<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" > <channel> <title>Glacier National Park – THROUGH THE EYES OF JEFFERSON</title> <atom:link href="https://eyesofjefferson.com/tag/glacier-national-park/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com</link> <description>Presidential site adventures as told by a bobble head</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:18:52 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">167670250</site> <item> <title>265: SUNUP TO SUNDOWN – MY DAY AT GLACIER WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/265-sunup-to-sundown-my-day-at-glacier-was-out-of-this-world/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/265-sunup-to-sundown-my-day-at-glacier-was-out-of-this-world/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 11 Nov 2023 02:51:39 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bigfoot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bighorn sheep]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chief Mountain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Clements Mountain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Curly Bear Mountain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Eleanor Roosevelt]]></category> <category><![CDATA[FDR]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Glacier National Park]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Going-to-the-Sun Road]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Jackson Glacier]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lake McDonald]]></category> <category><![CDATA[McDonald Creek]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mt. Jackson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Paradise Meadow]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Red Rock Point]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reynolds Mountain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sasquatch]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shapeshifter]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sinopah Mountain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[St. Mary Lake]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Two Medicine Lake]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Two Medicine Store]]></category> <category><![CDATA[UFO]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wild Goose Island]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=19864</guid> <description><![CDATA[Our final full day at Montana’s Glacier National Park began early on Thursday September 14, 2023 when Tom’s alarm went off at 5:00am. The first thing my photographer did was check the weather report for the park – which thankfully…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Our final full day at Montana’s Glacier National Park began early on Thursday September 14, 2023 when Tom’s alarm went off at 5:00am. The first thing my photographer did was check the weather report for the park – which thankfully boasted a forecast for mostly sunny skies, mid-70s temperature, and no chance of rain.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The three of us left the hotel parking lot shortly before sunrise as we began the 30-mile drive to the St. Mary East Entrance to the national park. As Vicki navigated the Truckster around a sharp curve on Highway 89, the quietness of the early morning ride was broken when my photographer’s wife yelled out the word “BEAR!” Sure enough, I looked up from my camera case and saw a huge black bear standing in the middle of the road. As Vicki hit the brakes, the bear ran and disappeared into the brush on the east side of the highway. What a way to start our day – there’s nothing better than seeing an elusive creature in its natural habitat.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">By the time the orange ball of the sun had risen over the eastern horizon, we had made it through the NPS St. Mary Entrance and were once again on Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road. For the first 45 minutes or so, it seemed as though we had the park to ourselves. The further west we headed, however, the more traffic we encountered, which made it difficult to find a place to park near some of the good vantage points. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It’s been said over the years that a picture is worth a thousand words. And even though photographs cannot accurately depict the natural beauty we saw for 51 miles along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, here are over twenty thousand-worth of words from our time at Glacier National Park. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19866" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-3.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The early morning sun-drenched peaks of Curly Bear Mountain.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="551" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?resize=800%2C551&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19868" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?resize=300%2C206&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?resize=1024%2C705&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?resize=768%2C529&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?resize=1536%2C1057&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2a.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing at the Wild Goose Island lookout, high above St. Mary Lake. Twenty-four hours earlier, I was getting drenched from rain at the same spot.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="800" height="500" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?resize=800%2C500&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19869" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?resize=300%2C188&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?resize=768%2C480&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C960&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">St. Mary Lake is the second largest lake in Glacier National Park. Even though Wild Goose Island rises only 14 feet above the water and is dwarfed by the surrounding mountains, it’s one of the most frequently photographed locations along Going-to-the-Sun Road.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19870" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom captured this image on the Going-to-the-Sun Road as we traversed the north-side of St. Mary Lake.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1199" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-5.jpg?resize=800%2C1199&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19871" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-5.jpg?w=1134&ssl=1 1134w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-5.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-5.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-5.jpg?resize=768%2C1151&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-5.jpg?resize=1025%2C1536&ssl=1 1025w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">We stopped to admire Wild Good Island from another vantage point as it was bathed in the early morning sunlight.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="539" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?resize=800%2C539&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19872" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?resize=300%2C202&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C690&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?resize=768%2C517&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1035&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The peak “peeking” between the trees was the 9,125-foot-tall Reynolds Mountain.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19873" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">From a pull-off at Siyeh Bend, we had a great view of Jackson Glacier, which was the seventh largest of the 25 remaining glaciers in the park.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="549" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?resize=800%2C549&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19874" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?resize=300%2C206&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C703&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?resize=768%2C527&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1054&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">At a height of 10,052 feet, Mt. Jackson is the fourth tallest mountain in the park and is situated along the Continental Divide.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="566" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?resize=800%2C566&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19876" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?resize=300%2C212&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C724&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?resize=768%2C543&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?resize=1536%2C1086&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-11.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When I saw the 8,765-foot-tall Clements Mountain, I thought there was a small glacier near its base. It turned out to be only a perennial ice mass and not a true glacier.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="524" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?resize=800%2C524&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19877" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?resize=300%2C197&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C671&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?resize=768%2C503&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C1007&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Clements Mountain could easily be seen as we headed for the West Tunnel, which cut through a section of Piegan Mountain.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?resize=800%2C576&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19878" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C737&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?resize=300%2C216&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?resize=768%2C553&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?resize=1536%2C1105&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-13.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom snapped this image as we emerged from the West Tunnel, which was constructed between 1926 and 1927 and is considered an engineering marvel.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19881" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-16.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Once she pulled the van into one of the many overlooks along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Vicki took a moment to admire the view at Paradise Meadow.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19882" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-17.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vicki did a great job of navigating the winding road alongside the rugged wall of rock.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19883" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-18.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">There was no room for error on this stretch of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. As a matter of fact, I heard Tom say he thought he was going to scrape his elbow on the rocks as we drove past.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="507" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?resize=800%2C507&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19885" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?resize=300%2C190&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?resize=1024%2C649&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?resize=768%2C487&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?resize=1536%2C974&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-19.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The beautiful, rugged, and majestic terrain at Glacier National Park.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19886" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-20.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The waters of McDonald Creek cascaded over the small falls at Red Rock Point.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19887" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-21.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The calm blue pool of glacier water at Red Rock Point.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1200" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-22.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19888" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-22.jpg?w=1133&ssl=1 1133w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-22.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-22.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-22.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-22.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A woman on horseback traversed the trail bridge over McDonald Creek, less than two miles north of Lake McDonald.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19889" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-23.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The three of us had this view of McDonald Creek, looking north from the trail bridge.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19890" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-24.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The last ten miles of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, all along the eastern edge of Lake McDonald, was being repaired – which only made the congested traffic situation worse.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="496" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?resize=800%2C496&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19891" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?resize=300%2C186&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?resize=1024%2C635&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?resize=768%2C476&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?resize=1536%2C952&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-25.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="460" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?resize=800%2C460&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19892" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?resize=300%2C173&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?resize=1024%2C589&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?resize=768%2C442&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?resize=1536%2C884&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-26.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When we arrived at the West Entrance to Glacier National Park, we saw this line of traffic trying to get into the park.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">For 51 miles, the three of us headed west along the Going-to-the-Sun Road as we went through the heart of Glacier National Park. Although there were times the early morning shadows made viewing the scenery a bit more difficult than we hoped, Tom’s initial plan was to retrace our steps once we reached the Apgar Visitor Center. But that idea came to a screeching halt when my companions saw the line of traffic entering the West Entrance of the park. With the vehicle reservation policy no longer in effect, visitors were streaming into Glacier like piss ants to a picnic. That’s the moment I heard my photographer say to his wife, “It’s time to visit the Two Medicine Store where Franklin Roosevelt spent some time in 1934. It would take forever to go back the way we came along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, so we’ll go around the southern border of the park on Route 2 and that should take us close to the Two Medicine Entrance.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After an hour and fifteen-minute scenic drive along Route 2, which took us in and out of the park’s boundaries several times, we made it to the Two Medicine Entrance of Glacier National Park. The traffic seemed pale in comparison to the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and at first, I thought we might have the Two Medicine Store to ourselves. But once we made it past the Running Eagle Falls site where Tom and Vicki had hiked on Tuesday, it became very evident I was badly mistaken. By the time we arrived at the end of 2 Medicine Road, we saw cars parked everywhere – and of course, the piss ants were back.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Luckily, Vic found a parking spot near a public picnic area, which wasn’t too far from the Two Medicine Store. Tom carried me along a makeshift trail, which was a shortcut to the store; and within a few minutes, I found myself emerged in the historic ambience of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The Two Medicine Store is the only surviving building from the Two Medicine Chalets that were built along the northeastern shore of Two Medicine Lake in 1914. Twenty years later, on August 5, 1934, our 32nd President arrived at the chalets where he delivered a national radio address after he had been driven through Glacier National Park along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. His speech was primarily centered on our nation’s recovery struggles during the Great Depression, as well as his thoughts and plans for America’s national parks. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">In the early portion of his address, Roosevelt said to the American people who were listening from all around our great nation, “Today, for the first time in my life, I have seen Glacier Park. Perhaps I can best express to you my thrill and delight by saying that I wish every American, old and young, could have been with me today. The great mountains, the glaciers, the lakes and the trees make me long to stay here for all the rest of the summer.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">As I posed for numerous photos near the exterior of the log structure, I thought about FDR, who was just over a year into his first term when he visited the park. While the store looked well-preserved on the outside, the windows and doors were boarded shut, and the interior was closed to the public. My original goal was to stand inside the Two Medicine Store and say out loud to anyone listening, “I wish every Chinese-made bobble head in America could be with me today.” But unfortunately, that didn’t happen.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When Tom and I had finished our visit at the store, he carried me down to the shore of Two Medicine Lake where I dipped my toes in glacier water – and let me tell you, that water was so cold I thought my resin nipples might poke through my shirt, vest, and overcoat. While I was fortunate that didn’t happen, I did suffer from a severe case of “shrinkage”. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We found Vicki down by the lakeside, and although she dipped her toes in the lake, the frigid water didn’t have the same effect on her as it did me – which was lucky for everyone around. Just as the two of us caught up with her, Tom and I found Vicki engaged in a conversation with four young college students from Poland. It turned out the four friendly lads, one of whom spoke English better than most Americans, were lifeguards. They had come to the U.S. on a thirty-day visa where they planned to travel all around our country to visit as many national parks as possible. One member of the group told my companions they were sleeping in their rented van and hadn’t showered in three days. My photographer and I did our best to stay up-wind from the quartet – at least until they hopped into a rented boat and headed out into Two Medicine Lake. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="538" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?resize=800%2C538&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19898" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?resize=300%2C202&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C688&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?resize=768%2C516&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C1033&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-3.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Once part of the Two Medicine Chalets when it was constructed in 1914, the building is known today as the Two Medicine Store and is the only surviving original structure. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="640" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-AT-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET.jpg?resize=800%2C640&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19897" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-AT-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-AT-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET.jpg?resize=300%2C240&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-AT-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-AT-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET.jpg?resize=768%2C614&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">President Franklin Roosevelt was photographed as he arrived at the Two Medicine Chalets on August 5, 1934 where he delivered a national radio address from inside the building.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19896" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-14.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While Tom and I weren’t one hundred percent sure this building was the exact one used by FDR in 1934, we knew for a fact the President saw this structure during his visit.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="564" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?resize=800%2C564&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19895" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?resize=300%2C211&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C722&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?resize=768%2C541&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?resize=1536%2C1082&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-13.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">It was unfortunate the Two Medicine Store had fallen into a state of disrepair over the years. In my opinion, the NPS should restore the interior with displays and artifacts from FDR’s historic visit.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1145" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-8.jpg?resize=800%2C1145&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19899" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-8.jpg?w=1188&ssl=1 1188w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-8.jpg?resize=210%2C300&ssl=1 210w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-8.jpg?resize=716%2C1024&ssl=1 716w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-8.jpg?resize=768%2C1099&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-8.jpg?resize=1073%2C1536&ssl=1 1073w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Whether or not FDR went inside the Two Medicine Store didn’t matter to me. As I stood on part of the building, I could feel Roosevelt’s presence and hear the words that ended his radio address in 1934, “May we come better to know every part of our great heritage in the days to come.”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1155" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-20.jpg?resize=800%2C1155&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19900" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-20.jpg?w=1177&ssl=1 1177w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-20.jpg?resize=208%2C300&ssl=1 208w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-20.jpg?resize=709%2C1024&ssl=1 709w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-20.jpg?resize=768%2C1109&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-20.jpg?resize=1063%2C1536&ssl=1 1063w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Not only was it very difficult for me to stand on the slippery rocks, but the glacier water was frigid cold. Did you notice the two tiny bumps on my yellow vest?</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="554" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?resize=800%2C554&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19901" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?resize=300%2C208&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?resize=1024%2C709&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?resize=768%2C532&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?resize=1536%2C1063&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-21.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Not only did the cold water take my breath away, but the scenery at Two Medicine Lake was breathtaking as well. Behind me in the distance, rising 8,276 feet above the lake, was the majestic Sinopah Mountain. There is no doubt President Franklin Roosevelt saw Sinopah Mountain with his own eyes.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="632" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?resize=800%2C632&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19903" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?resize=300%2C237&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?resize=1024%2C809&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?resize=768%2C607&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?resize=1536%2C1213&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/FDR-NEAR-TWO-MEDICINE-CHALET-8-5-34.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In this August 5, 1934 photo, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt were inducted into the Blackfeet tribe near Two-Medicine Chalet. After the President had been installed as “Lone Chief,” the First Lady received the title of “Medicine Pipe Woman.” Notice the top of Sinopah Mountain in the background.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?resize=800%2C576&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19902" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?resize=300%2C216&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C737&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?resize=768%2C553&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C1106&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After Vicki talked with the four young lifeguards from Poland, they boarded a small boat and headed out onto Two Medicine Lake where they planned on swimming in the frigid glacier water. I bet they yelled out “kurczenie się” when they jumped into the lake.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="580" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?resize=800%2C580&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19904" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?resize=300%2C218&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?resize=1024%2C743&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?resize=768%2C557&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?resize=1536%2C1114&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-22.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vicki captured this image of my photographer as he sat and watched a merganser try to find lunch.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="546" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-10.jpg?resize=800%2C546&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19945" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-10.jpg?w=1302&ssl=1 1302w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-10.jpg?resize=300%2C205&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-10.jpg?resize=1024%2C698&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-10.jpg?resize=768%2C524&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The beautiful bird known as the common merganser didn’t seem to mind the cold water as it searched for food.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="614" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-19.jpg?resize=800%2C614&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19906" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-19.jpg?w=1627&ssl=1 1627w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-19.jpg?resize=300%2C230&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-19.jpg?resize=1024%2C786&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-19.jpg?resize=768%2C590&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-19.jpg?resize=1536%2C1179&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“Hey Chubbs, what are you looking at? Haven’t you ever seen a baby having breakfast before?”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="528" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?resize=800%2C528&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19908" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?resize=300%2C198&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C676&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?resize=768%2C507&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?resize=1536%2C1015&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-18.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When the three of us returned to the picnic area where our van was parked, there were roughly eight female bighorn sheep having a picnic of their own.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="649" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?resize=800%2C649&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19909" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?resize=300%2C243&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?resize=1024%2C831&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?resize=768%2C623&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?resize=1536%2C1246&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TWO-MEDICINE-17.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I was surprised when this large bighorn ewe walked past the red berries without eating a single one. I suppose she was full after eating discarded garbage from the nearby fire pit.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Even though the three of us had spent only 30 minutes visiting the Two Medicine Store and the nearby lake, I enjoyed that site more than any other in Glacier National Park. Like I’ve said a countless number of times in the past – there’s nothing like a Presidential site to put a bounce in my step and a wobble in my neck.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">While Vicki decided to find an alternate path back to the picnic area, Tom wanted to take the path of least resistance – which meant my photographer carried me along the same shortcut route he had discovered a half-hour earlier. Suddenly, just as we reached the roadway where our van was parked, my photographer and I saw a line of vehicles stopped still in the road. It turned out the drivers were waiting for a small herd of bighorn sheep. Some of gorgeous animals were in the road, while a few others devoured discarded food from a firepit. Even though the bighorn sheep were wild critters, they didn’t seem overly afraid of the dozen or so people who stood and watched the entire herd from a distance of thirty or forty feet.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It was only one-thirty in the afternoon, and we had plenty of daylight left to see more of Glacier National Park, but due to the ever-growing congestion caused by visitors and their vehicles, my companions decided to head back to our hotel in Browning. But there was a method to Tom’s madness – which I discovered when I heard my photographer tell his wife he planned on seeing the sunset over Chief Mountain that evening. I was stunned, amazed, and excited all at the same time. In my mind, that was the perfect way to end our visit – the three of us would get the opportunity to pay tribute to the Native American culture at their most-sacred site.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Back in Browning, my two companions grabbed an early dinner from the nearby Taco John’s, which they devoured in our room at the Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino. After Tom and Vic took a two-hour nap, the three of us boarded the Truckster for the 54-mile journey back to the roadside viewing area just east of Chief Mountain. My photographer’s goal was to view the sunset from the same place we had met artist Greg Kintz a day earlier.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I was surprised by our early departure as the sun was still quite high in the late-day sky, but I understood the reasoning once I heard Tom say “I’d rather be an hour early than five minutes late. This is our last shot at seeing a sunset over Glacier National Park and I don’t want to miss it.” </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The drive was uneventful from Browning, all the way past Babb, and into the final ten-mile stretch of roadway along Chief Mountain Highway. As we got close to our intended destination, Tom was guided by memory as he tried to find the precise overlook. However, much to his surprise, the landscape and sacred mountain looked different in the late-day sun compared to our early afternoon visit the previous day. Finally, at 6:49pm, we arrived at our “Sunset Destination” – and it was exactly one hour before the sun was scheduled to set.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The silence was deafening as we waited patiently in the van for the Earth to rotate the final sixty minutes. As the clock slowly ticked down to 7:49pm, an occasional vehicle sped past our position and broke the stillness of the moment. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard the distinct sound of ‘mooing’ cattle – and by the tone, it seemed as though the cattle were just around the bend in the road a few hundred yards to the north of us. As the low wails and moans of the cattle grew louder and sounded closer, I heard my photographer say to his wife: “By the sound of that mooing, I predict those cows will be all around us within fifteen minutes.” A minute or two later, I saw Tom point his camera towards a brush-filled area at the north end of the overlook because he wanted to get a picture of the approaching cattle. But when the camera’s flash went off, the mooing stopped, and the cattle were never seen nor heard from again. It’s hard to explain, but during that entire ordeal, I had an uneasy feeling. We were alone, out in the middle of nowhere, and it felt as though someone, or something, was watching us. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">While the cattle never appeared, the sun slowly disappeared from our view. The blue sky became tinted with splashes of orange and red; then, as if directed by Native American spiritual intervention, a cloud formation that resembled an eagle in flight appeared to the right of the silhouetted Chief Mountain. An eagle is considered by Native Americans to be sacred – and to witness that large eagle flying over the sacred mountain left me awestruck and speechless. Nínaiistáko was transforming before our very eyes; and quite frankly, it was a very moving experience for me. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The three of us were alone, or at least we thought we were, in the heart of Blackfoot country as the sun slowly vanished in the western sky, just south of our view of Chief Mountain. The sun is considered by the local Native Americans to be the most important of all and has been at the center of Blackfoot religious beliefs for centuries. As a matter of fact, the sun is also considered by the Blackfeet as one in the same with their Supreme Being – Apistotoke.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="557" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-15.jpg?resize=800%2C557&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19915" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-15.jpg?w=1329&ssl=1 1329w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-15.jpg?resize=300%2C209&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-15.jpg?resize=1024%2C713&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-15.jpg?resize=768%2C535&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">6:49pm – We had exactly one hour before sunset over Chief Mountain, one of the most sacred sites in the Blackfoot culture.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="499" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?resize=800%2C499&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19924" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?resize=300%2C187&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?resize=1024%2C638&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?resize=768%2C479&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?resize=1536%2C958&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-ALMOST-GONE.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">7:17pm – Thirty-two minutes before sunset, and the sun was about to disappear behind the mountain.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="511" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?resize=800%2C511&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19917" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?resize=300%2C192&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C654&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?resize=768%2C491&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?resize=1536%2C981&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">7:39pm – Just ten minutes before sunset, we saw an eagle-shaped cloud formation near Chief Mountain. It’s believed by the Native Americans that bald eagles and golden eagles each represent honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power and freedom. As the eagles roam the sky, they are believed to have a special connection to Apistotoke – the Blackfoot tribe’s Supreme Being.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="511" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?resize=800%2C511&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19918" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?resize=300%2C192&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?resize=1024%2C654&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?resize=768%2C491&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?resize=1536%2C981&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-4-eagle.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer outlined the formation to help our viewers see the eagle.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19923" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-749-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">7:49pm – The official time the sun set over Glacier National Park. Although the “eagle” had changed in shape, like a shapeshifter, it appeared to have landed on top of Chief Mountain.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="538" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?resize=800%2C538&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19920" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?resize=300%2C202&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?resize=1024%2C688&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?resize=768%2C516&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?resize=1536%2C1033&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-10.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">7:56pm – Seven minutes after the sun had officially set, and the sky above Chief Mountain turned to fire.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19921" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">8:02pm – Just 13 minutes after sunset, some of the intense color in the sky began to dissipate. I wanted to shout out, “Oh, Apistotoke, don’t let the sun go down on me.” </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19927" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-12-bw-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">“I can’t light no more of your darkness; all my pictures seem to fade to black and white.”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">“Don’t let the sun go down on me; although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see. I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free. But losin’ everything, is like the sun goin’ down on me.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Darkness came upon us quickly, and we had over 50 miles of deer, cow, and bear-infested roads to navigate during our return trip to our hotel. By the time we made it into St. Mary, however, Tom asked his wife to stop at a grocery store so he could search for some huckleberry jam. Not only did St. Mary Grocery have an endless variety of foodstuff made from huckleberries; they also had another snack food that caught my photographer’s trained eye. Located near the checkout counter, Tom found two stacks of chocolate bars that featured the elusive Sasquatch on the wrappers. From my position in the camera case slung around Tom’s shoulders, I heard my photographer laugh and say: “Well, Vic, this proves it. We ARE in Bigfoot country, and it looks like Squatch loves chocolate!” </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="597" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?resize=800%2C597&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19928" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C764&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?resize=300%2C224&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?resize=768%2C573&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?resize=1536%2C1146&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-13.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During our time in the St. Mary Grocery store, Tom bought some huckleberry jam; a package of wild huckleberry licorice ropes; but he left the Bigfoot chocolate bars behind.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">On the road again, I had the pleasure of listening to my photographer as he munched on huckleberry licorice ropes, which sounded as good as they likely tasted. After we had left the store, Highway 89 became very dark and desolate; with only the van’s high beams giving my companions a chance to spot a wayward critter in the road. From an opening in the camera case, I watched as the road’s yellow center lines flashed by in a blur. There was a sense of uneasiness in our van, as well; I could feel it. It was the first time on the trip where we had to travel a long distance in complete darkness, and Vicki was on pins and needles.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Just when the spirit-filled and eerie night couldn’t become any more edgy, a round, bright orange light appeared in the dark sky in front of us. If I had to guess, I’d say the object was about a thousand feet above us, and there was no doubt in my mind the glowing craft was in motion. Roughly five or six seconds after I first saw it, the object appeared to rotate towards our direction, and I saw an extremely bright white light that pulsated from its center. Even though the light was blindingly intense, I could tell the orange craft wasn’t round. I saw it very clearly – it looked like an odd cylindrical shaped object with a few defined edges around the center. Seconds after the white light appeared from the orange object, the entire craft faded to black. It didn’t just disappear as though someone flicked a switch; it faded away over a second or two. Once again, I was completely at a loss for words and totally flabbergasted.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After the object had vanished, I heard Vicki say to my photographer, “Where did it go? That light was really bright. I wonder what it was.” Tom replied, “I know you’re going to think I’m nuts, but I believe we just saw a UFO – likely an alien spacecraft.” That opinion was immediately followed by Vicki’s usual skepticism, which in the past, has been reserved for possible Sasquatch encounters: “Oh come on, there has to be a logical explanation besides a flying saucer. It was probably a helicopter, or a low flying airplane, or maybe one of those Chinese lanterns.” Tom did his best to debunk his wife’s theory. “Helicopters and airplanes aren’t orange, plus their main lights wouldn’t have just faded out. Had that object been one of those, we should have been able to see it until we drove past it. But that didn’t happen – it just faded away in front of us. And I don’t believe it was a floating Chinese lantern because the white light was blinding – it was as intense as a welder’s arc flash.” At that moment, total silence filled the van – not another word was spoken. I stood alone in my camera case and listened to the sound of the tires humming on the highway all the way back to the hotel. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="451" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UFO-IN-SKY.jpg?resize=800%2C451&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19931" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UFO-IN-SKY.jpg?w=965&ssl=1 965w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UFO-IN-SKY.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UFO-IN-SKY.jpg?resize=768%2C433&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Unfortunately, because he was too busy eating licorice whips, Tom did NOT capture an image during our alien craft encounter. However, this photo is a fairly accurate depiction of what we saw that night along Highway 89 – south of St. Mary and east of Glacier National Park.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We made it back to our hotel in Browning at 9:20pm and I was still in a state of complete astonishment. Tom and I wholeheartedly believe we saw an alien spacecraft near Glacier National Park. Vicki, on the other hand, was very nonchalant about the encounter. While my photographer’s wife made it very clear the object wasn’t extraterrestrial, Vicki did claim she didn’t get a great look at the light as she was too busy watching for critters in the middle of the road. Too bad a Sasquatch didn’t run in front of the van, maybe that would’ve changed her attitude about the paranormal.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">After Tom placed me alongside the television set, I watched as he and his wife heated up a couple of late-night meals in the microwave. My photographer polished-off another bowl of Ramen noodles, while Vicki devoured a spaghetti dinner which she had purchased at the St. Mary Grocery store. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Before he crawled into bed for the night, Tom decided to upload all of the day’s images from his camera’s memory card onto an external hard drive he had plugged into the laptop. I watched intently as he looked at the images one by one. When my photographer found the random image he had taken just before sunset at the Chief Mountain overlook, all I saw on the monitor was a photo of thick brush and weeds at the end of the paved roadway where we were parked. Then he enlarged the image – and I heard him say out loud: “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Vic, there was something in the weeds watching us. I can see its head and face.” Vicki walked over to where he was sitting and said, “That’s not a face – it’s just shadows on a tree. You have a wild imagination.” Tom replied, “Wild imagination my ass – that’s a face watching us, and I believe it might be a shapeshifter; or a skinwalker; or maybe even an alien being. Many Native American tribal legends have been passed down for centuries that speak of Star People, as well as shapeshifters. Since we were smack-dab in the heart of the Blackfoot reservation and near their most sacred site, I sure in the heck-fire believe that was a strange being watching us. It’s not a shadow.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Let me tell you, that statement not only opened up a whole new can of worms, but it also made my resin skin crawl. First, I saw an alien spaceship flying above us in the night sky. And if that wasn’t enough, I also found out a possible skinwalker or alien being had watched our every movement. I had a gut feeling we were being watched at that overlook – now I saw proof the three of us weren’t alone.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="561" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?resize=800%2C561&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19934" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?resize=300%2C210&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C718&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?resize=768%2C539&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?resize=1536%2C1077&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-5.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom captured this image at 7:42pm – just seven minutes before sunset. Upon first glance, it looked like an ordinary photo of weeds, brush and trees just north of the paved vehicle turn-out along Chief Mountain Highway.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="552" height="800" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-6.jpg?resize=552%2C800&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19935" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-6.jpg?w=552&ssl=1 552w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SUNSET-6.jpg?resize=207%2C300&ssl=1 207w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 552px) 100vw, 552px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">But when Tom enlarged the image, he saw a face in the brush. Whatever it was, the creature appeared to be hiding behind a tree and looking at us.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="753" height="800" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SHAPESHIFTER.jpg?resize=753%2C800&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19937" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SHAPESHIFTER.jpg?w=753&ssl=1 753w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SHAPESHIFTER.jpg?resize=282%2C300&ssl=1 282w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Even though this enlarged image was very pixelated, it left little doubt there was someone, or something, watching us. Was it a skinwalker? A shapeshifter? An alien being? Or just a figment of our so-called “wild imagination”?</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When Tom extinguished the lights in our room at 10:45pm, I was suddenly all alone; with only my thoughts to keep me company. For over two days I had bathed in the glory of the Blackfoot culture and walked the soil where their brave people have lived and worshipped for centuries. Their land is sacred; as is their heritage.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tonight, we saw an eagle soar from the heavens and land upon Ninaistako, while Apistotoke took his brush and splashed the sky from his colorful palette. It’s been written throughout the ages that a sunset, like life, has its own story to tell – of beginnings and endings, of joy and farewell. With the splendor we witnessed this evening, there was no doubt in my mind, Manitou, the Blackfoot “Great Spirit”, had sent us off with the greatest gift of all – and that was a close encounter of the best kind. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> “Kitatama’sino!” </p> <p></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/265-sunup-to-sundown-my-day-at-glacier-was-out-of-this-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">19864</post-id> </item> <item> <title>264: WHERE WAS THE SUN ON GLACIER’S GOING-TO-THE-SUN ROAD?</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/264-where-was-the-sun-on-glaciers-going-to-the-sun-road/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/264-where-was-the-sun-on-glaciers-going-to-the-sun-road/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 21:27:35 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alberta Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Chief Mountain]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Glacier National Park]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Going-to-the-Sun Road]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gregory Kintz]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Grinnell Glacier]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lake Sherburne]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Many Glacier]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Many Glacier Hotel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Prince of Wales Hotel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[St. Mary Lake]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Swiftcurrent Falls]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Trapper's Mountain Grill]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Upper Waterton Lake]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Waterton Lakes National Park]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park]]></category> <category><![CDATA[White buffalo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wild Goose Island]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=19802</guid> <description><![CDATA[Wednesday the 13th of September was scheduled to be our first of two full days at Glacier National Park in Montana. When Tom’s alarm went off at 5:30am, the rotund hike-hater sprung out of bed like his colon had just…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Wednesday the 13th of September was scheduled to be our first of two full days at Glacier National Park in Montana. When Tom’s alarm went off at 5:30am, the rotund hike-hater sprung out of bed like his colon had just been examined by Sasquatch. Not only did my photographer want to see a sunrise at 7:06am, but he also wanted to get onto the famous Going-To-The-Sun Road before it became clogged with traffic. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The three of us were in the van and on the road to Glacier National Park by 7:10am – just four minutes after the sun poked its bright face over the eastern horizon. It was a cool morning, and the sky was partly cloudy over Browning. As we headed west during the 30-mile drive to the park’s St. Mary Entrance, my companions and I noticed a heavier-than-usual layer of clouds hovering over and around the mountains. I heard my photographer tell his wife he hoped the morning sun would burn off the clouds, which was likely as rain wasn’t in the morning weather forecast.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">At a few minutes before eight o’clock, we were on the Going-to-the-Sun Road after passing the St. Mary Visitor Center – and as luck would have it, there weren’t many other vehicles on the road. During prime sightseeing season, which began on May 26th, visitors must obtain vehicle reservations to enter the park from 6am to 3pm. But the registration requirements ended on September 10th, just three days prior to our visit, and the only thing my companions needed for access to Glacier National Park was Tom’s NPS Senior Lifetime Pass.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The Going-to the Sun Road took us along the north shore of St. Mary Lake until we made it to a vehicle parking area where we had a decent view of Wild Good Island. But just as Tom snapped a few images of the island, the weather system arrived. Strong wind and rain sprinkles made it difficult to enjoy the scenery, and much to our chagrin, the weather grew worse as we headed further west. By the time we made it to the western end of St. Mary Lake, we could barely see the mountain tops and it became obvious the wind and rain wasn’t going to let up any time soon. I thought to myself, “This can’t be Going-to-the Sun Road, we must be on Driving-in-the-Wind-and-Rain Road.”</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="617" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?resize=800%2C617&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19807" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?resize=300%2C231&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C790&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?resize=768%2C592&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1185&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As we arrived at the St. Mary Entrance to Glacier National Park, the entire area was bathed in sunlight. Unfortunately for us, we were only a few miles from being bathed in liquid sunshine.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="517" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?resize=800%2C517&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19808" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?resize=300%2C194&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C661&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?resize=768%2C496&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C992&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An early morning view of St. Mary Lake with several sunbathed peaks in the distance.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="552" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?resize=800%2C552&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19809" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?resize=300%2C207&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C707&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?resize=768%2C530&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1060&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Shortly after Tom captured this image of Wild Goose Island, the wind grew stronger and it began to sprinkle – and trust me, my spirits were dampened as well.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="536" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?resize=800%2C536&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19810" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?resize=300%2C201&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C685&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?resize=768%2C514&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C1028&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-8.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Further west along Going-to-the-Sun Road, Tom caught the sun’s rays as they tried to brighten Wild Goose Island.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="553" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?resize=800%2C553&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19811" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?resize=300%2C207&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C708&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?resize=768%2C531&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1062&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wind, rain, and an overcast sky made our first visit through Glacier National Park a huge disappointment.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="577" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?resize=800%2C577&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19812" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?resize=300%2C216&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C738&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?resize=768%2C554&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1108&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When my two companions and I saw a rainbow in the distance, a magically delicious idea popped into Tom’s head. It was time to change plans, which turned out to be a lucky charm for all three of us.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The moment of truth for our adventure came when Tom attempted to get out of the van to photograph a distant rainbow. I watched as my photographer struggled to open the passenger-side door against the strong wind, and at one point, the door nearly slammed shut on his leg. Once he was finally able to get out and capture the image of the rainbow above the trees and mountains, he returned to the safety of the van with one thing on his mind – “We need to look at Plan B for today, because Plan A really sucks!”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I was stunned – Tom had been planning this trip for the past nine months and this was the day he had penciled-in to drive through the heart of Glacier National Park. Now, because of the wind and rain, my two companions were ready to bale after only an hour stay. They used their phones to check the current weather situation in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, and even though that park was only 50 miles north of our position, their weather app indicated no precipitation whatsoever. At nine o’clock, Plan B was set in motion, and we were headed for the Canadian border.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">During my ten-plus years of travel, I’ve visited 43 of the 50 United States, as well as two of the 10 Canadian provinces and its three territories. My first visit to Ontario was on June 20, 2014, while my only visit to New Brunswick came on July 12, 2017. At precisely 9:37am on September 13, 2023, I made it into the province of Alberta with Tom and his wife.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="513" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?resize=800%2C513&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19816" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?resize=300%2C192&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C657&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?resize=768%2C492&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C985&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">On Montana Highway 89, just a few hundred yards from the U.S.-Canada border, we saw hundreds of bison grazing in a field. While most of the beasts were traditional brown American bison, we saw a handful of rare white buffalo in the herd as well. I also noticed one bison in the herd who seemed somewhat different – my photographer laughed and said it was a rare water buffalo with a leak.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="900" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-3.jpg?resize=800%2C900&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19817" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-3.jpg?w=867&ssl=1 867w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-3.jpg?resize=267%2C300&ssl=1 267w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-3.jpg?resize=768%2C864&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The dozen or so white bison we saw were grazing in a fenced pasture and quite far from the road.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="959" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-16.jpg?resize=800%2C959&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19819" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-16.jpg?w=1418&ssl=1 1418w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-16.jpg?resize=250%2C300&ssl=1 250w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-16.jpg?resize=854%2C1024&ssl=1 854w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-16.jpg?resize=768%2C921&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-16.jpg?resize=1281%2C1536&ssl=1 1281w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Welcome to Alberta, Canada – the third Canadian Province I’ve visited.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="456" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?resize=800%2C456&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19820" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?resize=300%2C171&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C583&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?resize=768%2C437&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?resize=1536%2C875&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-5.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This small herd of grazing cattle didn’t seem to be “moooooved” by the beautiful scenery.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="493" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?resize=800%2C493&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19821" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?resize=300%2C185&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C631&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?resize=768%2C473&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?resize=1536%2C946&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-6.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My photographer’s wife asked Tom if they could buy one of those two houses. He replied, “I don’t think we could afford one of those places. Remember, we’re on a fixed income – although our income might go a bit further in Canada.”</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">From the border, where we had no issues getting into Canada, Vicki drove the Truckster north into Cardston, Alberta before we headed west towards the national park. It turned out the southwestern corner of Alberta was mostly farmland with grazing cattle everywhere. One thing became very evident during our 30-mile drive from Cardston to the park – the Canadian cattle had an amazing view of the mountains, had they chosen to look up from the grass.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The three of us didn’t know for sure what to expect at Waterton Lakes National Park, except for the fact there were no glaciers in the park. After my companions paid their entry fee because Tom’s NPS pass didn’t cover Canadian National Parks, Vicki drove towards the mountains along the western shore of Lower Waterton Lake. Less than ten minutes later, we arrived at our first stop – the Prince of Wales Hotel. While the sun shone brightly above us in the partly cloudy sky, a 30 mph (or 48.3 kph) constant wind presented problems during our entire visit.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The historic Prince of Wales Hotel opened in July 1927 and was named in honor of, you guessed it, the Prince of Wales – who later became King Edward VIII, until he vacated the British throne after only eleven months because he intended to marry a divorcee. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The Rustic-style seven-story tall, majestically beautiful Prince of Wales Hotel overlooked Upper Waterton Lake and was cozily snuggled in the shadow of Mt. Crandell. The hotel held zero historical significance to me or my photographer, because the Prince of Wales, or Kind Edward VIII, or Duke of Windsor as he was known as after he vacated the throne, never set foot in the building. However, as Tom carried me around the grounds where we had a spectacular view of the building, the water, and the surrounding mountains, it was easy to see why the Prince of Wales Hotel is considered by many to be the crown jewel of Waterton Lakes National Park. Several times during our thirty-minute visit at the hotel, I thought for certain the strong wind would send me flying from my photographer’s hand. At one point, when Tom attempted to place me on the ground with the Upper Waterton Lake behind me, the wind nearly blew me down the rocky hill and into the water below.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19824" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-7.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The beautiful, rustic Prince of Wales Hotel. with the peak of Mt. Crandell rising up in the background. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19825" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-8.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The view of the mountains was spectacular from the grounds of the Prince of Wales Hotel. Behind me, in the distance, was Mt. Richards.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?resize=800%2C520&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19826" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?resize=300%2C195&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?resize=1024%2C666&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?resize=768%2C500&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?resize=1536%2C999&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-9.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This was our view of the scenic Upper Waterton Lake, looking south from the hotel grounds.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">When our visit at the Prince of Wales Hotel was finished, Tom wanted to pay a visit to the tiny hamlet of Waterton Park, which was located across Emerald Bay from the hotel. As Vicki pulled the van into a parking area along Waterton Avenue, my photographer mentioned only 158 people resided in the beautiful, lakeside hamlet located within the National Park. But there was another surprise in store for us – Waterton Park featured the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which had an unexpected “shirttail” Presidential connection.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">On July 4, 1931, Rotarians from Alberta and Montana met at the Prince of Wales Hotel where they conceived the idea of the Peace Park as a way to celebrate peace and friendship between Canada and the United States. The following year, members of the Canadian Parliament and the U.S. Congress created legislation that established the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which joined the two national parks. President Herbert Hoover, who did not visit the park, said in a statement from the White House: “Dedication of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is a further gesture of the goodwill that has so long blessed our relations with our Canadian neighbors, and I am gratified by the hope and faith that it will forever be an appropriate symbol of permanent peace and friendship.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom gave me the honor, or honour, since we were in Canada, to pose at the entrance to the Peace Park. At first, I wondered why President Hoover never made an appearance to help dedicate the park he had verbally embraced, but he likely was too embroiled in the Great Depression to make many cross-country trips. But that never stopped Franklin Roosevelt. On August 5, 1934, while our nation was still in the middle of the Great Depression, FDR visited Glacier National Park where he traversed the entire Going-to-the-Sun Road before he visited the Two Medicine Chalet along Two Medicine Lake. But for some reason, likely due to time constraints, Roosevelt never made it to Waterton Lakes National Park.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">My photographer and I met up with Vicki, who had gone ahead of us because she wanted to stand along the rocky shore of Upper Waterton Lake. The northern two-thirds of the lake was located within the boundary of Alberta, while the southern third was across the border in Montana. When Tom set me down along the edge of the lake, I wondered if any mysterious sea creatures, like Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster, reside in the 260-foot body of water. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="625" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?resize=800%2C625&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19832" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?resize=300%2C234&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C800&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?resize=768%2C600&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?resize=1536%2C1200&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-11.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing at the entrance to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which was established in 1932 with the blessings of President Herbert Hoover. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19833" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tom carefully set me on some rocks along the shore of Upper Waterton Lake with the Prince of Wales Hotel on the hillside behind me. Luckily for me, it didn’t seem quite as windy by the lakeshore.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19834" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-15.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Somewhere, in the far, overcast distance behind me, was Montana. While the lake to my right didn’t look very deep, its average depth was 260 feet; although in Canada, the water was only 80 meters deep.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19835" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-14.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Following our stroll along the lake, Tom, Vicki, and I went into the Trapper’s Mountain Grill where my companions ate lunch.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1200" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-13.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19836" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-13.jpg?w=1133&ssl=1 1133w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-13.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-13.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-13.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ALBERTA-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Before he gobbled down his meal, Tom forced me to pose alongside his $19.00 bison burger and fries.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We had spent roughly 15 minutes by the lake, and unfortunately, we didn’t see any “monsters” come from the water’s depths nor a Squatch as it walked the rocky shore. While that was disappointing, it paled in comparison to my companions’ meal at Trapper’s Mountain Grill where Tom and Vic spent a lot of money for mediocre food. While my photographer said his bison burger tasted good, he said it was the size of a hockey puck. In my mind, isn’t everything in Canada measured by the size of a hockey puck?</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">By the time the three of us made the short walk back to the van, the clock read 12:40pm – which meant it was time to head back to Montana for an afternoon tour of the Many Glacier section of Glacier National Park. To help save time, Tom asked his wife to take a more direct route into the States, which we did when we crossed the border at the Chief Mountain Summer Station. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">From my position on the back seat of the van, I looked through the passenger-side window and noticed a huge rock formation off in the distance – which turned out to be Chief Mountain. Vicki was making great time on our southernly drive along Chief Mountain Highway when out of nowhere, I heard Tom ask his wife to pull off the road at a scenic lookout. Not only did we have a great view of Chief Mountain, but there was also an artist sitting in his chair with a paint-filled palette and his small, half-finished canvas. The artist, along with his wife, sat near their vehicle at the quiet roadside viewing area while he painted his visual depiction of the nearby rock formation. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">It turned out the talented man was Gregory Kintz, who was not only in the process of capturing Chief Mountain on canvas, but he’s also a dyslexia-afflicted scientist who owns 30 patents. During our five-minute visit with Kintz, he stopped painting and proceeded to tell us some local history of Chief Mountain – and let me tell you, Greg brought the sacred site to life for us.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Kintz said the 9,085-foot formation along the Eastern border of Glacier National Park has been a sacred mountain to Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada for thousands of years. As a matter of fact, he said the Blackfoot tribe called it Nínaiistáko and Native Americans from all over North America used the prominence and visibility of the landmark for directional guidance and shelter. He went on to say the mountain has been used for rituals and tribal ceremonies and is considered one of the most sacred spots in all of Montana. </p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="650" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?resize=800%2C650&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19839" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?resize=300%2C244&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?resize=1024%2C832&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?resize=768%2C624&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?resize=1536%2C1248&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BORDER-INTO-MT.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">As we approached the border crossing at the Chief Mountain Summer Station, the sacred Chief Mountain towered over the landscape in the distance.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="491" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?resize=800%2C491&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19847" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?resize=300%2C184&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C629&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?resize=768%2C472&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C943&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-8.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">California artist Gregory Kintz stopped painting long enough to talk to us and to admire his distant subject – the sacred Chief Mountain.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="570" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?resize=800%2C570&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19841" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?w=1854&ssl=1 1854w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C729&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?resize=768%2C547&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?resize=1536%2C1094&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-6.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">While Tom didn’t have a paint brush or canvas to capture the beauty of Chief Mountain, he was able to capture the moment with his camera.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="558" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?resize=800%2C558&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19843" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?w=1994&ssl=1 1994w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?resize=300%2C209&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?resize=1024%2C714&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?resize=768%2C536&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?resize=1536%2C1072&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CHIEF-MOUNTAIN-7.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">According to Blackfoot tribal legend, Chief Mountain is considered the oldest spirit of any of the mountains and creation stories of the Blackfeet are linked to it. It was at that moment when Tom and I realized we needed to visit Chief Mountain at sunset before the three of us left Montana.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Roughly twenty minutes after we bid farewell to Gregory Kintz, the three of us were headed along the north side of Lake Sherburne, which was technically a reservoir that was created in the early 1900s when the Swiftcurrent Creek was dammed. When we passed through the NPS Many Glacier Entrance Station, I got my first good look at a distant glacier – and it looked awesome, even though the overcast sky made the view less than ideal.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Once we were in the Many Glacier section of the park, we stopped at a couple of scenic vantage points along the way. Even though my photographer has claimed in the past his “hiking days were over”, he ended up making a couple of short, but treacherous, hikes that afternoon. Thankfully for me, the clumsy lummox finally used his hiking sticks, which saved his bacon and my ham more than once. One aspect of Glacier National Park became very evident during our visit to Many Glacier – visitors can see a few decent sites from the comforts of their vehicles at overlooks, but if you want to enjoy the full beauty of the park, people must be willing to hike. Since the hike to get a great view of the Grinnell Glacier was a twelve-mile roundtrip with a steep elevation grade, my photographer and his wife opted to see the glacier from a distance. Not only was it too late in the day to attempt a long hike, but Tom knew the hike to Grinnell Glacier was nearly three times longer than the ‘Hike from Hell’ that nearly killed him a little over a year earlier. Like Clint Eastwood said in his movie ‘Magnum Force’ – “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I looked at my photographer and thought, “Go ahead, make my day!”</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="488" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?resize=800%2C488&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19849" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?resize=300%2C183&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C625&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?resize=768%2C469&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C938&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Once we passed through the Many Glacier Entrance Station, we caught our first decent glimpse of a distant glacier.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1200" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-5.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19851" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-5.jpg?w=1133&ssl=1 1133w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-5.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-5.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-5.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Once Tom made the steep and treacherous climb, which thankfully wasn’t very long, I had the opportunity to pose above the beautiful Swiftcurrent Falls. That was the moment I realized I had just become a “Swiftie”.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19852" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-7.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After another short but rugged hike, the three of us had a great view of the Many Glacier Hotel, perched high above Swiftcurrent Lake.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?resize=800%2C576&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19853" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?resize=300%2C216&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C738&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?resize=768%2C553&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?resize=1536%2C1107&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-8.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Grinnell Glacier was six miles away, and this was about as close as I was going to get to it.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="610" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?resize=800%2C610&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19854" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?resize=300%2C229&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?resize=1024%2C781&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?resize=768%2C585&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?resize=1536%2C1171&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-10.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Grinnell Glacier is one of the most popular in Glacier National Park and today has been measured at roughly 220 acres. Between 1966 and 2005, the glacier lost almost 40 percent of its acreage. In a worse-case scenario, scientists predict Grinnell, as well as the other glaciers within the park, will be gone by the year 2030.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="557" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?resize=800%2C557&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19855" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?resize=300%2C209&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?resize=1024%2C713&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?resize=768%2C535&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?resize=1536%2C1070&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-11.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Several mountains and peaks looked majestic as they towered over the pine-filled landscape.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19856" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-12.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Near the end of our visit to Many Glacier, my photographer’s wife said she wanted to spend time looking for rocks along the shore of Lake Sherburne. While Vicki scoured through the billions of rocks, looking for a few flat ones to bring home to the grandkids, I posed near the scenic reservoir. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19857" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MANY-GLACIERS-14.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">When Tom carefully placed me on this large rock, I was worried the strong breeze would blow me over face first into the rocks below. This was the final image taken by my photographer inside the Many Glacier section of Glacier National Park.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We had put in a full day – one that started out with horrible weather. but was salvaged by altering our plans just a bit. After my companions completed the 55-mile drive back to our hotel in Browning, it was nearly five o’clock and time for dinner. But since Tom and Vic had eaten a big meal at Waterton Park in Alberta and weren’t very hungry, they opted to visit the Jackpot Restaurant inside the casino where I watched them polish-off a couple of hot fudge sundaes. I agreed with my photographer when I heard him say, “There’s nothing better than ending a great day with a bowl of ice cream.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Back in the room, Tom placed me alongside the TV set where I watched him, and his wife, try to find a good show to watch. When my photographer found nothing of interest on the “boob tube”; no Ancient Aliens, nor Bigfoot shows; not one Seinfeld episode; and no Presidential documentaries. Disgusted and tired, Tom shut the lights off and was fast asleep shortly after eight o’clock.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Throughout the night, my thoughts were centered around Chief Mountain. Over and over, I heard Greg Kintz’s voice in my mind – telling us about the sacred site and its importance to Native American tribal culture. We had one full day left during our time near Glacier National Park and I felt compelled to go back to Chief Mountain to witness a sunset. For some strange reason, I had a feeling in my resin gut the Native Americans spirits would make that sunset one I would never forget. </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/264-where-was-the-sun-on-glaciers-going-to-the-sun-road/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">19802</post-id> </item> <item> <title>263: RUNNING EAGLE FALLS PROVIDED MY FIRST TASTE OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK</title> <link>https://eyesofjefferson.com/263-running-eagle-falls-provided-my-first-taste-of-glacier-national-park/</link> <comments>https://eyesofjefferson.com/263-running-eagle-falls-provided-my-first-taste-of-glacier-national-park/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Watson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:42:41 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Big Sky Country]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bob Seger]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Browning Montana]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Fort Peck Indian Reservation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Glacier National Park]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pi'tamaka]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Running Eagle Falls]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Thomas Jefferson bobble head]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Turn the Page]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Two Medicine Creek]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://eyesofjefferson.com/?p=19770</guid> <description><![CDATA[The sixth day of our trip began when my photographer’s alarm rang at 5:30am on Tuesday September 12, 2023. Even though it was still dark outside, I was anxious to hit the road and get my first glimpse of Big…]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The sixth day of our trip began when my photographer’s alarm rang at 5:30am on Tuesday September 12, 2023. Even though it was still dark outside, I was anxious to hit the road and get my first glimpse of Big Sky Country. This was going to be my first-ever full day in the state of Montana, and I was excited. As my companions got ready to take on the day, I felt the anticipation rising inside my resin body. In my mind, I knew we would see some amazing scenery all the way to Glacier National Park, which was 500 miles away. Before we headed to the van, however, I heard Tom tell his wife our primary goal for the day was to get those hundreds of miles under our belts and make it to our hotel – which was the Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino in Browning, Montana. My photographer also mentioned that once we had arrived in Browning, that hotel would be our base camp for the following two days at Glacier National Park. That news made Vicki happy because it meant we didn’t have to pack and unpack for two entire days.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Once my companions had refilled their grocery supplies at a Sidney, Montana grocery store, the three of us set out on our journey westward towards Browning. Since we had such an incredibly long drive ahead of us, Tom took his turn behind the wheel of our Pacifica for half the trip. Thankfully his Siri GPS app was working well because navigation has never been one of Vicki’s strong suits, which is the primary reason she’s usually the driver during our long trips together.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The first 35 miles out of Sidney got us to U.S. Route 2 at Culbertson, Montana, which was the moment I first became stunned at what I saw – or should I say, what I didn’t see. While I had envisioned the entire state of Montana to be mountainous with one breathtaking view after another, I couldn’t have been more wrong. For over 450 miles, all I saw as I gazed through the passenger-side window was low rolling hills of harvested fields of wheat and wild grasses. Very few trees; not many houses; some cattle; but definitely no mountains. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">“On a long and lonesome highway, in eastern Montana. I listened to the engine moanin’ out its one-note song. And I thought about the mountains, I envisioned the night before. But soon my thoughts were wandering, when no mountains were in view. ‘Cuz when you’re riding endless hours, there’s not much else to do. And when you don’t feel much like riding, you just wish the drive was through. But there I was, on the road again. There I go, riding with Tom again. There I go, turn the page.”</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19774" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?resize=120%2C90&ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-WHEAT-FIELD.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Where were the Montana mountains under the big sky? Where were all the bison, black bear, and Sasquatch? During our ride across northern Montana, there were endless fields of wheat and wild grass as far as my painted eyes could see.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-4.jpg?resize=800%2C520&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19777" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-4.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-4.jpg?resize=300%2C195&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C666&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-4.jpg?resize=768%2C499&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MONTANA-4.jpg?resize=1536%2C998&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Even though we weren’t east of Omaha, U.S. Route 2 across the state of Montana was exactly what Bob Seger had in mind when he sang the words “On a long and lonesome highway” on his Back in ’72 album’s song ‘Turn the Page’.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The boredom of the long ride was broken when we traversed through the southern part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and then the northern section of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. And although we didn’t stop in either of the reservations, I was able to make a startling revelation when we drove through one of the small towns. As we passed the middle school in Poplar, Montana, which was located on the eastern half of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, I noticed the school’s mascot, or nickname, was “Indians”. I was shocked when I saw the wording ‘Poplar Indians’ displayed in bold maroon and gold lettering on the school’s informational sign near the driveway entrance at Route 2. After all, aren’t we in the era when Cleveland’s major league baseball team was forced to change their name from ‘Indians’ to ‘Guardians’ and the Washington NFL team went from ‘Redskins’ to ‘Commanders’? Even a high school in Port Huron, Michigan, located just 12 miles north of where we live, recently changed their nickname from ‘Big Reds’ to ‘Red Hawks’. Then it dawned on me – maybe it wasn’t the proud Native Americans who insisted on the name changes; but instead, that impulsive woke movement came from the minds of fat, pencil-pushing Caucasians who don’t want to be labeled as the racists they are.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">At roughly 3:15pm, the three of us finally arrived in the town of Browning, Montana, which was located in the heart of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. As we slowly made our way through the small town where a little over a thousand people call home, I was disheartened by what I saw. Not only did Browning seem old and worn, with its best days having passed long ago, but some of the streets were also overrun by a countless number of domestic dogs. Luckily for my companions and me, the Glacier Peaks Hotel, which was where we had reservations within a reservation, was the centerpiece of the small town. Our base camp for the next few days looked modern and well-kempt, which wasn’t a huge surprise as the hotel and connected casino were only a decade old.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">I was with my photographer when he and Vicki went into the hotel’s lobby to register. Although they were informed their room wasn’t yet ready, the young woman at the reception desk mentioned a nearby place where we could go to kill some time. She flashed her beautiful smile and suggested the three of us head to the Two Medicine Entrance at Glacier National Park and make the short hike to see Running Eagle Falls. When Tom told the girl his “hiking days were over”, she laughed and said it was an easy walk along a flat trail. As a matter of fact, I laughed when I heard her tell my photographer the distance to the falls from the parking lot was about “the same distance from the hotel lobby to the front of the casino”, which was only about 100 yards.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Back in the van, the three of us headed west out of town and straight for the huge mountain range we could easily see on the distant horizon. It was the first moment on the trip where I saw mountains of any kind, and they looked majestically spectacular, even from 20 miles away. But with each passing mile, and the closer we got to Glacier National Park, the more my resin jaw opened in awe.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Shortly after we arrived at the Two Medicine Entrance to the park, Vicki drove the van west along 2 Medicine Road until we came to the parking area for the Running Eagle Falls trail. As Tom carefully placed me in the camera case for our short hike to the falls, I heard my photographer’s wife ask him: “Are you going to bring your hiking sticks? What about a bottle of water?” Tom looked at Vic and smiled: “This is just a walk in the park Kazansky. The girl at the hotel said the trail is flat and only a hundred yards long. I’ll be just fine.”</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Tom’s hiking days went from being over to back on again as we headed along the well-manicured trail. But five or six minutes later, I realized two things – the trail became more unstable, and Running Eagle Falls was a lot further away than my photographer was led to believe. I also think that was the moment when Tom realized his chapped and freshly powdered nether region hadn’t fully recovered from the previous day’s hike as well.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Several hundred yards into our walk in the park, we arrived at a clearing where we got our first glimpse of Running Eagle Falls. Then, just as my two companions attempted to get closer to Two Rivers Creek and its beautiful waterfall, an inconsiderate “dickwad” (Vicki’s word) from a busload of German tourists decided to set off his anti-bear airhorn, which startled my photographer’s wife half to death. I heard Tom shout to the guy, “Set that airhorn off again and you’ll get it rammed up your foreign ass”, but the oblivious moron either didn’t understand English or his ears were ringing too much to hear my photographer’s threat. Either way, we didn’t hear a peep from Ol’ Lugwig von Dickwad’s airhorn again.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">The soothing sound of the water rushing over the Running Eagle Falls was definitely the highlight of the day thus far, even though the amount of water traversing the falls was low compared to the flow in the springtime. But as beautiful and tranquil as the falls were, it was the Native American history of the area that made the visit special. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Running Eagle, who was born Pi’tamaka, arrived at an area high above the same falls in front of me for a four-day fast to suffer, dream, pray, and find her medicine. When her vision was successful, she became the first female warrior of the Blackfoot Tribe. She was an amazing leader for her tribe and led many successful battles. But sometime after 1878, Running Eagle was killed by Flathead warriors during a raid on their territory, which was located on the other side of the Continental Divide. Running Eagle was brought back to the Upper Two Medicine Lake area by her tribe where her body was buried in a mountain tree overlooking the same falls that now bear her name.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Now, for your viewing pleasure, please enjoy the images taken by my photographer during our late afternoon excursion to Glacier National Park’s beautiful Running Eagle Falls.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="506" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6.jpg?resize=800%2C506&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19783" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6.jpg?resize=300%2C190&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C647&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6.jpg?resize=768%2C485&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-6.jpg?resize=1536%2C971&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">I’m standing in front of the Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino, our home-away-from-home in Browning, Montana for the three nights. </figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="571" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1.jpg?resize=800%2C571&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19784" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1095&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During our 19-mile drive from the hotel to the Two Medicine Entrance, we got our first good look at some of the mountains in Glacier National Park.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="565" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2.jpg?resize=800%2C565&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19785" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2.jpg?resize=300%2C212&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C723&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2.jpg?resize=768%2C542&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1084&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Where’s the beef? We found it walking down the middle of MT-49 just outside of Glacier National Park.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1179" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7.jpg?resize=800%2C1179&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19787" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7.jpg?w=1086&ssl=1 1086w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7.jpg?resize=204%2C300&ssl=1 204w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7.jpg?resize=695%2C1024&ssl=1 695w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7.jpg?resize=768%2C1131&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-7.jpg?resize=1043%2C1536&ssl=1 1043w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Once Vicki had parked our van, this was the view we saw during our so-called “short hike” to Running Eagle Falls.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19786" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-3.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This breathtaking view was taken as I posed near the bank of the Two Medicine Creek, located just downstream from the waterfall.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1200" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-10.jpg?resize=800%2C1200&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19788" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-10.jpg?w=1133&ssl=1 1133w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-10.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-10.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-10.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-10.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Our first view of Running Eagle Falls surely didn’t disappoint any of us. In the spring, water naturally flows from the top of the rock formation, down into Two Medicine Creek.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="1186" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI-FALLS.jpg?resize=800%2C1186&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19793" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI-FALLS.jpg?w=1147&ssl=1 1147w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI-FALLS.jpg?resize=202%2C300&ssl=1 202w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI-FALLS.jpg?resize=691%2C1024&ssl=1 691w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI-FALLS.jpg?resize=768%2C1138&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI-FALLS.jpg?resize=1036%2C1536&ssl=1 1036w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After my photographer captured this image of his wife sitting along the shore of Two Medicine Creek, he was able to carefully make his way down the steep incline to her position. When we arrived, Vicki said, “This is so relaxing, I could stay here forever.” I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I thought Tom was about to say, “Well, I could stuff you in the same tree alongside Running Eagle.”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19789" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?w=1700&ssl=1 1700w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-4.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Even with bad knees and no hiking sticks, Tom managed to carry me down a treacherous makeshift path that took us to the shore of Two Medicine Creek. From that vantage point, I had my closest look at Running Eagle Falls.</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="534" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI.jpg?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19792" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-VICKI.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">You might notice Vicki was hiking back to the van while using only one of her two hiking sticks. That’s because my photographer’s knees began to bother him, so he begged his wife for her other stick. I thought to myself, “Had he stuffed her in Running Eagle’s tree, he could’ve had both sticks!”</figcaption></figure></div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="539" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9.jpg?resize=800%2C539&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19791" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9.jpg?resize=300%2C202&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9.jpg?resize=1024%2C690&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9.jpg?resize=768%2C517&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GLACIER-9.jpg?resize=1536%2C1035&ssl=1 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During the trip back to the hotel, Tom navigated us along a different roadway which gave us another glimpse of Glacier National Park, one that we’d see in the morning. Tom and Vicki didn’t know whether or not the light patch on the distant mountain was a glacier, but it sure looked like one I had envisioned.</figcaption></figure></div> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Running Eagle Falls was as magnificent as the hotel clerk had said, even though the hike to get to the falls was a lot further and more difficult than she had described. I laughed at one point during our visit when my photographer threw caution to the wind and slowly traversed his fat carcass down a steep slope to the creek’s edge to get a photo of the waterfall. Had Tom’s wife not let him use her hiking sticks, which was the only way he was able to get up the slope, he might have been forced to spend the night there – and that wouldn’t have been good for either of us. In my mind, we were in prime Sasquatch and black bear country.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"> For the return trip back to Browning and our hotel, Tom decided to take a slightly different route, which offered us a different view of the park. When I saw what looked like a possible glacier on one of the mountainsides, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough. This was nature at its finest and I couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for us. The mountains; the lakes; the glaciers; the wild animals; and maybe even a Sasquatch; were all in our crosshairs for the following morning.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">We arrived back at Glacier Peaks Hotel at roughly 5:30pm and our room was waiting for us. Once Tom had all of our gear safely brought to our room, the three of us headed for dinner at the Jackpot Restaurant, located inside the casino. As my photographer carried me through the busy casino, I heard Tom tell his wife he was in search of a KISS slot machine, similar to the Hollywood Casino machine in Kansas City where he won $176 in 2016. Unfortunately for Tom, but luckily for Vicki and me, none of the thousand or so slot machines we saw in the casino featured the “Hottest Band in the World”. Instead, the three of us headed to the restaurant where I watched my photographer put shrimp on the endangered species list.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Back in our room after dinner, I stood on my perch next to the TV set while Tom wrote and sent out his NASCAR report to his fantasy league. When that was finished, my exhausted two-consecutive-day hiker turned out the lights at nine o’clock and he was fast asleep shortly after.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Throughout the night, as I stood alone in the darkness, I had hoped to think about the scenery we were about to see on Wednesday. But I couldn’t. Instead, I thought about the two Indian reservations we drove through and the one we were lodging in. While it’s a fact that roughly one-third of all Native Americans live on reservations today, none of those areas of land we saw could be considered prime real estate. It saddens me to no end when I think about the way the Native people were treated throughout our nation’s history, beginning on May 28, 1830 when President Andrew Jerkson signed the Indian Removal Act that led to the infamous Trail of Tears. European settlers who transformed into Americans forced people from their homes and land in the East and made them relocate to some of the most inhabitable land in the West. Once the surviving natives were relocated, the new Americans tried to force the Native Americans to change their cultural way of life – including which god they worshipped.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Today, most Americans believe the atrocities that are ongoing in Ukraine with Russia’s unwarranted invasion and genocide of Ukrainian people has been deplorable. But the same thing happened in our country in the 1800s, and not many Americans blink an eye to the genocide that occurred within our own borders. The treatment of the native people in the current United States is the Holocaust nobody talks about. It’s America’s “Dirty Little Secret”. </p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">Well, the secret is out, and I hope at some point during our trip I’ll have an opportunity to pay tribute to the Native Americans whose rich culture and ancestral beliefs should be embraced and not swept under the rug of history.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size"><strong> ** This post is dedicated to the memory of Running Eagle, first female warrior of the Blackfoot tribe **</strong></p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="928" src="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUNNING-EAGLE.png?resize=800%2C928&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-19798" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUNNING-EAGLE.png?w=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUNNING-EAGLE.png?resize=259%2C300&ssl=1 259w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUNNING-EAGLE.png?resize=883%2C1024&ssl=1 883w, https://i0.wp.com/eyesofjefferson.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RUNNING-EAGLE.png?resize=768%2C891&ssl=1 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://eyesofjefferson.com/263-running-eagle-falls-provided-my-first-taste-of-glacier-national-park/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">19770</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>