Approaching Glacier

Just a short blog to share in the anticipation for Glacier. Eastern and northern Montana (along US 2) had been rather bleak and depressing for us (both its weather and scenery). So, imagine our excitement when we saw that the mountains were getting closer. This photo was snapped outside Cut Bank, I believe--my first glimpse of the mountains. (I pulled off the road to relish the moment and take photos.)

When I saw that there was SNOW on the tops, I can't tell you how excited I was. We later learned that this snow had fallen just a night or two before we arrived--probably in part from all that rain we had encountered the day before.

Outside Browning, I believe, we stopped again for this shot. We were now in the Blackfoot Nation and would be for several days, when not in Glacier National Park.

We stopped on the western side of Browning (Highway 89), while heading to St. Mary's, one of the eastern entrances to the park and one end of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
 
 

 
This photo (taken while riding through the windshield) shows the recovery from a forest fire in either 2001 or 2003.
 

 
Getting closer all the time ...
 

 
Just inside the St. Mary's entrance is the Visitors Center. The best part for me was the Native American exhibit--a huge teepee that you sit inside and listen to recordings of four Indian tribe members telling about themselves and their relation to Glacier. Just outside the teepee was this saying, which touched a cord with this editor/writer.
 
 

 
Next up, the Going-to the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park. But first some sleep and maybe a few more miles!