Westward Ho! The Magic of Many Glacier! (Day 30)
We were told not to even try visiting the Many Glacier area due to construction and no parking. But we decided to take a chance, and oh, are we glad we did! We found plenty of parking and a gorgeous, peaceful corner of the park.
After exploring the historic, Swiss-style hotel, we peeked into the restaurant. We never expect to get a table for 10, but it was almost empty and surprisingly affordable! We treated ourselves to a spontaneous Father's Day lunch, surrounded by fascinating 100-year-old railway paintings advertising Glacier's beauty.
Next, a beautiful hike to Josephine Lake. On the way back, we took a secluded, overgrown trail that felt like a true adventure with just our family. It led us back to a perfect swimming beach where we braved the icy, turquoise water while a deer visited us on the shore!
The perfect end to the day? As we were leaving, Caleb yelled, "Bear!" Just a stone's throw from our van was a huge grizzly, looking sleepy and just-woken-up. We got to watch him for the longest time with almost no one else around—a grizzly sighting without the traffic jam! Such a gift. A beautiful reminder to always take the chance.
