Afternoon at Glacier National Park

It's a little after 11 here and the sun just set. I think I'm going to write some more since I'm up and about. I started yesterday (Sunday, June 26) morning at a tour of the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell. Sorry I don't have pictures of it since I'm not allowed to take pictures there. The tour was great and most of the original furniture and woodcarvings plus windows are still in the house. It was a thorough tour explaining the work of the servants and how the residents lived. Conrad was the prominent businessman who founded Kalispell and also a good friend of Charles Russell the western artist. Charlie Russell was a regular overnight guest at the mansion. Even the original toys were there too. My only disappointment was that they didn't have any paper dolls with Victorian attire at the gift shop - I wanted that for my niece. Hopefully they'll have it at the Marcus Daly Mansion in Hamilton.

Lake McDonald from Apgar Village

Red Buses parked at Apgar

Lake McDonald Lodge smaller than I pictured it

After the tour I stopped by the Hockaday Art Museum and realized it was closed. I went on my way to Glacier. I stopped at the Huckleberry Patch, in Hungry Horse for lunch for a buffalo burger that was mediocre with a bottled Huckleberry flavored soda. The Drive up from Kalispell was lovely and it only took about 40 minutes. Then I went on to Glacier National Park, the entrance fee was a high $25 but it helped to pay for the shuttles that run July1-Labor Day Weekend. I stopped at Apgar Village to look around the shops and the visitors center. It turned out that Logan Pass was closed due to snow. I thought I would take a trip up to Lake McDonald Lodge and perhaps get a boat ride since I did not book a Red Bus tour, after all I did the boat ride on Lake McDonald when I was six. I went to the desk to try to get on the boat but it was for the bus and they first said it was full then as I was walking out the door towards the dock they stopped me and asked if I was alone then they squeezed me in. I got shotgun in the front seat, I guess I was meant to go on that tour like I was meant to go on the Flathead Lake boat ride. The driver was Matt a guy who's been doing this for 30 years and lives near the Canadian Border. He's an interesting guy who works in Glacier for the summer and back country skis in the winter. He seems to know the park on the back of his hand. Since we couldn't go over the pass, he took us on a short trail to look at some forestry like cedar trees, lodgepoles, and a creek. The trail was built like a wooden deck being wheelchair accessible. He gave us a lot of information on the Flora and Fauna of the park. He even mentioned that Laura Bush went through the park(2004) and his name was the first to be crossed off because they wanted a former detective to drive her instead. Anyway he also took us through the burn areas from the wildfires in 2003. Told us about the lodgepole trees and the reason that Native Americans used them for Tee Pees was because they grow straight. He also took us back to Apgar Village and I got to photograph the Lake McDonald again with the sun. I was the youngest on the tour by the way. I think I'm calling it a night now that I'm somewhat caught up.