Friday 5/29/98
Day 2: Eureka, Glacier Park & Kalispell
I woke up early Friday morning around 4:30 as it was getting light out. It looked like it would be a good day as it was blue sky. 
I drove by 2 deer this morning along the side of the rode grazing in the grass. 
They ran as soon as they heard the car and couldn't get a picture. I wanted to continue on backroads north of Priest Lake but it looked like they were closed and I can't remember if it was for logging or flooding. Anyhow I was going to have to backtrack around the lake in order to go to Glacier Park which I had decided would be a good idea. I would take Highway 2 north to Bonners Ferry and then go west. The scenary would consist of farm land around the Moyie Springs area and a nice little community. I stopped to take a picture from the Moyie Bridge which is 450 ft high. This bridge overlooks the Moyie River in the canyon. I also drove a gravel road about 5 miles to get a better view of this bridge and also look where the old bridge used to be. There is also a dam here which is aopen to the public for viewing.
I drove six miles further and would cross the border into Montana which has the best speed limits of all US. There are speed limits in town from 25-45 but there is no speed limits on state and interstate highways. They just ask that you drive safely. Highway 2 in Montana follows the Kootenai Rver in Lincoln County with also nice scenary of forested areas. I stopped and took pictures at the Kootenai Falls which were small rock formations in the middle of the river. 
There was also a trail that led to a suspension bridge going across the river. This were places to picnic or fish on the other side that overlooked the small falls in the river. I would drive thru two small communities called Troy and Libby. Both towns have populations of about 1000, and are secluded in a river valley area thsat is surrounded by mountains. I stopped at Libby to ask what would be the best way to Glacier and they recommended that I take a backroad at Libby Dam and go towards Eureka. 
I did this and it was a nice drive thru forested area with some ranches also located along here. It looked like there were some gravel roads that would go to the top of the hills and give you scenic views. I did see one deer and did have to stop for horses that were walking in the middle of the road. I took a side road towards Cayouse Ridge and got out for about 15 minutes to rest. It was nice and quiet next to a stream with the sun out and a medow in front of me. A great place to spend an afternoon hiking. I would leave and continue on towards highway 93 and would go north to Eureka. I stopped here and had the best BBQ'd Roast Beef sandwich for lunch at ?????? and it was only $6 with a drink and soup. After leaving Eureka I would drive for about an hour before entering Whitefish as it was beginning to come overcast and they had projected thunder & lightening for the afternoon. The entrance to Glacier was only 15 miles away but downtown Whitefish was under construction and it took about an hour to get to the Glacier Parkentrance.
When I went to the Glacier Park entrance there was no one there as the usual cost is $10 for vehicle that is good for a week. 
As I drove on thru and stopped to get a pop at the store I had found out that they just opened up the main road earlier today at 12:00. I was lucky that I timed this right as there was hardly anybody on the "Going-to-the-Sun-Road" as they call it. 
There would be no sun today though as what I did get was thunder, lightning and hail in the middle of a mountain range. The road was impressive as it starts at Lake MacDonald and then winds thru the mountains and valleys until it reaches Logan's Pass which is 6600 ft in elevation. The thunder and lightening made for a errie atmosphere as it was dark with hail and the thunder was echoeing off ot the mountains. There weren't many cars and I actually enjoyed it as much as I hate rain, being from Seattle. It just poured rain and hail for about 30 minutes as I was going up the pass. At one point I just got our of the truck and listened to the thunder. On the way down it would stop raining and clear up a little bit. I would like to takek this road again when it is early in the morning around sunrise. On a clear day I am sure that someone could get some real good pictures also. As I came down to the west entrance at St Mary I stopped to get gas. I was talking to an employee here who sasid that there had been bears out early in the morning by the north road that goes to the glacier. I would of stayed to see them but I was trying to reach Yellowstone sometime tomorrow. I left around 7:00 as that took 2 hours and it would take another two hours to drive along highway 2 and into Kalispell for the night. Highway 2 out of Glacier Park was not very impressive as I was hoping to have more scenary like inside the park. When I got into Kalispell I checked in at Super 8 Motel for $45 dollars and was not impressed. There was a air conditioner going outside that made me where ear plugs to get to sleep. They also suggested a restaurent across the street that had poor service and the last waitress actually left before I did and the bartender assumned I had paid her. So I didn't have to pay for my Prime Rib tonight but it wasn't worth the price they charged either. Gambling is also legal in restaurents in Montana and they were more concerned about the tables then they were serving their customers food. I went to sleep around 11:00. I drove 600 miles today and 1050 so far in two days.