Glacier National Park and Back in Washington

We stayed in Cut Bank, MT which is near Glacier National Park. We wanted to drive on the "Going to the Sun" road which is a 50 mile road that goes through the middle of Glacier National Park. Because of the elevation, the road is not always open all the way across and travelers need to check on the current condition of the road before embarking. When we got to the ranger station, we were told that the road was not open all the way, but was open most of the way. That was good enough for us, so off we went. This road is one of the most beautiful drives in the country (as many travel guides indicate). After seeing this National Park, I would recommend it to anyone who has not had the opportunity to visit.

"Going to the Sun" Road is not for the faint of heart. It is a 2 lane road (one lane in each direction) and it is narrow....really narrow in some parts. It is built on the side of a mountain and there are points where the mountain side juts out on one side and the cliff side of the road has just a 2-foot tall stone barrier that separates the road from the edge of the cliff. Having said that, the scenery is breathtaking. Mom decided to stay in the car the entire time that we were driving on this road (she was thinking worse case scenario...like what if an earthquake hit now)....but she did decide to get out later when we stopped for the potty and ice cream. Dad, Cubby and I were out taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of this national park. The river was green in parts from glacier runoff. The mountains were snow capped and everywhere we looked there were views that were more gorgeous than the last.

After our day of mountain sightseeing, we headed further toward Eastern Washington. The motel we stayed at had THE Largest trash cans I've ever seen. You can see, too, with Mom standing by them to get perspective on their size.

We stopped at Couer d'Alene, ID to find the sports court that was given in honor of my nephew, Ben, who died several years ago. A friend of Ben's Dad, donated money to have this sports court built in Ben's memory. It was a very nice and special tribute to Ben, who was such a wonderful guy.

When we reached Richland WA, Dan, Dawna,Heather, DJ, and Kim were all there to say hello. Roy and Sharon were also there to greet Mom. Mom didn't actually kiss the ground when we arrived, but I think she was toying with the idea....just kidding...but we did have an 11,200 mile trip and visited 27 states. It was an unbelievable fun-filled adventue and such an incredible experience for all of us. Dad and I said good-bye to Mom and left her in the good hands of her sons. Dad and I headed home so that we could get to Sammamish in time for Father's Day with Jack. On the way over the Cascade mountains, Dad and I saw the most beautiful clouds. They looked like a waterfall, and were actually more gorgeous (to me) than Niagra Falls. People were stopping on the side of the road to take pictures of the cloud formations...that's how beautiful they were. I guess it was Washington welcoming us home. The United States is so very very beautiful.

Again, thanks to all of the family who supported us and helped to make this such a wonderful experience. We love all of you....forever and ever and then some....

Livingston,MT, Turnovers and Cattle Drive

We saw some great things in Montana. It is a gorgeous state. They call it the "Big Sky" state and when you are there and can see a gorgeous blue sky with fluffy interesting clouds from horizon to horizon...a full 180 degrees of drop-dead wonderful scenery....you can see why Montana got its nickname.

We spent a night in Livingston, Montana. This is an old western town and we stayed at a downtown hotel, The Murray Hotel. This hotel is on the historic register. There is a sign above the front desk asking that Guns Be Checked and there is a large mounted buffalo head on the wall of the downstairs lobby. (Mom really liked that!!) The elevator requires an operator, because it does not start or stop automatically by itself. The operator aligns the elevator with the floor. I love elevators like that and was happy to have the opportunity to ride in one. Mom wasn't so sure. And, Dad didn't mind the elevator, but would have preferred something that was more self-service (because he had to make a phone call down to the front desk and ask that the elevator be sent up so that he and Mr. Cubby could ride down in it whenever Cubby needed to go out). If someone didn't want to wait for the elevator, there were stairs available. Mr. Cubby didn't mind the elevator at all. He was a good elevator-rider throughout the whole trip.

Our room was a mini-suite (Room 310). There were 2 bedrooms that had an adjoining door and there was a shared bathroom with a door leading to it from each of the bedrooms. Because this was an old hotel, converted to add modern conveniences (like a bathroom in the room), the entries into the bathroom were not wide doors. In the middle of the night Dad got up to use the bathroom and fell backwards into the bathtub. He landed with his feet over the edge of the tub. Mom and I were both asleep in the other bedroom when this happened. I heard a big noise and woke up a little bit but heard nothing else and wasn't even sure where the noise came from. The noise woke Mom up too and she said that she thought my Dad had fallen. I got up and called Dad's name. Mom was right. The noise was Dad. He had managed to get himself out of the tub....not sure how he did that by himself, but he managed. He wasn't bleeding, which was practically a miracle since his skin is so delicate. And, even though he had hit his head, he seemed OK, just sore. I told him he should have called out for help, but he didn't want to disturb us ladies from our beauty sleep...he knew we needed it! Actually, he didn't say that, but he did say that he didn't want to disturb us. Dad....Dad....Dad....

The next day we headed closer to Glacier National Park. In Montana there are long stretches of road without any facilities....gas stations, potties, restaurants, etc. So, when you see a facility, you need to make use of it while you have the chance. One of the stops we made was at the Montana Wheat and Bakery store. There were lots of cars in the lot....again, looking for food and bathroom facilities like us, I'm sure....but the offerings at this place were wonderful. They sold all kinds of flour for home bakers. They also sold all kinds of breads, sandwiches, cookies and THE BEST turnovers that I have ever eaten. If you run across this place in your Montana travels....Stop and Enjoy.

Roads in Montana do not have the greatest markings. You can drive for miles and miles and miles and not see a single indication of what road you are on. If you made the right turn and happen to be on the correct road....thumbs up..... But, if you didn't make the correct turn and didn't know that you were on the wrong road for miles and miles and miles, you might just wind up back at the Montana Wheat and Bakery store after driving for an hour. Yeah...that happened to us. But, the upside of our misadventure was seeing a real live cattle drive that was occuring on a back road, complete with real live cowpokes on horseback driving the cattle. If I'd known that would have happened, I would have got lost on purpose, not just by accident.

It was a great day...(except for Dad's boo boo). We would recommend Montana to anyone and everyone. But go in the late spring or summer so that you have clear roads. I don't think it would be as much fun when there is snow up to your eyeballs.