competition cowboys, but I'd expect a pair of jeans, a big (but usually not obnoxious) belt buckle, a pair of Roper style boots, a button down shirt, and a hat...type depends on season and function. We have friends with ranches and livestock, who I guess might qualify as cowboys when they're handling the herd or doing other things with the land...and that's what I've seen them wear. I have some other friends who have been into competition level barrel racing, but what you wear in competition is about show and not what you'd wear if you were using those skills out for function on the farm.

It's funny...now that I'm looking at what I wrote, I'm hoping I'm remembering correctly. My brain tends to default to Abilene because of David's family, but sometimes people say Amarillo and I still think Abilene. Even when I was in Amarillo, I was saying Abilene! Amarillo is more like 9 hours away. Either way, been to both... but for very different reasons. I do recall the funeral in Abilene and how stunned I was about their level of respect. I don't think any of them knew David's grandfather, but every single person stopped, took off their hat if they had one on, and bowed their heads in respect. Even people driving pulled over to do this. It was amazing to me. And unlike here or where I grew up, where you might have some catered reception after the fact, everyone in the church made us a huge spread of food. I've heard of things like this before, but just never experienced it. Ultimately, Texas is a huge and diverse place.

Ultimately, your coworker sounds like a more obnoxious version of pre TX more ignorant me and people I know, who initially assumed we'd see people on horses everywhere when coming to Texas. An old coworker, originally from Brooklyn, said he assured his mom it wasn't like that in Houston...at all. What does she do? She comes at the start of Rodeo when all of the trail riders were making their way into town on horseback and got into a major backup behind a huge group of trail riders.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

(NOTE- I'm going to start with a bunch of dialogue and then do a photo dump. So scroll down if you just want to see pics)

So, here we are...evening of the 21st...and the family was more restless than anticipated. I'm sure some was the trip -in general, some was probably adjusting to being in one place for a bit after being nomads, but some was that we weren't seeing what they wanted to see. Yes, the mountains are gorgeous, I had plans to see a glacier the next day, the lakes and rivers are stunning, and how often do you get to see snow on anything in July? The problem, while some park enthusiast are all about the hike and getting to the beautiful view at the end...my family needs variety blended in with a decent amount of wildlife. No, it's not a zoo, but with the way people rave about wildlife in some parks...you go in with some serious expectations. I was having serious animal envy over that guy at lunch and all of his pics from that morning. Then again, I recently read a woman's post about going to Yellowstone last week...she saw four bison, two elk, a single deer...and that's it. I don't understand how that's even possible, but it is. I know people were shocked that we came out of the Smokies last year seeing nothing. So, it does happen.

In any event, my mission shifted to trying to find some wildlife...moose and bear were the main requests. It was a long shot, but our stop for the evening would be the Two Medicine area of the park. This was the one part of the park that was close to our lodging, and since it doesn't see the action that other areas get, I thought we might see something. I had absolutely 0 service outside of our motel room, so I was just going on gut instinct...lake, quiet area, cooler temps in early evening...could equate to seeing some wildlife. So, we typed Two Medicine into the NAV and we were off. I was driving...so, no pics, but it took us past another resort I had tried multiple times per day to get into. It's another one in the Glacier collection that's not part of Xanterra, called the Glacier Park Lodge. It looked really nice...even had a golf course. In person, the lodge itself looked really nice and I know it's an older (circa 1913) historic lodge in the area built when they were trying to attract the wealthy and elite to this area that was now accessible by rail. https://www.glacierparkcollection.com/lodging/glacier-park-lodge/ We did get a good laugh at the golf though. I'm sure it's not really a bad course, but when we drove by, all kinds of everyone was out on golf carts and it looked like a bad scene from Caddyshack. We did also see more dining options in that area...ones I'd also researched before the trip...and would promptly forget about the next time we needed food.

The drive to Two Medicine takes you in along Lower Two Medicine Lake, and then brings you to the central lake, simply called Two Medicine Lake. For what it's worth, there is also an Upper Two Medicine Lake. Upon arrival, we were faced with another beautiful mountain lake, surrounded by beautiful mountains- many heavily obscured by smoke...and some swimmers. David and I looked at each other and both said, we're not seeing anything tonight. I still had some hope alive in this, and kept the big lens on my camera as sort of a scope for the shore spots away from on the other visible parts of the lake. Still, these other kids played and swam, our kids put their feet in the water and skipped rocks, while others just showed up to watch the sun set behind the mountains and take pictures.

In fact, a guy and his daughter set up to our right at some point, and that's his chosen profession. He uses a layering technique in his photography to create the insanely detailed pictures we see in magazines, posters, calendars, etc. I've only recently learned enough about this concept to start grasping that many of these spectacular pictures aren't "real." It's not Photoshop or someone tweaking excessively in Lightroom. A number of people in my national parks groups do this for night sky pictures. They take a series of pictures over the course of several hours at a number of different settings...sometimes going as far to take more zoomed in shots of certain things in the background, sky and foreground on a separate camera so they can add extreme detail to everything around. Then they splice it all together to make this incredible picture. He kept speaking about his 1000+ megapixel pictures he's designed. That's great and all, but kind of like how women's bodies are photoshopped into unrealistic ideals, pictures like his make the common photographer think they're doing something wrong or lack the equipment and skill since they can't achieve those results in a singular picture. It's crazy, because I feel guilty whenever I play with the light or refine any of my images. I do it for some for various reasons, but at some point, where is it fake? OK...off of my soap box.

So, here are our Two Medicine pictures...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

They all just really start to blend after a while...and this isn't even all of them. There are probably another 30 like these!

On the way back to the car, we did see a little bit of wildlife. They didn't come out until the light was significantly lower, so it doesn't make me think they're your average squirrel. Still, we were so desperate to see some wildlife that we may have been fawning over the average squirrel. I recall thinking I was taking video of him, but wound up turning the video on after I put my phone in my pocket. So, that was pretty pointless.

After we got back, I'd learn that Upper Two Medicine Lake (which is a hike...not doing that at sunset) is better for moose and that we were more likely to see grizzlies (which we didn't) where we were. Sam was also determined to see a moose, and since we were planning on going up to the Many Glacier area the next day, we made an agreement to get up around 4 am and try and get to Fishercap Lake in this area by sunrise. I won't leave you in anticipation about amazing moose at sunrise pics...it didn't happen. 4am, even on Mountain Time, was just too much. The alarm went off...I asked everyone if they wanted to get up...everyone said no...and agreed to wake up around 6am instead.

At least we caught some more pretty sunset colors from the motel when we got back...

And Sam got comfy in her bear feet.

Our western exposure combined with the birds that were either living IN or right behind our room wall were also making me crazy. I forget what time this was taken, but I know it was at least around 9pm and it was still very bright out there.

The solution...

Hey, I'm a really thorough packer and combining this with the cheap ear buds I bought that were only supposed to have a 6 hour battery life (closer to 10-11), I was getting sleep this trip!!!


Coming up...our later arrival to the Many Glacier/Swiftcurrent area, construction woes, and bigfoot or a bear.

 

[Songbird76]

Abilene is about 6 hours from me, but...I have been there. David's dad grew up in Abilene and I visited at least once. I know I went there for his grandfather's funeral and I got a whole lesson in clapping out my shoes for scorpions. And I've never seen cowboys wearing the kind of getup he's describing. Granted, I don't know any career competition cowboys, but I'd expect a pair of jeans, a big (but usually not obnoxious) belt buckle, a pair of Roper style boots, a button down shirt, and a hat...type depends on season and function. We have friends with ranches and livestock, who I guess might qualify as cowboys when they're handling the herd or doing other things with the land...and that's what I've seen them wear. I have some other friends who have been into competition level barrel racing, but what you wear in competition is about show and not what you'd wear if you were using those skills out for function on the farm.

It's funny...now that I'm looking at what I wrote, I'm hoping I'm remembering correctly. My brain tends to default to Abilene because of David's family, but sometimes people say Amarillo and I still think Abilene. Even when I was in Amarillo, I was saying Abilene! Amarillo is more like 9 hours away. Either way, been to both... but for very different reasons. I do recall the funeral in Abilene and how stunned I was about their level of respect. I don't think any of them knew David's grandfather, but every single person stopped, took off their hat if they had one on, and bowed their heads in respect. Even people driving pulled over to do this. It was amazing to me. And unlike here or where I grew up, where you might have some catered reception after the fact, everyone in the church made us a huge spread of food. I've heard of things like this before, but just never experienced it. Ultimately, Texas is a huge and diverse place.

Ultimately, your coworker sounds like a more obnoxious version of pre TX more ignorant me and people I know, who initially assumed we'd see people on horses everywhere when coming to Texas. An old coworker, originally from Brooklyn, said he assured his mom it wasn't like that in Houston...at all. What does she do? She comes at the start of Rodeo when all of the trail riders were making their way into town on horseback and got into a major backup behind a huge group of trail riders.

That sounds about right for the style of dress....that's what the ranch kids all wore to school in Wyoming. Sometimes, they might wear just a tshirt with the roper style jeans and boots, but a lot of times it was the western style button down shirt. For special events like a dance or a wedding, they might have a newer hat and boots and they'd wear a bolo tie, and for really formal stuff, they might wear a western style vest. But it was always the roper jeans and boots and hat, belt buckle....I had a leather belt that my uncle made for me with a belt buckle with my name on it. I'm sure I've still got it somewhere. And we found a few belt buckles with my dad's stuff when he passed.

This coworker is just obnoxious anyway. I tried to give him a tip a couple of weeks ago, because the light kept coming on (it indicates a jam somewhere at the station) because he wasn't fast enough and he wasn't working smart. If you do the big boxes first, they take up the most room. Get those gone first and there's more room so the rest don't jam up. What does he do? Makes some sarcastic comment about how I just want him to work harder, and he ignores the suggestion, so I keep having to come over to his zone to stack up the stupid boxes so the light will go out. And if he'd listened to my tip, he'd have had to work LESS hard, because he wouldn't have to be running back and forth to stack up the boxes because he'd have had more room. He's just not very bright, he's really lazy, and he thinks he's hilarious when really he's annoying. When he got sent away, I thanked the girl for sending him and she said she totally understood, and they try to put him by himself because if he's with another person, he talks more than he works and most people find him annoying. Then later, I got sent to the station where he was working to do a sweep of the last few orders with another girl. That girl sent him back to where I had just come from, and I asked why I had to come to this station when he was being sent back where I just came from. She said she just wanted to get rid of him. So I know it's not just me, but I can't stand people making ignorant, stereotypical comments with no basis. Ask me all the questions you want about my background or about the US, etc, but don't make comments like you know what you're talking about when clearly you don't.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

That sounds about right for the style of dress....that's what the ranch kids all wore to school in Wyoming. Sometimes, they might wear just a tshirt with the roper style jeans and boots, but a lot of times it was the western style button down shirt. For special events like a dance or a wedding, they might have a newer hat and boots and they'd wear a bolo tie, and for really formal stuff, they might wear a western style vest. But it was always the roper jeans and boots and hat, belt buckle....I had a leather belt that my uncle made for me with a belt buckle with my name on it. I'm sure I've still got it somewhere. And we found a few belt buckles with my dad's stuff when he passed.

This coworker is just obnoxious anyway. I tried to give him a tip a couple of weeks ago, because the light kept coming on (it indicates a jam somewhere at the station) because he wasn't fast enough and he wasn't working smart. If you do the big boxes first, they take up the most room. Get those gone first and there's more room so the rest don't jam up. What does he do? Makes some sarcastic comment about how I just want him to work harder, and he ignores the suggestion, so I keep having to come over to his zone to stack up the stupid boxes so the light will go out. And if he'd listened to my tip, he'd have had to work LESS hard, because he wouldn't have to be running back and forth to stack up the boxes because he'd have had more room. He's just not very bright, he's really lazy, and he thinks he's hilarious when really he's annoying. When he got sent away, I thanked the girl for sending him and she said she totally understood, and they try to put him by himself because if he's with another person, he talks more than he works and most people find him annoying. Then later, I got sent to the station where he was working to do a sweep of the last few orders with another girl. That girl sent him back to where I had just come from, and I asked why I had to come to this station when he was being sent back where I just came from. She said she just wanted to get rid of him. So I know it's not just me, but I can't stand people making ignorant, stereotypical comments with no basis. Ask me all the questions you want about my background or about the US, etc, but don't make comments like you know what you're talking about when clearly you don't.

After I posted it, it occurred to me that a cleaned up version of what I described would also be the norm for a more "Texas" themed ranch wedding. I didn't know about these kinds of things until moving here and then having a project partner who thought I was the crazy one for never knowing about ranch weddings. I guess her friend was riding in on one of her horses in her wedding gown and if I'm remembering correctly, couldn't decide if she wanted to go with her well worn and loved boots vs. a brand new pair of bridal boots. I think she wound up doing both. Another thing I never knew about until this... She was also the same one who educated me on hats. When David's dad retired from his spot with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, he decided to leave David his boots and hats. I recall picking one for GoTexan Day and she corrected me for wearing a felt hat at a time when I should be in straw. But still, NOTHING like the getup your coworker was describing.

Sometimes, we just end up with obnoxious and annoying coworkers. I guess at least you know it's not just you, but it sounds like he's not exactly the most productive team member, and I can't help but wonder if ego is part of it. If he doesn't want to take the suggestion that would reduce his workload and puts talking ahead of getting work done...sounds like he just wants to be center stages and feed his ego. There are times and places for that, but not at work when things need to be done.

 

[Songbird76]

After I posted it, it occurred to me that a cleaned up version of what I described would also be the norm for a more "Texas" themed ranch wedding. I didn't know about these kinds of things until moving here and then having a project partner who thought I was the crazy one for never knowing about ranch weddings. I guess her friend was riding in on one of her horses in her wedding gown and if I'm remembering correctly, couldn't decide if she wanted to go with her well worn and loved boots vs. a brand new pair of bridal boots. I think she wound up doing both. Another thing I never knew about until this... She was also the same one who educated me on hats. When David's dad retired from his spot with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, he decided to leave David his boots and hats. I recall picking one for GoTexan Day and she corrected me for wearing a felt hat at a time when I should be in straw. But still, NOTHING like the getup your coworker was describing.

Sometimes, we just end up with obnoxious and annoying coworkers. I guess at least you know it's not just you, but it sounds like he's not exactly the most productive team member, and I can't help but wonder if ego is part of it. If he doesn't want to take the suggestion that would reduce his workload and puts talking ahead of getting work done...sounds like he just wants to be center stages and feed his ego. There are times and places for that, but not at work when things need to be done.

Well him not taking the tip was because he thought I was trying to get him to work harder. He couldn't make the connection between my suggestion and it actually lightening his load. He's just not very bright. I don't think that it's an ego thing. He's not conceited or arrogant or anything. He just truly is not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree and he doesn't realize how much slower he is than everyone else and that not everyone is constantly making the light come on. I just don't think he has much insight into the job and how he can change things to make his work easier or go faster.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

July 22nd-

My main goal of the day (aside from seeing wildlife) was to get to the Many Glacier area. Staying in that hotel is a dream of mine, but it's not happening unless we go back without the kids. Booking opens up 1 year out on the first of the month...and midnight Mountain Time. So, I would have had to be sitting on my computer at that very moment on July 1st, 2020, to even have a chance at anything for our dates in 2021. When I found out that rooms with two beds offer nothing bigger than doubles, it became a deal-breaker. I can do that when it's just me and David and we can each have a bed, but not when it's four of us in the room. So, visiting it would have to do. We had other goals this day, but getting here...seeing the hotel...and making it out to Fishercap Lake to hopefully see some moose was the first set of goals for the day.

I'd also like to note that the events of the morning have proven to us that it was an omen that we're all too lazy to get out of bed at 4am.

The Many Glacier area is a bit farther from where we were staying. I'd say, in ideal conditions, it's probably a 75-85 minute drive. We still left fairly early...pre-7am...and I thought we were doing really well. And then we turned off in Babb, MT to get to this part of the park and our luck changed. I was driving...so no pictures either. Anyway, we made the turn and were greeted with beautiful views of Lake Sherburne out of one side of the car. The air was crisp, the wind was blowing making for great visibility, and the road was unpaved and under a lot of construction. I knew there would be construction in this area. At the time of our travel, I hadn't seen any specifics, but it said to expect delays of up to 3 hours and that the road is closed 10pm to 5am. When we first got back, it said to expect delays of up to 40 minutes each way. We experienced about 60 minutes of delays on the way in and 60 minutes on the way out...so, it was worse than what was posted at the time of our trip, but better than what's listed now. It didn't feel as bad on the way in, since they'd let us go for a bit...then stop us...and go some more...and so on. The only real problem, we'd now been on the road over 2 hours and I was in DESPERATE need of a bathroom. I didn't take pics while stopped mainly because of this. I was just so miserable and was trying to appreciate the pretty surroundings as a distraction.

When we arrived at The Many Glacier Hotel, I was hoping to have this shock and awe kind of moment...instead, I pulled up to the front porch/drive-thru portico area, put it in park and ran out while yelling back to David to find a place to park the car. The situation was so urgent, I didn't even realize Sam had followed me in. I literally did a lap around the lobby looking for any sign of a bathroom...trying not to get distracted by all of the cool and pretty things. When I was doubling back around, I saw a grand piano next to a brass banister for a spiral staircase. I ran down there because I saw signs for a cafe and sure enough, I found a bathroom...with a line. I danced a bit and tried not to cry while waiting, but made it into a stall in time...as did Sam. I didn't get my camera stuff out until we were back inside, but once I caught my breath from the hike up to the car, I took some pics on the way back in.

(those are all birds nesting in there)

I was honestly so in love with this place and all of its Swiss-style glory. I could have sworn the ladies behind the front desk that I heard speaking during my initial "run-through" were using some kind of related accent, but I know for certain many of the male employees were in lederhosen.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Needless to say, I took a ton of pics at the hotel, while also marveling at a nearby family that had some pretty sweet walkie-talkies. We've talked about them for safety before, but just never went for it. Oh well. The view of Swiftcurrent Lake is stunning and a stay here is still pretty high on my wish list, even if this area is so far removed by road from other parts of the park. I can only imagine how our wildlife odds would have improved exponentially if I could have just rolled downstairs in my PJs for sunrise. Oh well, not this trip. I took a few more pics before we went back to the car (I really would have been content to just hang out here while they looked for moose).

(this was for the grand piano I ran by on my way in for the potty)

Waving good-bye to this beauty...

We then made the quick drive up the road to the parking near the Swiftcurrent Motor Lodge. The trailhead leading to Fishercap Lake was right there. We passed a ton of people making their way to the Grinnell Glacier trailhead, but that was a bit too much for us. I was already feeling the strain of hiking in a higher elevation while carrying a heavy day pack. So, we set out on the Continental Divide Trail (which changes to the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail) for what should have been a very easy 0.7 mile hike to Fishercap Lake.

If you've ever been in the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone or at least seen pictures, you might recognize these trees and say "Wow, they really do grow like that in the wild!"

Now, we saw all kinds of points of distance at the trailhead and their respective distances marked off, but we hit a point where we weren't seeing any markers to indicate the turn offs for points of interest. I hit a point where my gut said we'd gone well beyond 0.7 miles. Eventually, David did too. I was also feeling pretty tired with all I had been carrying. The kids insisted we were just being old and that we'd barely gone 0.5 miles. This hike would be the motivation for me to get back in shape when we got home, but it was pretty miserable at the time. So, I just did my best to push through and take pictures. We did at least start taking turns with the pack, which helped quite a bit.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It really felt like it was going on forever, even though it wasn't an overly demanding hike. I hit a point where I just needed to sit and rest. David and Sam went up ahead a little bit just to see if he saw anything. Meanwhile, Kendall ... who is very outgoing, insisted on asking a stranger if they knew. The thing is, you have to pick strangers who look like they might know. The people she asked had no clue. I picked a guy who looked like he was outfitted for back country camping...and man was he equipped. His intended destination was different than ours, but he was able to tell me that we were right around the head of Bull Lake and right before some waterfalls. That meant we'd gone past the lake we wanted to see, as well as another lake and were about 4 miles into the trail. At that point, I was beat and done and couldn't care less about the falls we were near, so after David came back, we turned around and started heading back in hopes that we could find the lake we went out in search of in the first place. I took this somewhere along the way back...


(same spot where I took lots of pics on the way out)

Not only did we find our lake - very poorly marked...just took a chance that an offshoot of the trail was the path- we also kept several other families and couples from making the same mistake. The wife in one very friendly couple that talked to us along the way was so sweet and was like "honey, I can tell you are just done." She wasn't wrong. At least we finally found it.

We got down to Fishercap Lake, looked around, and the only sign of moose was this hoof print.

We sat for a while...probably a good 30 minutes...but nothing. It didn't help that some really loud people showed up for a while. At least the video shows how pretty the area was.



And of course, more pictures...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah, it really does look like the perfect spot for a moose...but not for us...not at this time.

Oh well, time to start heading out...

Well, would you look at that!

David opted to drive on the way out, so I at least got some pictures of the pretty lake and dam we passed on the way in. Unfortunately, we were stuck in an hour long wait with the construction to get out. Any chances of making our shuttle pass to get us to Logan Pass were pretty much gone. It may have been OK if I booked it for the St. Mary's side, but I had this crazy idea when I booked that we'd see that side via our own driving and then just go straight through to Apgar and have them bring us up that side to see the rest. Hindsight is 20/20. So, no shuttle for us. At least it was only $4 wasted. Now the real trick would be finding lunch. Here are some pics and a video on the way out...

Even the red buses get caught in this madness.

Honestly, it was so bad, we saw people eating picnic lunches on the rooftops of their cars. OK...more driving out...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Coming up on the dam...

The water was just so ridiculously stunning that I kept taking pics.

Looks like we're now past the dam. It's really too bad I wasn't taking pics on the way in. You can supposedly see Salamander Glacier on the way into the area, but I was just too miserable.

Coming up...we dodge some more free-range cows, we find an overpriced lunch spot and decide to see more of the eastern side of the park on our own.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well him not taking the tip was because he thought I was trying to get him to work harder. He couldn't make the connection between my suggestion and it actually lightening his load. He's just not very bright. I don't think that it's an ego thing. He's not conceited or arrogant or anything. He just truly is not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree and he doesn't realize how much slower he is than everyone else and that not everyone is constantly making the light come on. I just don't think he has much insight into the job and how he can change things to make his work easier or go faster.

That's tough too. I'm happy that it's not an ego thing, because that's really tough to handle, but it's still not easy when someone doesn't grasp concepts like this.

 

[Songbird76]

July 22nd-

My main goal of the day (aside from seeing wildlife) was to get to the Many Glacier area. Staying in that hotel is a dream of mine, but it's not happening unless we go back without the kids. Booking opens up 1 year out on the first of the month...and midnight Mountain Time. So, I would have had to be sitting on my computer at that very moment on July 1st, 2020, to even have a chance at anything for our dates in 2021. When I found out that rooms with two beds offer nothing bigger than doubles, it became a deal-breaker. I can do that when it's just me and David and we can each have a bed, but not when it's four of us in the room. So, visiting it would have to do. We had other goals this day, but getting here...seeing the hotel...and making it out to Fishercap Lake to hopefully see some moose was the first set of goals for the day.

I'd also like to note that the events of the morning have proven to us that it was an omen that we're all too lazy to get out of bed at 4am.

The Many Glacier area is a bit farther from where we were staying. I'd say, in ideal conditions, it's probably a 75-85 minute drive. We still left fairly early...pre-7am...and I thought we were doing really well. And then we turned off in Babb, MT to get to this part of the park and our luck changed. I was driving...so no pictures either. Anyway, we made the turn and were greeted with beautiful views of Lake Sherburne out of one side of the car. The air was crisp, the wind was blowing making for great visibility, and the road was unpaved and under a lot of construction. I knew there would be construction in this area. At the time of our travel, I hadn't seen any specifics, but it said to expect delays of up to 3 hours and that the road is closed 10pm to 5am. When we first got back, it said to expect delays of up to 40 minutes each way. We experienced about 60 minutes of delays on the way in and 60 minutes on the way out...so, it was worse than what was posted at the time of our trip, but better than what's listed now. It didn't feel as bad on the way in, since they'd let us go for a bit...then stop us...and go some more...and so on. The only real problem, we'd now been on the road over 2 hours and I was in DESPERATE need of a bathroom. I didn't take pics while stopped mainly because of this. I was just so miserable and was trying to appreciate the pretty surroundings as a distraction.

When we arrived at The Many Glacier Hotel, I was hoping to have this shock and awe kind of moment...instead, I pulled up to the front porch/drive-thru portico area, put it in park and ran out while yelling back to David to find a place to park the car. The situation was so urgent, I didn't even realize Sam had followed me in. I literally did a lap around the lobby looking for any sign of a bathroom...trying not to get distracted by all of the cool and pretty things. When I was doubling back around, I saw a grand piano next to a brass banister for a spiral staircase. I ran down there because I saw signs for a cafe and sure enough, I found a bathroom...with a line. I danced a bit and tried not to cry while waiting, but made it into a stall in time...as did Sam. I didn't get my camera stuff out until we were back inside, but once I caught my breath from the hike up to the car, I took some pics on the way back in.

(those are all birds nesting in there)

I was honestly so in love with this place and all of its Swiss-style glory. I could have sworn the ladies behind the front desk that I heard speaking during my initial "run-through" were using some kind of related accent, but I know for certain many of the male employees were in lederhosen.

It reminds me of Bavaria in Germany. We stayed at the Schnöller hotel a few years ago and had a view of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles out the window...it was GORGEOUS. This also gives me Wilderness Lodge vibes with the tall log supports in the lobby and the big fireplace/stove.

I can't believe there was a line for the bathroom at a hotel!

 

[Songbird76]

That's tough too. I'm happy that it's not an ego thing, because that's really tough to handle, but it's still not easy when someone doesn't grasp concepts like this.

I honestly wonder if he has some sort of disorder that he can't read how people are reacting to him to know that he's being offensive or ignorant or getting on their nerves. He's a nice enough guy, but just lacks insight into how he's being received. And I'm one of those people who tries to be nice to everyone, even people I can't stand because I always want to give them the benefit of the doubt. You never know what someone is struggling with. I was the kid in school who was friends with the outcasts because I was the one who was nice to them. I don't want to hurt his feelings by telling him to shut the heck up and just get to work! But there are worse problems in the world, so all things considered, I'll deal and just be grateful when he's stationed somewhere else.

 

[Songbird76]

What is it specifically about the Many Glacier hotel that you like that other hotels don't have? I tried to look up prices but it is booked solid for the whole year and I didn't try to go further since you said it opens a year to the day...and it was only a couple hours after midnight mountain time, so it must go FAST!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It reminds me of Bavaria in Germany. We stayed at the Schnöller hotel a few years ago and had a view of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles out the window...it was GORGEOUS. This also gives me Wilderness Lodge vibes with the tall log supports in the lobby and the big fireplace/stove.

I can't believe there was a line for the bathroom at a hotel!

I was able to find a website. It looks very pretty and like they've done a lot to keep it more modern. I'm guessing we passed that area when we were heading from Munich to Innsbruck many years ago.

I think that's the story of our lives...always a line for the women's room.

I honestly wonder if he has some sort of disorder that he can't read how people are reacting to him to know that he's being offensive or ignorant or getting on their nerves. He's a nice enough guy, but just lacks insight into how he's being received. And I'm one of those people who tries to be nice to everyone, even people I can't stand because I always want to give them the benefit of the doubt. You never know what someone is struggling with. I was the kid in school who was friends with the outcasts because I was the one who was nice to them. I don't want to hurt his feelings by telling him to shut the heck up and just get to work! But there are worse problems in the world, so all things considered, I'll deal and just be grateful when he's stationed somewhere else.

I've worked with a number of people over the years like that. Sometimes I even wonder if I'm that person. Everyone has their own unique struggles that sometimes makes it impossible for them to see how their behavior is being received. Some people just have personalities that clash, making it even more difficult for one to see things from the perspective of the other. At some point, you just deal, because it's work and the independently wealthy fairy has yet to pay any of us a visit.

What is it specifically about the Many Glacier hotel that you like that other hotels don't have? I tried to look up prices but it is booked solid for the whole year and I didn't try to go further since you said it opens a year to the day...and it was only a couple hours after midnight mountain time, so it must go FAST!!!

It's hard to describe, but as a national parks fan, these big historic lodges just tend to be bucket list stops. Most don't have as many modern conveniences as nice historic spots outside of the parks because they have a certain duty to preserve them...which isn't much of a selling point (you'd think), but I think that's part of it. You're staying in a part of history. Places like the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and the Ahwahnee/Majestic in Yosemite are some of the others that hit this same mark. I checked a few weeks ago and there were a few nights here or there towards the end of August 2022 still open at the Many Glacier, but you have to be sitting at your computer at 12am MT on the dot over a year out to just have a chance if you want specific dates. I would have needed to be logged in on July 1st 2020 at midnight...and even then, many people get shut out. Some of these parks have longer seasons and it's easier to get in, but this section of Glacier doesn't normally open until late June or early July due to snow cover and can be closed by September. We ran into similar issues in 2005 when I somehow got us into the Old Faithful Inn for one night. I think it was Sept 12th and we were literally shutting the place down for the season. What's even crazier...we were put in one of the new wings and had our own bathroom. The older rooms in the main lodge building...the ones with no bathrooms and other creature comforts book up immediately when lodging opens Memorial Day the year before. I was never able to get a room at the El Tovar for our stay at the Grand Canyon and settled for Christmas dinner and breakfast in their dining room. I guess all of these lodges were also built with ideal views. They were designed to attract the ultra wealthy of the time to come to these places by rail and feed their money into things for the park system. They were trying to bill Many Glacier and this area as the Swiss Alps of the US...and I guess it just sort of stuck. The parks are also so heavily protected and have historic forests and grasslands on most areas just outside, that you're often not getting these incredible views without staying or visiting these lodges.

 

[Songbird76]

I was able to find a website. It looks very pretty and like they've done a lot to keep it more modern. I'm guessing we passed that area when we were heading from Munich to Innsbruck many years ago.

I think that's the story of our lives...always a line for the women's room.

I've worked with a number of people over the years like that. Sometimes I even wonder if I'm that person. Everyone has their own unique struggles that sometimes makes it impossible for them to see how their behavior is being received. Some people just have personalities that clash, making it even more difficult for one to see things from the perspective of the other. At some point, you just deal, because it's work and the independently wealthy fairy has yet to pay any of us a visit.



It's hard to describe, but as a national parks fan, these big historic lodges just tend to be bucket list stops. Most don't have as many modern conveniences as nice historic spots outside of the parks because they have a certain duty to preserve them...which isn't much of a selling point (you'd think), but I think that's part of it. You're staying in a part of history. Places like the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and the Ahwahnee/Majestic in Yosemite are some of the others that hit this same mark. I checked a few weeks ago and there were a few nights here or there towards the end of August 2022 still open at the Many Glacier, but you have to be sitting at your computer at 12am MT on the dot over a year out to just have a chance if you want specific dates. I would have needed to be logged in on July 1st 2020 at midnight...and even then, many people get shut out. Some of these parks have longer seasons and it's easier to get in, but this section of Glacier doesn't normally open until late June or early July due to snow cover and can be closed by September. We ran into similar issues in 2005 when I somehow got us into the Old Faithful Inn for one night. I think it was Sept 12th and we were literally shutting the place down for the season. What's even crazier...we were put in one of the new wings and had our own bathroom. The older rooms in the main lodge building...the ones with no bathrooms and other creature comforts book up immediately when lodging opens Memorial Day the year before. I was never able to get a room at the El Tovar for our stay at the Grand Canyon and settled for Christmas dinner and breakfast in their dining room. I guess all of these lodges were also built with ideal views. They were designed to attract the ultra wealthy of the time to come to these places by rail and feed their money into things for the park system. They were trying to bill Many Glacier and this area as the Swiss Alps of the US...and I guess it just sort of stuck. The parks are also so heavily protected and have historic forests and grasslands on most areas just outside, that you're often not getting these incredible views without staying or visiting these lodges.

Yes, it's near Munich area. I wanted to go to Munich to visit a friend who had been an exchange student, but we could only get one night in that hotel. It was booked for the rest of the week, but the kids loved it so much we said we'd go back sometime for a whole week and see the things we missed the first time, and just have some time to relax. It's such a beautiful area....lots of lakes and trees, and there are some really good restaurants in Füssen, so we plan to go back sometime. We thought maybe this Summer, but that didn't work out.

Yes, I've often wondered if I'm annoying to my coworkers, too. I know I have some bad habits, and my Dutch is fluent, but I know I have an accent, and that can be grating. Like you said, people won't always click with each other, so I'm sure there are those who could do without me, but I hope it's not a universal thing.

I remember when we went to Yellowstone and there was this beautiful hotel....I'm not sure anymore which one it was, but when I was a kid it was yellow and I remember walking through it for some reason and there was a fancy dining room. We were staying in cabins nearby and I remember asking my mom why we were staying in the cabins instead of in that hotel. I had no idea how expensive that hotel was. I always wanted to go back and stay there, but I don't even know which one it was!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I was lucky to be able to find rooms at Old Faithful Inn and El Tovar that fit into our schedule after I booked the hotel in Yosemite (not Ahwanee but the Inn at the Falls). I heard Yosemite filled up super fast so I started with booking that even though it was later on our road trip. I could only get one night at Old Faithful so we stayed a night at Mammoth which worked well in our touring. We had to share a bathroom at Mammoth though. I did not like not having my own access to a toilet and shower. It was just for one night though.

Even though Old Faithful Inn is my favorite of the lodges El Tovar was great. It was at the end of our road trip and after days of National parks, touring San Francisco and Disneyland, sitting on the rocking chairs on the porch of the El Tovar and looking at the Grand Canyon was super relaxing. The parking situation at the El Tovar was horrible though. My husband drove around for 30 minutes while I checked in and brought all the bags to our room.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yes, it's near Munich area. I wanted to go to Munich to visit a friend who had been an exchange student, but we could only get one night in that hotel. It was booked for the rest of the week, but the kids loved it so much we said we'd go back sometime for a whole week and see the things we missed the first time, and just have some time to relax. It's such a beautiful area....lots of lakes and trees, and there are some really good restaurants in Füssen, so we plan to go back sometime. We thought maybe this Summer, but that didn't work out.

Yes, I've often wondered if I'm annoying to my coworkers, too. I know I have some bad habits, and my Dutch is fluent, but I know I have an accent, and that can be grating. Like you said, people won't always click with each other, so I'm sure there are those who could do without me, but I hope it's not a universal thing.

I remember when we went to Yellowstone and there was this beautiful hotel....I'm not sure anymore which one it was, but when I was a kid it was yellow and I remember walking through it for some reason and there was a fancy dining room. We were staying in cabins nearby and I remember asking my mom why we were staying in the cabins instead of in that hotel. I had no idea how expensive that hotel was. I always wanted to go back and stay there, but I don't even know which one it was!

Well, hopefully when things get back to some kind of normal, maybe you'll be able to get back. It looks beautiful and that's such a stunning part of the world. I remember driving into the Austrian Alps in the dark and waking up to major WOW.

I know I can be annoying I laugh, but the reality is that it can be hurtful when people don't get my personality and I find out after the fact how they really feel. I tend to be very chatty and like to rally people together. I manage to weave it into my work to stay productive while being sociable. I've had enough instances where I've been asked to tone it down or scale it back...but when I do...they think something is wrong with me and question it in any number of ways. It's a no-win situation. I've even been asked to tone it down when it's someone else creating the social stir...just assuming it's me. I remember a few years ago getting an IM to please quiet down. I hadn't said a word in hours and had my headphones in and music blaring, but chatter was getting louder...so it had to be me.

Sounds like you were at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. I know we also stayed in cabins in that area. No idea on the hotel pricing, but it was booked solid and I was just taking whatever I could get. We have eaten in the dining room at the hotel a few times and I remember spending a considerable amount of time in a hallway of the hotel back in 2005, because David needed to make a business call and the hotel's pay phones were our only option. We didn't go in this trip, but we did drive by.