Day 16, July 25: Going to the Sun Road, GNP

Today we took another Red Bus tour that made a complete loop in and around the park. But first, a bit about the Red Buses. They were built around 1936 to 1938 and served to provide motor tours of the park. They were, of course, manual transmission vehicles and the drivers had to jam them into each gear as they went up and down the mountains. As a result the drivers were (and still are) called "Jammers". One of the main characteristics of the buses (other than their color) is that they are convertibles. They have a heavy tarpaulin cover that can be pulled back opening up the top. With the top open, you have a fantastic view of the mountains. The buses were owned by a concessioner in the park. By the 1960s they were starting to become a problem to maintain and eventually the department of transportation took them out of service. The buses were a favorite of park visitors and the superintendent of the park worked a deal where the park would take possession of them and the Ford Motor Company would refurbish them. Basically, Ford put the body on a truck chassis with V-8 engines that will run on either propane or gasoline. And that's the story of the Red Buses. Now, they run several tours in and around the park, and it is a great way to see the park and while getting a narrative about the various points of interest.

The tour we were on today went from East Glacier (where we are staying) to West Glacier by way of US-2 (the way we came to get here). Us-2 crosses the continental divide at just around 5000 feet (the lowest crossing in the park). Just past the Continental Divide is a place called Goat Lick where the mountain goats come to (you guessed it) lick the rocks that contain a mineral they need. We saw a mother goat and her kid climbing the rocks. I took lots of pictures.

At West Glacier, we entered the park and drove up to Going to the Sun Road. That road crosses back from West to East along the Garden Wall mountains (more about that in a moment) crossing the Continental Divide at Logan's Pass at about 6500 feet elevation (well above the tree line). The Garden Wall is actually a large uplift that was carved on two sides by glaciers during the last ice age. As a result, the remaining mountains look a lot like a rock wall: High and long but not very wide. The Going to the Sun road starts at the bottom of the West side of the wall and climbs up going North to a switch back where it then goes along what is essentially the face of the wall until it is about three quarters of the way to the top. That is where the pass is located and it is the highest point on the road. The views were fantastic. Today was another cool (mid to upper 70s) and clear day so you could see forever. As you might expect, since the road is just cut into the very steep face of the mountain, it is an adventure for those sitting on the right side of the bus. The driver assured us all would be OK because all he had to do was follow the yellow line in the middle of the road. Some of our fellow passengers were not really into looking down the drop off, and when we stopped for viewing opportunities, some would not get out of the bus to partake.

The Going to the Sun road goes to St. Mary on the East side (where we were yesterday) and from there the tour returned to the lodge. So that part of the trip was a repeat of some of what we did yesterday. But we still enjoyed it.

After dinner tonight we hung out in the lobby and listened to Curly Bear Wagner (yup, that's his name) tell some stories to illustrate the Blackfeet way of life. He was very good and it was very interesting. He didn't shy away from the fact that the Blackfeet didn't get along well with any of the other nations.

I took a gazillion pictures today, and as soon as I can get back on the internet I will try to find time to get a sampling uploaded. For now we have pretty much packed up and loaded some stuff in the car. Tomorrow is another moving day: We are going to Yellowstone National Park. As much as we hate to leave Glacier, we are looking forward to Yellowstone.

Pictures have been uploaded. Check them out here.