Disaster…
Un-mitigated disaster is the only phrase I could come up
with to describe the scene that was about to unfold. As we rounded the last of
the three loops it became abundantly clear that yet again, all of the spots
that might have conceivably allowed a 32-foot trailer were occupied, often by a
tiny tent, or possibly two. “They have the right to be here too,” I reminded
myself.
Meanwhile the 9 year old in me screamed,
“Get out of my spot! What the hell are tent campers doing in Glacier National
Park anyway? Don’t they know this place is chock full of Grizzly bears, waiting
to drag them out of their puny little tents and eviscerate them while they
sleep????”
Happy campers took all of the
spots that we could have possibly fit into. Alan confirmed this with the camp
host who suggested we drive out to Browning to find a place. And, yes, she
conceded it was crazy that the park filled up by 11:30 on a Tuesday when the
website so CLEARLY stated that it hadn’t filled until 9 pm the previous two
weeks.
I shook from head to toe, my body wracked with childlike sobs as I could
no longer contain my bitter, bitter disappointment. For weeks now I had
envisioned taking my children to the same idyllic spot where I had spent
blissful weeks during the summers of my childhood with my best friend, Julie’s
family in Two Medicine, Glacier. I had planned each moment in my mind. First we
would find heart-shaped rocks along the beach, playing in the glacial waters.
Next we would hike across the tiny bridge and maybe catch the Sinopah boat
tour. We would catch Brown trout and eat them with Mac and Cheese, prepared
just the way Don did, butter, lemon and onion wrapped in foil. Finally, the
pinnacle, desert at the camp store, piping hot Fry bread and huckleberry
milkshakes. Oh the campstore, smelling of cedar, permeating every membrane,
every article of clothing and each memory. The smell filling my dreams for
weeks now. I was bitterly, bitterly disappointed. Unable to hold out a second
longer I gave in to the sobbing 6 year old inside and crumpled in the passenger
seat. My oldest son, Jacob, reached around the seat, patting my shoulder and
saying, it’s alright Mom, everything is okay, everything happens for a reason.
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| Hidden falls |
I couldn’t hear his sage advice at that moment. “Everything
happens for a reason” was the kind of crap I would spout when he was
disappointed. That certainly wouldn’t hold true in this case.
We retreated down the mountainside. I had remembered a small
family owned place just outside the park, the Lazy Y. The rates quoted on the
website were astronomical but, Alan assured me, it would only be for one night,
then we would be up at the crack of dawn, stalking people until they left a
site. Now two days down, we would still have two nights to enjoy the park.
As we pulled in to the unattended park, we noticed a hand
written sign on the door of a tiny office. The rate would be a mere $25 a night
for full hook-ups. That means not only power but sewer hooks ups were included
as well. Only $5 more than the spot I had so sacredly held at Two Medicine,
with NO water, and NO sewer.
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| The place where Julie and I hid a time capsule at 12 years old! |
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| In front of Sinopah Mt. At Two Medicine Lake |
But, what about the view of Two Med Lake I wouldn’t be
getting from my campsite? From our little spot amidst the trees I was able to see
the sweet Cliffside chapel of my best friend Julie’s wedding 14 years prior.
And below that, a draw in which we were privileged to see three deer eating
breakfast while a coyote crossed the ridge above them.
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| "Julie's" Chapel |
And what of the camp store? It had been taken over in recent
years by a larger corporation. It smelled, faintly, of cedar. The Fry bread was
gone, the huckleberry shakes, once made by hand, had been replaced with a
frozen yogurt dispenser. They had Huckleberry flavor there. It tasted like
soap. Soap and disappointment. Instead, the boys and I played in the lake, went
into town and met an amazing Lithuanian couple working at “Brownies” serving
exquisite Huckleberry Ice Cream. We talked to them for an hour about traveling
and world citizens. We met a girl with her new puppy and went to the lodge to
listen to Gospel, sung in barbershop style. The next day we stayed at our park
with our wonderful host and chatted over coffee while watching the ravine. We spent
the day exploring parts of the park I had never seen, and re-visiting old
sights too. Things I would not have done had we stayed at the lake. Jacob, of
course, was right. “Everything works out for a reason.” And, more clearly to me
now than ever, we are right where we are meant to be.
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| Hiking, when you have Aiden, bear bells are not necessary.... |
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| Getting their Glacier Badge, Proud Mamma! |
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| Going to the Sun Highway |
Our first outing was with Nana and Papa to the Seattle Aquarium where we were able to see and touch a bunch of sea creatures from the area. Jacob and Aiden tried to get eaten by an octopus during our walk through of the aquarium.
After the aquarium we took a walk over the Ferris wheel where the boys and Papa went up and took some great shots of the city before having a wonderful lunch of seafood.
While we were visiting we took a trip back into the city with our friends the Traviglino's to see the troll under the bridge and have lunch at a sushi restaurant around the corner. Just down from that was a site of statues that people dress up and take pictures in front of so of course we needed to do it ourselves.
We had a great visit with the other Hamilton clan while with Nana and Papa and got to spend some great time with my brother, sister in-law and our niece and nephew. 
We took a day trip to the aircraft museum where the kids were able to see a life size space shuttle and walk through several planes including the Air Force One that Kennedy used and a retired Concord jet. This museum also housed several aircraft from WWI and WWII which were awesome. The one great plane we got to see was one of the WWII bombers that Laura's grandfather flew in during the war.
