Glacier National Park

I drove part the of way to the east side of Glacier National Park and came across ranchers herding cows down the road. Poor Roger! When we got to East Glacier and he went to unhook the car, it and the tow bar were covered in cow poo! What a mess! And we still haven’t found a car wash!
There isn’t much in the town of East Glacier but there is a 13 foot bridge and our motorhome is 13 feet, 1 inch. We were reluctant to take a chance – it is our house! - so Roger unhooked the car (in case he needed to back up!) and lowered the suspension. I drove the car under the bridge and then guided him through. He hogged the road and blocked traffic but came through with room to spare!
I drove ahead to Two Medicine campground to “scout” a campsite. It’s tricky because they don’t take reservations and the rangers have nothing to do with the process – it is all “first come, first serve” – if you get there too early campers have not left yet and if you get there too late, the campground is full. There are limited big rig sites and many are taken by tenters . Frustrating, but, hey, they were there first! I was about to give up when we saw a pull through site that had just been vacated with a gorgeous view of the lake and mountains. The camping gods were with us! The only bad news was no cell or internet connection.
We took a boat ride across lower Two Medicine Lake – in a lovely old 1924 boat and then took a guided hike to Two Falls. The guide said interrupt and ask any questions – just not about world events or sports – she hasn’t seen a TV in well over a year! The hike began with a talk about bear safety. We think we are all set – got our bells and spray – NOT! Apparently, adult bears have poor hearing and the bells are not loud enough to warn them of your presence. The cubs hear them and are curious enough to follow the sound – of course, where the cubs go, Mama follows. Hence, the rangers and locals call them “dinner bells!” We are such city slickers! But, the bear spray is a must and we had the good kind – sprays a long distance! The guide told us she was ready to dock the boat once and a black bear sauntered out of the woods to get a e drink and then laid on the dock and took a nap. They had to wait out in the lake until he woke up and went away!
We went to the ranger campfire talk and learned all about moose! I got excited a couple of times when we were driving because we saw what looked like the back end of a moose along the road but they “free range” the livestock around here and they were just wayward cows!
We drove up the east side of the park to Many Glaciers. Beautiful scenery but we couldn’t do any hiking – they have closed the trails do to increased bear activity in the area. Say no more, we’re outta’ there! Most of the glaciers are in this north eastern part of the park – nestled in the mountain passes.
“Going to the Sun Road” is the main east/west artery through the park. It is about 50 miles of the most gorgeous vistas you can imagine. There are many scenic overlooks and trailheads so it is fun to drive – stop and hike back to a waterfall – then drive on. We went about half way – had intended to hike from Logan Pass – but the parking lot is way too small and it was a major traffic jam with no hope of getting a spot to park so we decided to take the shuttle from the west side of the park while we are camped there. Road construction doesn’t help the situation but they certainly can’t do it in the winter! The park runs “Red Bus Tours” in neat old touring cars and they help the traffic some.
We met a couple from D.C. on our first hike and they told us there was a good newspaper article in a recent edition of the N. Y. Times all about Glacier. The writer recommended two restaurants in East Glacier and we’ve tried them both. The “Whistle Stop” for awesome omelets and huckleberry French toast - I had a  crab omelet – and Serrano’s Mexican Café – the place was packed!
Today is a “down” day – Roger needs to do some “real” work – we are moving to West Glacier in the morning.