Aug 16 - Glacier National Park, Montana

  Peter is still sick--in bed all day.  And, we had a 3 pm Red Bus tour up the Going-to-the-Sun Road to the Logan Pass.  So, I canceled his seat, and went by myself.  Since the park was supposed to be very busy, and difficult to get into, and since the parking lots were supposed to fill up early, I decided to go into the park early, and hang out there, instead of at the RV campground 5 miles away.
  I arrived at 9:45 am, and had no difficulty getting into the park's West entrance.  Also, the Apgar Visitor Center parking lot still had spaces.  So, I parked and meandered through the Visitor Center, listened to a talk about the wildlife (bears), and then went for a hike through the campground, over to Lake MacDonald, and over to the Apgar Village.  Sat by the beach and ate my PB&J sandwich, coffee, and read for a bit, looking out over the largest glacier-made lake in the park, with the mountain peaks in the background.  Nice way to spend some time.
  I was going to take a hike on a loop trail, through the dense rain-forest woods, out to a lookout point over the lake, but the big sign at the the trailhead said:  DO NOT walk alone, or without bear spray.  So, I hung out by the lake instead.
  I went on the Red Bus tour--4 hours.  Since I was alone, I got to sit in front, next to the very talkative bus driver.  He was very informative, and talked on his microphone the whole time.  We made several stops along the way.  Some at turn-outs, and some at visitor centers or lodges.  The Lake MacDonald Lodge was built in the 1930's, and was quite impressive, overlooking the lake.  From there, the road became very steep, curvy, and narrow, with a big switchback.  I was very glad that I was not driving.  The views around each bend were amazing, incredible, breathtaking.  Waterfalls, streams, glaciers, mountain vistas.  What a wonderful tour.  I was really sorry Peter missed it.

Hanging out at Glacier Apgar Village and MacDonald Lake photos:

Red Bus Tour of Going-to-the-Sun Road to Logan Pass photos: