The End of a Wonderful Vacation

After our amazing drive on Tuesday, we felt like all of our expectations for this vacation had been met and that from here on out, any further great experiences would be icing on the cake. Tuesday night we spent in Bozeman, Montana. Upon arising we found a great little breakfast place before embarking on our drive west. I have to tell you that the area around Bozeman and points west of there have got to be my favorite spot on the planet right now. I could easily see myself spending more time there. The people were so nice and I don't know who was in charge of designing the buildings in town, but it seemed like there was a "grand plan," as all the buildings seemed to fit so well with the mountain setting. We stopped for gas around 11:30 am and after finishing filling up the tank, Dan said, "I think we should call Bob and Cathy (Dan's cousins) and see if they are still in Anaconda, Montana." They manufacture and sell decorative shirts at craft shows all across the country. They had finished up a show in Anaconda, which was only 30 minutes from our present location. Bob told Dan that they had planned on leaving for their next show in Washington State on Wednesday. Dan thought we might catch them before they left.

Dan dialed Bob's cell phone and as luck would have it, they had just finished packing up and were about to leave. They agreed to postpone their leaving until we could get there and suggested we meet for lunch. So we made the 30 minute drive and found them easily as the town is so small that you can miss it if you sneeze. We had a quick lunch and briefly caught up on each others lives. We always love seeing Bob and Cathy. Before we went our separate ways we shared and took pictures.

What a wonderful opportunity to happen upon family and include them in our vacation.

From Anaconda, we continued our trek west and north. Our plan was to get to the gateway of Glacier National Park. Because we ate out for lunch, we decided to pull over by this beautiful lake and eat our left over sandwiches from Subway.

When we arrived in Columbia Falls, our "final" destination, we found out very quickly that motels are booked months in advance. Who knew that Glacier National Park would be such a hot spot. Dan was able to convince the woman at the first motel to call a couple of motels to see if they had any rooms available. Dan was able to locate a motel about 4 miles up the road in Hungry Horse, Montana. We made the quick trip and were immediately concerned as we pulled into the motel. The lady who greeted us was the sweetest person, but when she showed us the room I knew that I couldn't stay in the room. To say it was below standard (and our standards are not that high) is an understatement. I made the excuse that I had to have internet access so that I could find out whether or not I still had a job. She immediately got on the phone to a friend who owns a Motel 6 (I told you are standards are not that high) in Kallispell, located 30 minutes west of Hungry Horse. We were able to reserve a room. We profusely thanked the nice lady and retraced our steps back to Kallispell.

Our plan today was to drive through Glacier National Park and then started heading south for home. We entered the park, paid the $25 entrance fee, and joined the throngs of people who apparently had the same plans for the day. Going was pretty slow as the line of cars could only go as fast as the lead car, but we didn't mind because views were beautiful. About 20 miles into the park and as we are zig-zagging up the side of the mountain, we come to a complete stop. It is like a parking lot. We sat and sat for about 15 minutes and there was no indication that we would be moving. Dan and I looked at each other knowing that we still had 30 miles of road ahead of us before we would get through the park. We did the math and we simply could not afford an entire day in the park and still arrive back home when we planned. So, we turned the car around and headed the 20 miles out of the park. It really was a shame as we really did want to experience the park, but the crowds were just too great. If you've ever been to Yellowstone, you can appreciate the size of the crowds at Glacier Park, as they matched the crowds at Yellowstone.

The remainder of the day was devoted to covering as much territory as we possibly could as Dan wants to get home by Friday night. We made it through the panhandle of Idaho, enjoying the beautiful views that Idaho has to offer. We were able to finish the book that we started at the beginning of the trip, Tsar by Ted Bell. I highly recommend this book. It is suspenseful, romantic, terrifying, and informative. We arrived in Kennewick, Washington at about 9 pm and were able to find a motel easily. Kennewick is about 1 1/2 hours below Spokane. We plan on getting up early tomorrow morning and drive until we arrive home. It will be a long day, but once we get the smell of home in our noses, we're much like a barn sour horse.