Monday, July 18, 2005

Day 17

Location: Glacier National Park - Montana



Total miles traveled: 6,811

As you can see, I drove over 600 miles today...I had one ultimate destination - Glacier National Park which is located in Northwest Montana. I got on the road early and other than a Wal-Mart stop, the only other stops were for gas or a nap. The Wal-Mart stop was crucial, though, as I had an employee cut a blanket for me out of fleece in their crafts department. Now I should be able to stay a bit warmer when sleeping in the car.

I drove through Oregon, parts of Washington (actually drove by Gonzaga University in Spokane), Northern Idaho, and finally arrived in Montana in the evening. Drove by a bunch of lakes...one that is pictured here:


I made my way towards Kalispell, which is a little south of the park. There, I found a large strip with casino/bars all over the place. Even the gas station mini-marts had attached mini-casinoes...can't say I've ever seen anything like it.

Out of curiosity I stopped at one place...I think it was called "Finish Line" or "Checkered Flag"...something like that. Inside were some locals playing pool, watching the "Speed" channel (racing stuff), and there was an awful band singing bad covers of Allman Brother's Band songs. It was a lot of fun being in there.

I left there after hanging out for al ittle bit, then headed towards the park. I arrived at the park around 10:30...so the issue now is finding a place to sleep for the night, even if it's in my car for a few hours. I'll wake up early and have the whole day to explore the park. The first thing I'll do it drive on Glacier's "Going to the Sun Road" - which has been described as one of the most scenic drives in the entire country...we'll find out tomorrow.

Joe

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