DAY OF SURPRISES

 9/17

Surprise! Surprise! The forecast had been predicting snow, but only in the upper elevations. However, we woke up to several inches of the white stuff with more coming coming down fairly heavily. Going-to-the-sun road was closed about 13 miles up much to our disappointment. Since the road would close for the winter in two days, we were a bit anxious about whether we'd get to the other side at all..Our answer to that dilemma was to have breakfast at Johnson's ( French toast about an inch and a half thick out of their home made bread....) and then decide.

Our next-door-neighbors, Pam and Bill, have been traveling in a camper Pam bid for and won on Ebay! They're quite enthusiastic about camping and have been to Glacier numerous times, so they have been advising us on what to see. They travel with Cody, a spirited Shetland sheepdog-- who can resist such a face?! Pam and Bill came for chat last night in our camper, and today before leaving, Pam gifted us with some delicious taco soup-- nice and warm and spicy!

Pam and Bill advised going to Many Glacier and seeing the old lodge built in 1912, so that's what we decided to do. The snow had stopped by then , but the Going- to- the- Sun Road was still closed, and the day was still rather gray and gloomy. Glacier puts on a fine show in the snow, however. The rock faces take on greater contrast and texture, the clouds float above and below us, and the mountains take on a mystery I doubt they would have on a sunny day.

 

The Many Glacier Lodge sits on huge Swiftcurrent Lake surrounded by mammoth mountains, and its character is old European.












We met Jeff Walker painting from the window-- a piece he had begun outside before it got so cold and damp. ( He had been an art teacher for while, too, but for most of his life has been making his living from painting. )

 Lots of people were sitting around the great free-standing fireplace, reading, knitting chatting while a violinist played quietly over in the corner.We were still full from our huge breakfast, so we returned to the car and started down the mountain.
 

The day had gotten a bit brighter by that time, and it wasn't long before we came onto a "bear jam"-- many cars pulled to the side of the road, people lined up with cameras all pointing at the same spot. Sure enough, across the river, a big grizzly was foraging for berries.

 He'd investigate some bushes and then stand up to pull off the berries, loping off quickly to find the next cache. On his bottom was stuck a yellow leaf, that looked from a distance like a light-colored tail! There was no doubt about the fact that he knew were all looking at him-- "Jeez, you humans could give me a break. Can't you see I'm busy? I gotta get ready for winter, when all you have to do is go back to your restaurants and kitchens!" His foraging took him along the river bank with his band of fans following him on the other side, clicking, whirring and snapping their cameras until he disappeared amongst the brush.

And that, folks, was our BIG excitement of the day!! After coming off Many Glacier Road, we went up Going-to-the Sun Road once again to stop at some of the geologic exhibits and taking a short hike in Sun Rift Gorge, where a tremendous water fall empties into an active stream. It's rather fun to travel with one's own geologist, as Bill can answer all of the questions I have about rocks, textures, ripple marks and how they were made. He is the Ultimate Glacier freak, ( I'm calling him Glacial Erratic) so I can get all the knowledge I need about those. But please don't ask me to explain it all here!!! ( or ever!) The layering of the sedimentary rocks that prevail here, the U-shaped valleys, the sheer height of the basins, the austere ruggedness of the mountains, the many waterfalls-- all are stunning, and that's what I need to tell you! A piece of heaven. Oh, and don't ask me to name any mountains, either-- there are just too many of them!

(Some not-so-X-rated photos of cute butts.)

    Just a bit further, and near to the "Road is Closed" sign, we stopped to see Jackson Glacier, one of the only ones you can see without taking a hike or a tour. In 1850 Glacier had 350 glaciers, and today there are only 30 In spite of its diminishing size, Jackson is still pretty impressive!!