Getting Stuck at Glacier NP

Glacier National Park, how do I love thee, let me count the ways…

First off, let me say, this post is majorly delayed. I was having trouble getting the pictures off the microdrive. But we kept trying different options because by golly, I promised you guys a bear picture and a bear picture you’re going to get. See how much I love you. So let’s continue with Glacier NP.

Yes, folks I’m here again telling you about yet another place you have to go see. No really. There are so many ways to interact with Glacier NP. You can rent boats, paddle boards, and kayaks to take out on the lakes. Yes, LAKES! There are 700 of them in the park. You can pay for a boat tour that will take you from one dock to the next.

And if you want to explore by land, there are these adorable historic red buses that you can book a seat on to tour the park. There’s also a shuttle system if you don’t want to take your own vehicle. It’s provided by the park system so it’s free. Free is good and it helps to reduce air pollution.

I fell in love with Glacier NP for several reasons

First of all, it’s amazingly beautiful everywhere you look, really, it is. There are tons of waterfalls and waterfalls happen to make me weak at the knees. I adore waterfalls. Did I mention lakes? There are lots and lots of lakes. And because there are so many ways to explore this park it allows you to get up close and personal. That is what makes Glacier NP so unique. This park is on the very, very top of my list of places to return to again. In fact I would have to say it’s number one, GASP :-0! I can’t believe I said it myself!

This was such an unexpected discovery of mine, because it wasn’t even on my list of places to see

It just kind of happened to come across my path when we had to find a new route into Canada. And to think that I would’ve missed this gem is really hard to comprehend now. Which is why I love to travel and explore. You never know what wonders are waiting around the bend.

So how did we explore Glacier NP?

Well the crew decided to rent a little motorboat. I was a little nervous at first because I’ve never operated a motorboat in my life. But I’m always up for a challenge and a new adventure. I was so excited to do this.

We were given a set of instructions that went like this, “yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, when you return to the dock do this and this, blah, blah, blah and don’t go within 20 feet of the shoreline.” Okay, got it, no problem. And off we went. We were having sooooo much fun. I felt so liberated and free out on the water. Much like how I feel when I head out in the RV. Freedom, oh sweet freedom!

We came across these adorable ducks swimming along. I was trying to get closer to see what kind of ducks they were. The lake was very choppy. It was pushing the boat towards shore, I was stuck in what seemed to be a little cove. And then it happened, I heard a clunk and the motor cut out.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Why do these things always happen to me, why?! I just wanted to go out on a nice little boat ride. I was having so much fun. Alright, alright, all my whining aside, we were in a pickle. But seriously, this crazy crew is always getting into a jam. Do you want to know what my oldest said when the motor cut out? She calmly stated, “Of course, we should expect nothing less.”

All that I could envision was I was going to finally get to see that bear I’d been wanting to see the entire trip. Just not in the way I wanted to see it. We were on a secluded part of the lake and I sure as heck didn’t want one jumping in the boat with me! Especially since we couldn’t escape.

view from the boat

The girls and I did everything we could think of to get away from shore so I could try to start the motor again. We pushed with the oars, we rowed, but nothing worked. The waves kept pushing us towards shore no matter what we did. After about 30 to 45 minutes of this mess, I finally managed to get the boat turned around at a decent angle.

I tilted the motor up and out of the water. I was fumbling with the darn thing because I have no idea how to work one. But I felt like it was acting as an anchor rather than helping us. We finally got far enough away from shore that I could put the motor back in the water and try to start it again.

I was keeping my fingers crossed that I could figure out how to start it and that it wasn’t completely dead. I managed to figure it out and sure enough, before I knew it, we were on our way again. Damn ducks! Just kidding, they were cute. We headed back to the dock, that was all the ‘fun’ I needed for the day.

Crystal clear, look at those beautiful rocks, I’m in love

While at Glacier, my daughter swam in Lake McDonald while I cooled my feet off. The oldest took a hike on the Johns Lake Loop trail. Each wanted to do something different on the same day and our time was limited. And I’m but one person. So I scheduled my daughter to go with a group on a ranger led hike while we went to the lake.

snow in July!

But alas, the gods didn’t cooperate with me that day as we ran into major road construction in the park. We didn’t make it in time for the group hike. So I sent her off with bear spray and instructions on what to do in case she ran into one. I was biting my nails until I picked her up two hours later. Gotta let them go sometime, right?

And of course we saw some wildlife while in the park

I was really hoping to see a mountain goat and I got my wish. And of course, we saw our ever elusive bear, FINALLY. I was really beginning to doubt we’d see one on our trip. We were at Yellowstone NP and never laid eyes on one. We hit up so many places where bears were supposed to be abundant but alas, no bear.

Then, we were driving along and I spotted it. Something out of the corner of my eye. This bear jumps up on the wall on the side of the road and up over the other side. Before we knew it, he’s strolling down the street. It looks like we’re close to him because of the zoom on my DSL but we kept our distance.

It happened so fast and before we knew it, it hopped back over the wall and out of site. This was a first for the girls. I spotted a cub in a tree many years ago, much closer to home, at Shenandoah National Park. This is definitely a juvenile and I believe it’s a black bear. One or two people said a grizzly but I don’t see the defining hump near the shoulder blades. What do you think? Leave a comment if you want to weigh in on our sighting.

With all the time we had used up, we very reluctantly said goodbye to Glacier NP. I was hoping to visit the Canadian version once we crossed the border but it wasn’t to be. However, we did have fun exploring Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. On my next post I’ll take you exploring through Canada with the crew!

Amazon: As always, I’m ever so grateful when you use my Amazon Link when making purchases. It helps me pay for this blog and it cost you the same amount. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you.

{HUGS} from the Crew!