Hot 'n' Cold...the weather, that is.
On Sunday, we left Bigfork and traveled the short distance to Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park--our resting place for a couple days. Temperatures had been running right around 80 degrees and continued to do so through Monday afternoon.
We knew the weather was forecast to worsen on Tuesday, the day we would leave and drive the Going to the Sun Road, so we decided to drive at least a portion of it while the sun was shining. (Spoiler alert: If we'd been smart, we'd have driven the whole thing, right then and there.)
It was a lovely drive, and we came back to the Lake McDonald Lodge to wander along the shoreline and savor being lakeside. People were sporting shorts and sandals and T-shirts. There was a summer party atmosphere, with people sipping their wine and brews out on the lodge porch or terraces, enjoying the lovely lake views.
Monday was another chance to drive The Road, but it was hazy/cloudy and we needed to drive that route Tuesday anyway to get to our next destination. So, once again, we chose to do other walks and sightseeing.
Mid-Monday afternoon, the wind started picking up. Soon, it was a regular windstorm, easily sustaining at 40mph or more until the middle of the night. Our room was upstairs in a house that was across a footbridge and about 300 feet from the main lodge. There's no exterior lighting once past the creek, and it was a rather spooky walk back to our room in the dark and with the trees whipping around noisily. The wind provided a lot of atmosphere for falling asleep, too.
Meanwhile, the temps had dropped significantly--between 30 and 40 degrees.
When we were departing Lake McDonald Tuesday morning, we checked on the road conditions on the Going to the Sun Road and Logan Pass. We knew it was snowing up there, and some people who had just come over the pass said the roads were very slick. The desk clerk had just spoken to the ranger at the visitor center at the pass. He had told her that the conditions were becoming quite iffy and they were experiencing freezing fog. Their recommendation was that we take the less exciting but safer southern route, and we concurred. (We've driven the Going to the Sun Road, many years ago, so we have checked that box on our life list. It seemed a bit foolhardy to take the road, just because we were there, especially when we wouldn't be able to see any of the celebrated views. Still, it was a disappointment.)
Even on the "regular" highway, we drove in snow off and on. Temps were running about 34 degrees, and it was definitely not feeling like summer anymore. The evidence of snowfall was all around us, but at least the roads were clear.
We turned off the highway to drive along St. Mary's Lake and the eastern end of the Going to the Sun Road, to see as much as we could. At the turnoff, there was a big sign saying the Going to the Sun had been closed. We made a lunch stop at Rising Sun, where they were bemoaning the loss of tour buses and other paying customers due to the closed road. We were the only people in the inn, and we had five servers at our beck and call--which allowed us to enjoy some lively conversations with a couple of the students (one from Taiwan, who was very excited about seeing only the second snowfall of her life).
We continued our trek north and made our way to Many Glacier Lodge. The lobby was jammed with people, many taking refuge from the cold temps and light snow. Again, it was a party atmosphere. But this time, it was more like a ski lodge with people hanging around the fireplace and swapping snow stories. We heard some folks talking about having driven up the Going to the Sun (same direction and timing as our own aborted trip), getting almost to the top of the pass to be turned around, then having to take the southern route as well. They were not happy campers, and we could only feel our choice had been vindicated.
This morning (Thursday), we awoke to a fresh layer of snow outside. We had hoped we would be able to see the stunning lake and mountain views from our balcony, but had to settle for the rare chance to see the snowfall along the lakeshore and the suggestion of mountains in the clouds. Many Glacier is known for the abundance of types and quantities of wildlife. Unfortunately, all the wildlife must have been hunkered down somewhere else, watching the snow fly.
Off we set for Waterton Lakes National Park (really the Alberta portion of Glacier). We were driving in fairly heavy snow throughout our 40-mile drive. The road was simply wet, but visibility wasn't great, and the trees along our route were bowed down with the heavy, wet snow. The temperature held at 32 degrees from start to finish.
We made our way into Waterton Village. We had been warned we could not check into our lodging until 5pm, but given the conditions (and all the cancellations yesterday and today), they allowed us to check in early.
Sightseeing was not really an option, so what do a couple of city slickers do in a freak September snowstorm? In this particular instance anyway, we decided to drive over to the famous Prince of Wales Hotel and have afternoon tea. (Really, you say?) No sooner did we get seated and brought a cup of tea, than our charming server told us she was going to bring us our extra pots of hot water right away because they were going to cut power for 30 minutes to clear the snow from sagging powerlines.
Let's just say they were optimistic. Soon, it got noticeably chilly in the hotel lobby, and our servers were wearing fleece jackets and heavy sweaters. An hour and a half later, the power was still out, and the hotel had no water, heat, or lights. The remaining 2 hours of tea service were cancelled, and the tables all were stripped--Jerry and I finishing our sandwiches and scones, eventually in solitary splendor. Once again, though, the odd situation made for some fun conversation with our two servers--one from England and one from Australia.
We walked back to our car in heavy snow, with the addition of some wind, causing us to eat icy snow the whole way. We were quickly covered in snow and had to do some vigorous shaking off before entering the car. About 2-3 inches of snow had fallen while we'd been inside. The roads were now covered in snow and the plows were coming out to start to clear the way.
Coming in to Waterton Village, things were getting pretty snowy.
Just to top things off, the power was now out at our own lodge. Eesh! As I write, the power has come back on, a couple hours later, though the lights keep flickering off and on. We're hoping it holds.
So, as I said, our trip is running hot and cold. The sunny and warm part was a lot nicer. This snow business is interesting, but is really hampering our activities. Here we are in an area of renowned views, and the only way we even know there's a lake here is because we've seen the pictures!
By Friday, the skies are supposed to clear and the temperature rise about 30 degrees. We're hoping to return to at least some fall weather, if not summery days. With any luck, we'll see those views before we have to head south again.
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