We arrived at West Glacier and boarded the famous Red Buses to ride the "Going to the Sun Road". This is a narrow, steep, winding road that goes up to the top of one of the mountains; where you can see glaciers, wildlife , waterfalls and a lot of terrified looks on people's faces. It was not for the faint of heart! I was really glad I was on an inside seat. Once we got close to the park, the driver removed the roof from the bus, which of course afforded a much better view and a cool, windy breeze.
We saw gorgeous snow capped mountains... up close. At one point we were "above" the snow! The little stream of water you see below is actually a very large river winding through the valley. Looked small from way up high!
These are waterfalls coming from the melting glacier.
The snowmelt actually flows under the ice.
We got off the bus at the top of Logan Pass to enjoy the view before heading back down. Behind me, you can see a thick blanket of snow and ice. There were a lot of motorcycle riders there and I grabbed the chance to be a "biker woman" for a second!
Caught a glimpse of a mountain goat and her little one.
Another one of the fantastic waterfalls.
This is a shot of the rest of our group in the second bus. They are standing up through the open roof.
We sat next to Irene and Adlai. He took most of the pictures for me because I was too frightened to lean out the window.
Once we were off the mountain, we stopped at the river for a stretch. The trip up and back down took 3 hours.
A little fooling around after a tense, but exciting ride!
The next morning some of us headed out to a tiny village to visit The Polebridge Mercantile Store. They had a great bakery, lots of natural/herbal products and other fishing/camping items. It was a peaceful, scenic drive with views of the mountains (the ones we drove UP yesterday).
This appeared to be a relic from the past. It made me curious about the history of this place, but so far I haven't found any information on it other than it's a unique place to visit if you want to get away from it all!
The wildflowers around here are stunning!
3 comments:
Wasn't that red bus a Gondola?
You guys are really doing it right! This trip looks amazing! Wish we were there. . . besides the beauty of the scenery there, it's 97 here!
In Hannah's dismay at being fussed at today, she says, " I'm just a little person. I don't understand these things."
What is the weather like in these places? You look cold and Joe looks comfortable. Joe, have you found Blue Bell anywhere? Brother
Is the road to Pole Bridge still gravel??? It was total gravel for something like 20 miles in 2008. Makes for a bumpy ride!
Looks like you guys are having a ball!! Can't wait to hear all about it in person.
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