You might remember Glacier is the park we have been trying to get tickets to for a number of days and that Gideon finally got them! The ticketed hours of the park are 6am - 11pm and we get there at 6:30am. We figured it won't be the rush of the opening and still early enough. We get there and turn down the entrance road to see what kind of line we are dealing with. Nothing. Not one car. Awesome! I drive up to the ranger station and we have the ticket, a license to prove it was our ticket, the credit card that secured the $2 ticket and a boatload of anxiety that they'll tell us we missed something and we have to turn away. As I get to the window, I see it. No one inside. The gate is wide open. We can just drive right through. Unbelievable, we tried so hard to get these tickets and didn't even need them? How silly. Whatever, we decide to head to the visitor center to get a map and get going. We pull in and...that's closed too. Ok, well, there will probably still be maps here...Nope. Ok, well, we can screenshot the map online on our phone (no service in the park so have to do it at the visitor center). We are successful in that and start moving through the park. There is tons to see here but one main thing I wanted to see was these lakes that have beautiful colored stones. Vibrant reds, blues, browns and etc. It is gorgeous. We, of course, also want to see Glaciers!
The drive up the mountain is very foggy with the morning dew. We kind of realize that maybe that is why no one is here...you can't see a mountain covered in fog. But I did take a picture of this mountain for you - beautiful view right?:
We still push forward and there are a couple of breaks in the fog allowing us to see some mountain peeks (get it...not the top..that is covered in fog, but just a peek of the mountain through the fog? see what I did there?). It is breathtaking as all these parks usually are. But not to the guy behind me. Again, these parks are all one lane roads and the guy behind me is disgusted by my pace. I pull over to let him pass by and he passes angrily going 50 mph. I assure myself he was a moron and is missing the park and even yell "why'd you come here, then?!" as he flies by. (he couldn't hear me, don't worry).
We get through the first few stop and the mountains in all their glory as the fog lifts. We even see some lakes with the colored stones early! The parking areas are not too busy (online they said it it near impossible to find parkig at the popular stops), and we attribute that to Adam's great idea to travel the park from east to west instead of west to east like most people travel it. We even found a waterfall in our travels and all is going well.
We pass by a small rest area that is empty but none of us have to go that bad and we are coming up on Logan pass which is the visitor center in the center of the park. We decide we will stop there for a bathroom break and to get a map. On our way about 75 more cars are angry at my 35 - 45 mph pace (the speed limit is 60 for some insane reason) and I have to pull over to let them by. Now I realize, I am the jerk, not them. I just figured everyone would want to go this slow to not miss the incredible sites and views but it seems most people just want to drive through the park quickly. And since no one was even CHECKING TICKETS they are probably just using it as a cut-hrough. I resolve to let everyone pass me whenever they want and enjoy the park at my own pace. I have a nice inner peace about it all...and then....Logan Pass. dun nuh nuh.
I pull in and people are just circling this huge parking lot for parking. So I join in and am calmly circling when I realize this IS NOT CALM. Everyone was angry and panicked and throwing fingers and honking and arguing. Some people had taken chairs out of their cars and were holding spots and then trying to charge people to park there. I let the boys out to use the bathroom and tell them I will circle back to get them. At this point, I give up on parking and decide I'll just drive around the lot until everyone is done. I still didn't have to use the restroom and hadn't drank anything yet to avoid that potential issue. Abby didn't have to go bad either so we decide to just hang in the car while the boys get the map and go to the bathroom. I start circling and then come across a car (car 1) that is stopped in the row to wait for another car to leave. I pull up behind them and then a couple comes and gets in the car (car 2) right next to me which I am now blocking in. Another car (car 3) heads down the aisle the opposite direction as me and sees this couple getting in car 2 and determines they are going to get the spot which I am now blocking in. Car 3 is also blocking the car that needs to get out so Car 1 can park there. I realize this is going to get heated and try to backup, but there is someone behind me. So now I am stuck. Car 3 driver begins to get angry and starts yelling at me. I am not sure why as I can CLEARLY not move. Also, car 2 hasn't even started their car so I'm not convinced they are leaving anyhow so CALM DOWN. But nope. He can't calm down and NO ONE will move. So I put my car in park because clearly I live here now. At this point, the car who is blocked in by Car 3, and has the spot that Car 1 is waiting for comes out and tries to reason with Car 3 who will not budge. I am getting a bit scared because I assume I am still in "we don't call 911" territory. I look behind me again and thankfully the car behind me left. I back out of there and give car 3 a wave of the middle finger for being such a jerk. So much for inner peace. I know, I am disappointed in myself too, but Abby got a huge giggle out of it. Also, as we left we saw that Car 2 really did never leave so Car 3 still didn't get the spot.
I make it back to pick up the boys and guess what, it is 8:30 and the visitor station here is still closed too! Still no map. We get the heck out of Logan Pass and realize that God did a wonderful job with the scenery, but his human creation could still use a bit of work (myself included). We tredge on towards the biggest lake with the beautiful rocks (Lake George) and stop at vistas here and there. Lots of small roads next to huge rock faces and no room for two cars so I did hit the tire against one rock. No effects yet so I think we're ok. As we move along, Abby finally needs to pee and we are desperately searching for a restroom on the map. JUST KIDDING - WE STILL DON'T HAVE A MAP, REMEMBER? And Adam only screen shotted the first half of the park map on his phone because we would get a real map at Logan Pass. We finally get her a stop and she enjoys the pit toilet ha. I still don't have to go so we move onward. This side of the park is completely crowded and there is hardly any parking spots at any of the stops. Probably a combination of being later in the morning and people traveling from west to east to start their journey. We finally get to a spot to stop before Lake George and no one else is stopped there. We take advantage of it and get out when I see a man laying on a rock next to his bike. A lot of bikers do this 50 mile road in the park so it seemed normal that he was probably taking a well deserved rest. We walk down to a part of the lake, take some pictures and look around. We come back and the guy is still there but then I realize I don't see his chest moving. I make a bit more noise to see if he opens his eyes or moves...nothing. Adam is back by the car and I start panicking because Adam is the first aid trained Eagle Scout and if this guy is hurt, Adam will have to handle it. So I start walking towards the rest of the family and say "is he dead?". Abby says "I couldn't see him breathing". Now I'm really panicking and realize why no one was at this stop - there is a dead biker here. Who knows how long he's been here. As the panic is getting worse and I'm about to tell Adam to go revive him, the biker gets up. He must have felt my panic. Phew.
Finally, it hits me and I need to use the restroom. I find a stop that still has a few parking spaces and gather car trash. I get to the trash bins which are specially locked so bears can't get in. Well, bears AND me. There are no directions on how to use these trash cans...I guess they are worried the bears will follow the directions? I am struggling to get them open and look back at Adam in the car hoping he will come save me as this is SURELY a skill an Eagle Scout has learned. There is probably a badge for it. But nope. He just stares back at me. A woman starts walking towards me with trash and the panic sets in again. But the adreneline worked and I cracked that trash open! The women asked me to open the trash for her too but I'm pretty sure that was because she didn't want to get her hands dirty...
We get to Lake George but there is no parking and no room to stop. We still got great shots of colored rocks elsewhere so we move on. We also get to see real glacier! There was a plaque and informational sign about how much the glaciers have melted over the years. Very depressing but something we have to come to terms with I guess.
There were not many animals in the park but we did see some Bison. Other than that, just angry, mean and aggressive humans enjoying nature. We head back to the room with the whole afternoon to spare and do something I didn't think we'd have time to do on this trip - NAP. After an amazing nap, we went to a great dinner (see Adam's blog for a link) and I enjoyed his beer! I ordered a pineapple beer and Adam got a red ale which I don't like. Turns out, I don't like it at all but I do love it. Adam traded with me (thank you) and we both got a second.
Summary: No ticket or stealth was needed to break into this park, glaciers are melting fast, humans are angry fast and naps are still the best.