Cruising at 8,000 Feet

Hey everyone! This is Gavin, and today I'm writing about our time at Glacier National Park! The day we got there, we basically just set up. We went to the campground restaurant the Lazy Bear Cafe for dinner that night. I had ribs and they were delicious! A little on the fatty side though. Afterward, we went to the campground ice cream place called Scoops. I had huckleberry ice cream, which was a first for me. It was pretty good, but they went a little overboard on the frozen berries. See Bella's post for her info on it. 

The next day, we drove into the park! We decided to drive the Going-To-The-Sun Road and do two hikes along it. We drove up, up, up, up, up, and up some more until we were higher then I had ever been before. The views were breathtaking, and the height was 8,000 feet (hence the name of the post). 

We drove for what felt like and was hours. We passed landmarks like the Weeping Wall, a rock wall that water always drips from, Jackson Glacier, one of the biggest glaciers in the park, and Lunch Creek. No seriously, that's its name. No joke. 

Eventually, we arrived at the parking lot for the two hikes. Then we realized it only held 16 cars and the spots were all full. A change of plans was necessary. So we drove further and stopped at a picnic spot to have lunch. We sat down, and a fat little chipmunk walked right up to us. We instantly called him Theodore. A few minutes later, as we started eating, it started pouring rain. We made a hasty retreat to the truck and ate in there. After that, we just decided to drive out. On the way out, a lot of people were looking at a hill. We weren't sure why until we looked too and saw a little grizzly bear up there! Our second bear sighting ever in the wild. We took the long way out so Dad wouldn't have to drive the road again. (He was a bit scared because of the height). 

So we drove, drove, and drove some more until we stopped at Bear Creek to dip our feet in. We didn't actually do that, however, and skipped rocks instead. Well, except me because I couldn't skip a rock if my life depended on it. Bella and Dad can, Mom and I can't. Not sure why. 

After that, we drove some more until we got back to the campground. The next day, we decided to go to Polebridge. After a short drive (well, short for us anyway) we arrived. By then it was time for lunch, so we ate at the 'saloon' there. I had a good bacon cheeseburger and house made chips so it was delicious. 

After that, we drove to the park to do a hike. We began to hike up a hill for a good while and then we realized.... the creek was WAY farther away from the trail then we thought. So we headed back to the truck and drove back to Polebridge. There we bought some pastries and drinks and headed back to the campground. 

The next day, we didn't really do much until the afternoon. Then, we went to Glacier Rim and swam in the Flathead River. 

At the campground, there was a Birds of Prey program! They had three owls and a peregrine falcon! It was a non profit organization so we donated some money to them.

The next day, we went whitewater rafting! REAL whitewater rafting in Class III rapids! Great day! 10 out of 10, would do again! We almost hit a rock a couple times but we did really good. Our raft guide Russell said we (and another family on the boat) were one of the best rafting crews he had ever had! (Still not sure if he says that to everyone or not). 

For dinner we went to Hop's Downtown Grill. I had a WILD BOAR BURGER. An actual WILD BOAR BURGER. It was AMAZING. Afterward, we went to an ice cream place called Sweet Peaks. I had Salted Caramel. It was delicious. See Bella's post for her info on Sweet Peaks. The next day, we set off for Newport KOA! Next week, I'll send a post about there! 

See you next time!


Signing off, 
             Gavin