By Alkali Springs Correspondent
We drove over the big mountains to Glacier Park the other day and even though the Lake McDonald area was full of snow, we dreamed of spring and spending some time in that sacred spot for all Montana folks.
Then after we returned home, we saw a big spread about the new luxury suites that the Black family is building at St. Mary. So we had that on the brain as well.
Later we got to thinking about our oldest chickadee who is getting married in August. We thought about how we hoped that he and his bride will get to spend some time in Glacier on their honeymoon for that place is a place that is made for honeymoons.
Maybe it is the need for spring to appear that is doing it to us, but we really have been drifting and dreaming badly lately about spending some time in Glacier soon.
And then today a fellow came up and said that he supposed that Howdy Beaver was going to write about the new lodge facilities at St. Mary this week.
So here we are. And do you know, gentle readers, the really best thing about spending some time in Glacier is that wherever you spend your time in luxurious or humble surroundings, it is always fun and memorable.
There are the cabins at Apgar which are unique and quiet in their cedar setting, bordering both Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek.
Or how about the newly renovated Belton Chalets at West Glacier? That place is really opulent and comes complete with ghosts along the tremendous views into the McDonald Valley.
And maybe best of all is spending time in a tent at Avalanche Campground. We can think of no spot that really is typical of the best of Glacier than Avalanche Campground.
Unless, of course, it would be Many Glacier. Spending time in that old hotel is like visiting a beloved grandfather, old now, but even more elegant because of the storms it has withstood and in the most beautiful setting in North America! (Please, no arguments about this. It just is!)
Can't afford that? Well, stay in the Swift Current cabins right up the road from the hotel and sit in the hotel and enjoy without paying an arm and a leg.
Or, as our friend suggested, don't forget those $32 cabins at Rising Sun just north of St. Mary's Lake. That is the place that from the cabins, the view looking down to the land and mountains that make up the south face of the lake, well, it is just simply incredible.
What have we forgotten? Only East Glacier, Sperry, Granite Park, Sprague Creek, Fish Creek, the Prince of Wales, Two Medicine, Cut Bank Creek, and St. Mary where all the new lodging is going in now.
The list goes on and on. One thing we know is that whether it is your honeymoon or just a long weekend to get ahead of the stresses of 2001, and whether you are paying $200 a night or $12 a night, your time in Glacier is going to be magical and unforgettable.
Sort of like your time in the beautiful Bear Paws!
