Glacier Park trip

[pirate]

Hi NW members. My wife and I returned home last night from a week in Glacier Park. I had originally planned on going there when you hold your NW Rally in a couple of weeks, but my wife's work plans changed, and we are unable to go that week.
I know several of you have already been to the park, but I thought I would share a few pictures and give you an update on some road construction. I see Kris posted my pm on the board, so I'll try not to repeat much.
We stayed in Kalispell, although not at the Holiday Inn Express. We ate supper at Famous Dave's one evening (ummmm, ribs...) and I saw the Holiday Inn Express is right by there. It looks like an awesome place, and it's right off the main highway into town from the north. It's right behind the Lowe's store, so look for that.
Tuesday we went to Whitefish and rode the ski lift to the top. If you have time to do this, I'd highly recommend it. The view of Whitefish, Whitefish Lake, and the entire Flathead Valley is amazing. A roundtrip lift ticket is only $10 per person. A great place to eat in Whitefish is the Bulldog Saloon. The burgers are great, the beer is cold, and the bathrooms have some great pictures on the walls! (You'll see what I mean!)
On Wednesday, we rode up the Going to the Sun Road. The two pics on my signature line are taken there. Here is a picture of Lake Mcdonald, the biggest lake in the park:


We brought a picnic lunch with, and we ate at the top at Logan's Pass. The sun broke through the clouds and it was really nice. We continued up to St. Mary before turning around and coming back down. On the way down, a small grizzly bear ran right in front of us across the road. It was gone before we could take a picture. In my 5 times of being in Glacier Park, this was the first time I'd seen a bear there. (hey, that rhymed!) This picture is taken just below Logan's Pass, looking to the west:


There is a little road construction just below Logan's Pass. They are putting up some new retaining rock, so the road is one-lane for a short period. We had to wait for the pilot car on our way down, but it was only about 10 minutes. It provided a great chance to take some pictures.

On Thursday, we rode around Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. We rode on the east side in the morning to Polson, MT, before coming back north on the west side. We stopped in the small town of Lakeside and took a ride on the boat, "Far West." It is only $15 per person for a guided, 1.5 hour trip. It was really relaxing, I'd highly recommend it. There is a bar on board, so you can relax and enjoy a cold brew. The afternoon cruise leaves every day at 1 pm. Here is a picture of the Far West:


Finally, here is a picture of Flathead Lake from the east shore, facing west. What a beautiful place!

Definitely make sure you eat as much huckleberry ice cream as you can. In the Apgar Village just inside the entrance at West Glacier, Eddie's is the place for ice cream.
We put on a little over 1800 miles on our trip. 400 of those were just from the day trips we took while out there.
I hope you all have a great rally in August. Sorry I won't be there, but that's how life goes. I enjoy "lurking" in your NW board, as there are always good stories and pictures.
Take care everyone!

Ryan
Prairie Cruiser