Travelogue: Glacier Park: Great Lodges of the National Parks: Mark and Bonnie write:

Travelogue: Glacier Park: Mark and Bonnie Write:

From Us
Glacier National Park

The wonders of a road trip never cease to amaze me. While flying across the country to various destinations, the traveler gets no appreciation for just how vast this country of ours is. Get out of the city and the traffic dwindles to a lull & the highways look like ribbons stretched out before you.

Last summer we hit the road and followed the Lewis & Clark trail through the Dakotas, across the Hi Line of Montana, down on the east side of the mountains, where we left L & C and headed over to Yellowstone & the Grand Tetons. While we talked about hitting GlacierNational Park, we decided that it would be trying to pack a little too much into that trip and Glacier would be best served with a return trip. It was!

While at Yellowstone, we spent 2 nights at the Old Faithful Inn. We had seen a PBS special several years ago, Great Lodges of the National Parks, and I was adamant about staying at the Inn. It looked spectacular & if we were going to be at Yellowstone, we were going to stay one night at Old Faithful. So, we got on the internet and booked a room for one night. We were delighted we could get in. We arrived at Old Faithful Inn and were absolutely amazed. Our jaws were hanging open as we walked into the lobby and stared upwards and we FELL IN LOVE with the Great Lodges of the National Parks. The Inn was bustling during the day with throngs of sightseers, but at night the ambiance was intoxicating. Blooming lilacs in the spring and the Old Faithful Inn at night are both splendid delights of this world. We had dinner in the dining room and then took a glass of wine to the second level, which overlooked the lobby. We sat in the chairs, admiring the building & sipping our wine for hours, until we retired to our room. We were hooked. We called the front desk to see if we could stay another night, and while they didn’t have any openings, they informed us that there possibly would be cancellations in the morning. We lucked out and got another night in this amazing structure. The Inn is as amazing as the geysers in Yellowstone. While at Old Faithful Inn, we picked up a picture book that listed all the Great Lodges of the National Park. And we committed to staying at all the Lodges listed in that book. What an absolute treat that would be.

The Awahnee in Yosemite Valley was next. We decided in February to head out to San Francisco to visit Mark’s sister, Ronnie, and her family. We thought it would be fun to explore San Francisco & head over to wine country for a few days. A couple of weeks prior to our departure, Mark mentioned that perhaps we could make it to Yosemite. Hmm, Yosemite had been on our “List” for quite some time. I checked it out and Yosemite could definitely slide into our itinerary. And if Yosemite was doable, we had to hit The Awahnee for a night. We didn’t even know if it would be open during the winter season, as the Old Faithful Inn shuts down in October, due to the brutal winters. Certainly, the snows of Yosemite are legendary. Wasn’t that where the Donner Party met their terrible fate. So, I got on the internet, checked it out, and yes The Awahnee was open & we could book a room for the night we would be there. What luck! February 25, 2007 was our day to enjoy The Awahnee. We headed out from Ronnie’s in the rain, but brought the tire chains, just in case. We felt very confident that we wouldn’t need them ~ after all, we are from Minnesota, where motorists laugh at winter. Well, winter would have the last laugh on us. As we entered onto the mountain roads, snow began to lightly fall. Then more and more snow fell and the grip on the wheel became tighter. Finally, a ranger pulled us over and informed us that there were R3 conditions and we were required to put on chains. Wet snow everywhere and we were somewhat unfamiliar on how to put the chains on (it had been a long time since Mark used tire chains, and I have never used or even seen them on a vehicle). After several attempts & a few tense moments, we got them on ~ we thought. Ends up they were very loud and when we got to the park entrance, we were informed that we didn’t have them on correctly. We made a small adjustment and our ride became quieter and we felt more secure on the snowy mountain roads. Finally, we could enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. Yosemite was a Winter Wonderland. The snow softly falling on the pines and the massive out croppings of rock were spectacular. And then, there was The Awahnee. We arrived at the Porte Cochere, where a bellman greeted us in a grey overcoat & top hat and escorted us into the lobby. While The Awahnee lacks the open massive timbered lobby of Old Faithful Inn, it makes up for it in subtle grace & beauty. Everywhere are windows that framed the views of the snow laden pines outside. We spent our day & night soaking in every inch of The Awahnee.

We dropped our bags in our room, which was on the fourth floor and had a gorgeous shared balcony surrounded by spectacular granite walls. Then off for a light bite to eat & glass of wine in the cocktail lounge. Then a very slippery, snowy, wet walk outside to check out a movie at the Visitors Center and the Ansel Adams studio/shop. Upon our return, we sat for a spell next to the Fireplace to warm up in the Elevator Lobby (there is an exquisite painting of woven baskets hanging above the fireplace). We dined in the dining room, where I sat in the same chair that Queen Elizabeth sat in during her visit in the 1980’s. The dining room is spectacular. Tall columns of glass highlight the view and are synonymous with the vertical cliffs outside. Finally, we retired with a glass of wine to the Great Room where we leaned back in our chairs and admired the exquisite beauty of this room. At several times, we had the room entirely to ourselves and were awed by the subtle lovely details ~ the room was ours alone to enjoy. Once again, we FELL IN LOVE with The Awahnee and committed to returning during the summer months to treasure more of the park. While during the summer, one can appreciate greater flexibility in traveling to the different regions of the park, Winter in Yosemite, surely should not be missed. It is truly exquisite!

Glacier National Park
Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier. Imagine stepping off the train in 1910 and viewing the Glacier Park Lodge & the mountains beyond. The train station is still there and you can still take the “Empire Builder” train ride from Chicago, to Minneapolis, through Glacier, and finally onward to Seattle. While the trip from Minneapolis to East Glacier is approximately 21 hours, the trip from East Glacier to Portland, is about the same amount of time. The 21 hour commute from Minneapolis to East Glacier would be interesting & seems very doable. I don’t think one would get too bored and why spend 5 full days of vacation for driving, when one can spend just 2 full days for travel. Next time, we will definitely experience the “Empire Builder”.

Funny thing that we didn’t know until we just about arrived in East Glacier was that Glacier National Park was primarily the brainchild of Louis Hill, James J. Hill’s son. James J. Hill was a prominent St. Paul railroad tycoon and his legacy has permeated throughout the Twin Cities; the Hill Mansion on Summit Avenue in St.. Paul, JJ Hill Days (the first weekend every September) in Wayzata, St. Martin’s by the Lake (the church that Hill built for his daughter’s wedding on the shores of Lake Minnetonka), the infamous St.. Paul Winter Carnival, and of course, the rail lines everywhere. So Glacier National Park was formed with the advocacy of his son. Glacier Park Lodge opened on James J. Hill’s 75th Birthday in 1910. Quite the birthday bash that must have been.

The lodges of Glacier Park are substantially different than Old Faithful Inn or The Awahnee. While I believe those were masterpieces of their architects, the Lodges of Glacier National Park were primarily built to sell Railroad tickets. Of course, all the lodges were, and are still to this day, there to promote tourism and dollars in each of their respected National Parks. But the Lodges of Glacier National Park were definitely built to create money. Nonetheless, they are grand structures that are there for our pleasure.

We stayed at five of the seven lodges while at Glacier National Park. The two lodges we didn’t hit, are only accessible with a full day hike so we opted to save those for another trip. While each lodge was completely different, there were elements to each that were charming & made us long for that life of years gone by. The Glacier Park Lodge has the most beautiful sun room/breezeway attaching the lobby/main hotel to the addition built in 1913. The 48 foot Douglas firs surrounding the lobby inspire newly arriving visitors to crane the heads upward and view the magnificence of those giants. Our room was generous in size with oak flooring & sparse décor. The simplicity of the rooms was inspiring. The simple concept of “Less is More” is one that all of us today could employ in our lives. We enjoyed an evening with some live bluegrass music performed by a trio and a talk by Curly Bear Wagner, who told some Blackfeet Indian stories (the Blackfeet were the Plains Indians that occupied the eastern boundary of the Park - to them . Before retiring for the evening, we noticed the rising full moon and shot some photos of that golden moon. About 3:00 am, Mark started to toss & turn. There was a wildfire burning about 5 miles from the Lodge and while we were told that it would be safe, we noticed throughout the afternoon & evening that Lodge employees were heading outside to check out the skies. In the middle of the night, our room became quite smoky. We laid there for awhile, trying to ignore the smoke, but it was quite strong. Finally, Mark dressed and went down to the lobby to check things out. We didn’t need an 18 year old kid working the nightshift making a decision regarding our safety ~ perhaps the Lodge management didn’t want to wake and “upset” the guests. Mark came back and assured me that things were ok. He walked through the lobby and went outside to check things out. The wind must have shifted because shortly after that, the smoke was not quite as pungent and we fell back to sleep. The following morning, we enjoyed a little cup of jo on the veranda and then we headed off to Many Glacier Hotel.

Many Glacier Hotel

Prince of Wales Hotel