Once again, I prove to be
the master packer of small SUV's
I spent a long
and boring day at work, again trying to think of details
that I might have forgotten. Still somewhat wasted from
my Wind River trip I hadn't started getting ready for Glacier
until sunday afternoon---a definite change of p[ace from
our first visit back in 2004. I couldn't think of anything
important that slipped by and raced home from work after
stopping at the bank for some cash.
Yumi, my mother
and I were able to pack the truck and get some food together
for the trip out pretty quickly. I was proud that I had
pared our load down to a more manageable size and jumped
into the shower to celebrate my packing skills.
By 4 PM we
said goodbye to my boys and mother and hit the road, hoping
to get 8 or 9 hours west before stopping for a few hours
of sleep in the back of the truck. Yumi had her reservations
that we'd be able to move the gear from the back of the
truck and fit it all in the front seat but I had no doubts.
While cruising
through central Wisconsin Yumi occupied herself by reading
Ruins while I played a few of my favorite country music
compilations---at low volume of course. My wife doesn't
like country. My original tank of gas got us through the
twin cities and my obligatory flipping of the bird at the
Metrodome, and to Monticello, MN where we filled up and
were each impressed by two young clerks friendliness in
separate interactions.
Just after
12:30 AM we made the North Dakota border and decided to
stop at the next rest area near Valley City for a few hours
of sleep. We made it to the rest area at 1:15 and moved
our gear to the front seat. Naturally, it all fit and we
inflated our thermarests for what we hoped would be a comfortable
nights sleep.
Unfortunately,
I had been drinking a lot of water and cranberry juice during
the evening and found myself up at two hour intervals to
take a squirt, waking Yumi in the process. Needless to say,
neither of us got a lot of sleep that night and decided
to screw sleep just before 6 AM.
After only
20 minutes on the road we crossed the lofty continental
divide at 1,490' and needed to fill up the gas tank and
Yumi's coffee mug at Jamestown, ND after another 20 minutes.
We resumed our trip west with Yumi at the wheel while I
tried to get a few more hours of sleep in the back seat.
I had stopped
for gas in Medora, ND, during last years trip to the Beartooths
and thought Yumi might find it interesting so I suggested
we stop there to top off the tank and a stretch. To me,
Medora looks like the prototypical wild west town, dissected
by the Missouri River surrounded by bluffs and small hills.
After munching down a banana and filling up the tank we
started off and were soon back on the interstate.
It didn't take
long for us to cross into Montana and soon were closing
in on Glendive. Knowing that smoke would be a way of life
in Glacier for a while I again asked Yumi if she was sure
she wanted to go to Glacier, thinking there was a chance
I could get her to ask about an alternative, namely the
Beartooths. She wasn't buying that so we got off the interstate
at Glendive and began heading north to Wolf Point on desolate
Montana state highways, arriving at 12:30.
We continued
west on US 2 passing through Glasgow, Malta, Chester, Havre
and finally to Shelby where we filled up the tank for the
final stretch run to the park.
Smoke was evident
as we scanned the horizon for a glimpse of the mountains,
but no mountains were to be seen. As we passed through Browning
we were able to make out the faint outline of the Rockies
in the distance. The excitement I usually experience was
subdued: things did not look good. As we proceeded to St.
Mary the smoke seemed to thin just a bit but even the joy
of that was quickly tempered as we travelled through the
burn area from the large fire a year before. The beautiful
drive down to the park was now nothing but a graveyard of
burned trees.
We entered
the park shortly after 7 PM, bought our season pass, made
the short drive to the St. Mary campground and quickly set
up camp. With luck we just might have enough time to get
dinner and a shower. Having already done the Park Cafe numerous
times we decided to make the short drive north to the Two
Sisters.
The restaurant
was busy, but we were able to get 2 stools at the counter
and quickly ordered a couple of BBQ beef sandwiches and
lemonade. Big John, most likely the owner of the restaurant,
was all about the dining room schmoozing his guests while
the two cooks worked at a frantic pace trying to keep up.
They did good as our meal was delivered in about 10 minutes...it
was looking like we'd make that shower which meant Yumi
would be in a good mood for the rest of the night.
After stopping
back at the camp site for our change of clothes and toiletries
we ran up to Rising Sun, bought our tokens, got cleaned
up and were back at our tent by 9:40. Looking forward to
a good night sleep, we crawled into the tent only to realize
that Yumi didn't fill the mattress with enough air as we
sunk precariously close to the ground. In the end it didn't
matter as we both were asleep in a matter of minutes.
