We departed America and have begun our Great North adventure!

We didn't get far, stopping in the first 'big' town- Cardston. Here we took care of business, after being in a National Park for a few days (laundry, gas, post office, groceries, money, etc).
Canada's paper money is beautiful and very complicated. The shiny part is actually a see-through plastic film with holographic images printed on it. For coins, there are loonies ($1), toonies ($2) and seemingly no pennies (they just round up).
But what they do have, in excess, is favors of potato chips. Oh my goodness, more unique flavors exist than I would ever want to try but wow: Ketchup, Cheddar & Onion, Maple Bacon, Poutine, Harissa Humus, Thai Curry, Dill Pickle, Canadian Burger, Jalapeno Popper, Baby Back Rib, Ballpark Hot dog and for dessert, Milk Chocolate Covered ones. We picked up a bag of Turkey Stuffing flavored: crunchy rippled potato chips made with a holiday-inspired savoury seasoning.

Canada has already surprised us and we're only a few miles over the border!

Wanting to get on the water and then go for a long hike, we boarded the 1925 wooden boat called the Little Chief... the oldest boat on St. Mary Lake.

Picturesque Goat Island made us all take photos.

Here's where we spied a bald eagle. Just to the right of the far left tree, you can see him soaring by (it's the blurry white dot). We really did see one. Trust us on that.
We were told that this mountain was the inspiration for Paramount Pictures iconic logo. Upon a quick google search, I could find nothing to support that claim but it is a majestic mountain, none-the-less.
Little Chief dropped us off at the trail head to St. Mary Falls. For two miles, we meandered through the remnants of the 2015 Reynold’s Creek fire, which burned 4,800 acres.
With the dense tree canopy burned away, views of the area’s spectacular mountain peaks are no longer obscured and the nutrient rich soil has become a lush blanket of wildflowers.





As we were gazing at this bright red object, we stopped a Ranger and asked her what it was. She said that it is a Snow Berry but it is too early in the summer for us to be seeing it. It was the only one of its kind. What a truly unique gift for us.



Our hiking goal was to be wowed by St. Mary Falls. We heard the thunder of crashing water way before seeing one of the more fabulous waterfalls in the park.
St. Mary Falls drops roughly 35 feet in three separate tiers, with the two largest being the most photogenic. A smaller waterfall can be found below the footbridge. Notice the incredibly beautiful aqua-green color of the pools just below the falls.
Our next stop was at Baring Falls, a small but powerful, waterfall that drops roughly 25 feet. It seemed like the perfect fairy spot. And yes, that is me being cooled by its refreshing spray.


A real treat was hearing and then seeing this Pileated Woodpecker and two babies. Wow.

After a hot, dusty hike, toes in the icy lake was just what we needed.
On our return back to the dock, we slowed by this lichen painted cliff. It is this color of water which told the early explorers that this amazing place was created by glaciers. It is difficult to truly capture its beauty. BUT wow!

This license plate couldn't be truer. Montana is a knock out state and we're so happy we cruised through, albeit too briefly. Tomorrow it's on to Canada!

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is an amazing path, bisecting the Park, with unparalleled views. It also happens to still have 150 feet of snow covering it, with its opening date yet to be determined. So we left West Glacier, to enter from the East, to see as much of the park as possible.

Our first stop was at the very informative Alberta, Canada Visitors' Center. Since we will be in Canada in a few days and because my middle name is Alberta, we had to pause here to gather all that we will need for our stay there.


Continuing on our way to East Glacier, we paused in Kiowa, MT for a photo with the "World's Largest Purple Wooden Spoon (maybe)". I love small town America and the treasures it holds.
So this is our view for the next few days. Breathtaking!








We are constantly aware of the fact that we're in Bear Country. Steve is very prepared with his Bear Spray. So far, so good.
Tomorrow, we will board this boat for a ride on spectacular Lake St. Mary's.
This is just a teasing peek at the Going-to-the-Sun Road. It stops just a few miles beyond this curve.
And this is our home for two nights, the Rising Sun Campground. All is great in the East!

We began our day by getting out in it all.

Our plan was lunch at Avalanche Lake, a four mile round trip stroll through some beautiful forested land which paralleled the rushing waters of Avalanche Creek.




And this is where we had lunch, on the shores of Avalanche Lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful!

 Did I mention there were 1,200 varieties of plants in the park?

 This made me think of Bob & Jenny, my fungi loving friends!


We ended our day at Lake Mc Donald Lodge. For 103 years, this has been the hospitality hub of the Lake. Behinds us is a Red Bus. Since 1914 there has been a bus service in the park. This actual one is a restored one from 1936. What an iconic image to see in front of the iconic lodge.

We came for the Huckleberry Pie. Montana is the land of huckleberries and this was our first, and certainly not last, foray into eating this delicious fruit.

Today was the day of nature sighting. These were my favorite critters whose images I captured.



Glacier is exceeding all our expectations. We are truly happy campers.