Montana - Treasure State

One of our Cabins in Apgar Village, Glacier National Park

       It’s not that I have favorites, but when it comes to sheer beauty, I would have to put Colorado and Montana at the top of my list. I had only been to Montana once before, to visit colleges and universities there, but we began this trip in the glorious wilderness of Glacier National Park. It was another family trip, so we all met up in July of 2011 in Apgar Village, where we rented 2 cabins. Andy and I got there a day before the rest of the gang arrived, so we had time to talk to a forest ranger about the best places to visit when you have four kids with you. That first day, Andy and I took the hike to Avalanche Lake. There was so much water, crystal clear and that special blue color that you see in water that is fed by glaciers. My favorite view was of the rushing water in Avalanche Gorge. We saw piles of fallen trees and other debris at the edge of the lake making it clear how this lake got its name. On our way back from the lake, we came upon two women who had tried to cross a creek by walking on a log. One woman had fallen and suffered a compound fracture of her leg. Traffic on the trail was temporarily halted so she could be taken on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. That was a heads up on the very first day that we would all need to be careful.

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Avalanche Gorge

       We took a gentler hike the next day after the crew arrived, to Fish Lake. Again, the water was so clear and there were huge patches of bright green lily pads, some adorned with white flowers. There was a tiny little frog on one leaf, spotted by the sharp eyes of Quinn. Surrounding the lake were waist-high reeds, bright Kelly green in color on this sun-dappled day. Across the road from the trail to Fish Lake is Lake McDonald Lodge, where we stopped to walk around inside and enjoy the views from the deck of this huge lake, the largest in Glacier National Park. Having been to Norway, this lake is akin to a glacial fjord, with its crystal-clear waters ringed by snow-capped mountains.

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Touchdown Jesus on Fish Lake
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Little Frog on Lily Pad

       I had rented a house in Bigfork for a week so that we could spend time exploring Flathead Lake and the surrounding area. The town is charming with a quaint old-timey vibe, catering to tourists with plenty of options for restaurants, boutique shops and art galleries. The kids loved it here! We rented a boat so they could go tubing and we rented jet skis, too. I bravely went on a jet ski with my grandson, Kieran, who was 15 at the time. We flew around the lake, and I gripped him so hard, he must have had bruises when we returned; but it was thrilling.  We were also able to view some beautiful homes that were right on the lake from our boat.

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       Another day we went river rafting on the Flathead River. We had a guide who kept us safe while navigating the rapids and the kids thought he was a very cool dude. It was a hot day, so jumping off the raft to cool off was very popular.

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Grandpa Helping Mackenzie with her Life Vest

       Marnie, Andy and I spent one day back at Glacier National Park. We decided to take the full 50-mile drive on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. We saw hundreds of waterfalls, with one section aptly called Weeping Wall. The road, an engineering feat, was designed to blend into its natural setting and is only open during certain times of the year because snow can make it impassable during the winter. There were wildflowers galore, and we even saw a bear loping across a meadow when we stopped to take a photo. The road crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. There are so many features along the road that it would take all day to stop and see them all. We enjoyed our stop at Many Glacier Lodge, situated on Swiftcurrent Lake, where the setting makes you feel sure you are in Switzerland. We were hoping to see Big Horn Sheep, but the only one we saw was stuffed and in the lobby of the lodge. All the same, he was magnificent!

Swiftcurrent Lake

       We rode a chairlift in open-air gondolas another day when we went to Whitefish where we had incredible views of Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park. When we got off at the top, we were surprised to find a life-sized statue of Jesus wearing a light blue robe with his arms outstretched. Known as Big Mountain Jesus, it was erected in 1955 by the Roman Catholic Knights of Columbus and stands on a small parcel of federal land. (We later learned that its location is controversial, and a suit was filed to have it removed by a group of atheists.) We decided to walk down the mountain rather than take the gondolas, giving us more time to enjoy the views and the wildflowers along the way. The kids, of course, ran while the rest of us walked. 

Quinn Borrowed Grandpa's Hat

     It was hard to say goodbye on the last day, as this had been such a fabulous trip. While the weather had been good on previous days, dark storm clouds began forming over Flathead Lake as we packed our gear in our cars and headed out, just in time!