28th July, 2017

We set off after the free breakfast in the Aero Inn, an interesting affair as there seemed to be about 12 of us but only about 8 chairs, so there was a fair amount of lingering expectantly like a round of musical chairs in the hope someone would vacate their spot. It was very much do it yourself with all the plates and cutlery being disposable plastic, but they had Cheerios, so Nick and I at least were happy. Chris worked out how to make his own waffle (can you make yours waffle?) so he was a happy and fairly full bunny.

Our destination today was the wonderful Glacier National Park adjoining the Canadian border. First stop was a very upmarket supermarket for some provisions and snacks and then off we set. It was about an hour to West Glacier Village and the entry to the park. Chris very kindly agreed to drive and after a few practice turns in the hotel car park and some coaching by our resident US expert Shivonne on some of the finer points of driving in America, he safely got us to the park and onto the Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50 mile drive through some of the most stunning scenery in the world. Our first stop was the Visitor Centre to find out what we should aim to see and for a team photo.

Next stop was at Lake Macdonald where we all piled out of the car and walked down to the water’s edge where we took photos, played ducks and drakes and indulged in some serious selfies. The light was brilliant and the view breathtaking as you can see from the photos below, I trust.

We stopped briefly at the Lake Macdonald Lodge, which proved a wonderful old wooden building and which had a number of furry friends to boot.

We had decided on a short hike, nothing too strenuous, but something to give us a taste of the Park and the Trail of the Cedars seemed to fit the bill well, with a boardwalk, some interesting trees and a nice tumbling stream of an almost electric blue colour. The usual posing from the kids…….

We did try to do another hike at Logan’s Pass, but the car park was full and we abandoned the attempt. A shame as it is where you cross the Continental Divide – which would have been the high point of the whole trip as Nick pointed out! There were still many photo opportunities, as you can see!

A truly breathtaking visit and one we have done before, but it was still worth a second one. We spent the night at a motel in East Glacier, Sears Motel, who actually pride themselves on the basic facilities on offer (no air con). The shower we had did leave a bit to be desired, but it was not bad despite the ‘saloon’ doors it sported and the bed was comfy enough for someone who was still getting over the effects of jet lag.

We found that East Glacier is something of a tourist spot with prices to match, but we did manage to dine at a good Mexican restaurant, Seranos, which Shivonne, who is an expert, felt was pretty good. A quick game of Hearts before bed and our thoroughly enjoyable day ended.

Apologies for the delay in publishing this. The usual problem of having too much fun! More soon.