mockingbird: GLACIER

This is the last post about our trip to Glacier! I know it's annoying that there are eight parts, but it was the only way to include so many pictures! I really wish the pictures did this trip more justice. Glacier is just one of those places that everyone needs to see and experience for themselves. This was seriously the trip of a lifetime, and we have plans to go back many more times, and take our kids and finish the ever-growing list of things we want to do in the park!

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After our hike to Hidden Lake Overlook, as we headed back down the Going to the Sun Road toward West Glacier, we stopped along most of the pull outs along McDonald Creek. It was so beautiful - I had never seen a river with that glacial blue water! I wish the pictures showed the color of the water better, it was crazy!

For dinner, we went back to Whitefish and were tempted to eat at Craggy's again, but decided to try somewhere else. We went to Casey's & ate at the skybar, which was just open air dining on the roof of the building! The views were incredible! Montana is seriously underrated! After dinner, Devin had seen signs about Whitefish Lake, and we decided to go check it out. We got there just before the most gorgeous sunset I have ever seen IN MY LIFE! We just soaked it all in, it was seriously the best way to end our trip. While we were at the lake, Ryan struck up conversation with a guy who was there taking photos. The guy told him that he was there at the lake because the Northern Lights were supposed to be there THAT NIGHT! What luck!!! As soon as we heard this, we couldn't believe it! We didn't know anything about the northern lights, but we all started pulling up the aurora borealis forecast. We eventually found out that it wouldn't be visible until later that night, and when we told the guy where we were staying in Hungry Horse, he said we should be able to see them from there! It was getting really later and we were tired and didn't want to camp out at the lake for the next several hours, so we were glad to know we could just set an alarm and wake up to go outside and look! I set an alarm for every two hours throughout the night and we never saw them! It was such a bummer, but I think we were just too low in the treeline of the hills to see anything. It was still pretty amazing that we even had the opportunity!

The next morning, we ate at one last Yelp reviewed restaurant, Carolyn's and then headed home. The drive home was long and a little sad, because we didn't want to leave! Even if we had just one more day in the park, I feel like I would have been satisfied. There is just SO MUCH to do and see! The trip couldn't have gone better. It was so much fun. I can't believe it's been three months since we were in GNP!