Thought I'd get this story in as I may be gone for awhile and not near a computer.
When we went to Glacier Park last week, our oldest granddaughter brought her roommate from Pullman, Wa., who happens to be her supervisor at the Veterinary Research Lab they work at. Michelle had never been to Montana, being born and raised near Boise Idaho. You know, that city with the college that has a blue football turf, potatoes etc.
We check into our cabins late Friday and plan to hit Going To The Sun Road early Saturday morning. Early, by Michelle and Amanda's clocks means around "noonish." We manage to get and "early" start though. 10:30 AM!
The first several miles are relatively flat, by Montana standards, but criss-crossed by glacial streams, snow drifts, moose, marmots, bears, and the occasional motorcycle in the ditch where the driver has taken a sharp turn just a wee bit too fast. Only saw two this time. Then came what is called "The Big Loop." From here up to Logan Pass and the visitor center is a road that defies description. Suffice to say, "it ain't for the queasy and people afraid of drop-offs." Get on your computer and look up images of Going to the Sun Road. Absolutely beautiful.........and scary.
We are traveling in two cars and Amanda and Michelle are in the car in front of us. We do the usual stops at turn outs, take pictures, ooh and aah about the scenery, and wonder how long it would take a car to hit the bottom of the valley if it went over the edge. This made Michelle even more nervous than she already was.
We get to a construction zone about a half mile from Logan Pass and have to wait for a stoplight. One lane traffic, so about a 10 minute wait. Michelle gets out of their car, looking somewhat green around the gills, and proceeds over to the edge and leans over the retaining rocks, and heaves her guts out. Without missing a clue, son-in-law Jerry tells her, "boy Michelle, we haven't even gotten to the really bad part yet." He points ahead to a turn in the road just below Logan Pass where the road is actually hung out over the drop-off.
"We're going on THAT?" Michelle yells.
"We ain't going to turn around here. Not on a road that is only 15 feet wide now" I reply.
We make it to the pass, circle the parking lot for 3 days, find a parking spot, and hike up to some glaciers; take pictures of mountain goats about 5 feet away from us, and get Michelle back to almost normal.
Finally time to go back down. Michelle asks "Do we have to go back the same way we came up?"
"Yep," I reply. "Only this time we'll be on the inside edge, against the mountains. Nothing to worry about."
She survived.
Anyone for a Weenie Roast?