Flathead, Glacier and Bear Paws, oh myHowdy Beaver

Flathead, Glacier and Bear Paws, oh my

Howdy Beaver

Well, gentle readers, we find ourselves over on the other side of the big mountains at the "Big Water," as the youngest chickadee used to say each time he saw Flathead Lake for the first time of the season.

Instead of commuting between Havre and the beautiful Bear Paw Mountains, for a while we are going to be commuting among Glacier, the Flathead and the Bear Paws.

All of our life we have wanted to work for a summer in Glacier, and finally we have the opportunity to drive a big red bus (yes, they are back) and tell tourists from all over the world the stories of Glacier and Hungry Hollow. What stories we will have to report to you this summer! For now, though, we are writing a lot and studying to drive a bus. For those of you who know us better than we would wish, you know what a challenge that is. But then remember, we sold Chevrolets for five years without knowing which end held the engine. And at middle age, we did learn to pump our own gas, although which side the gas tank is on still eludes us each time we drive into the gas station.

Where we are now, between Somers and Lakeside, is just incredibly beautiful, even in this in-between season.

You might not believe this, but for recreation one thing we do at night is turn off all the lights in the living room and look at the lights just across the lake from us and imagine what is happening over there. Those lights are sort of like beacons in the night and each one can tell its own remarkable story about those people who live there.

However, not all are good stories. A few years ago a Glacier ranger was showing us some old cabins around Lake McDonald and one of the places he took us to was a very old place across from the Lake McDonald Hotel. We drove and drove and drove to get there, and when we got there, it seemed not like Glacier at all, but some sort of place we would not wish to spend a single second. To make matters worse, there was a strong odor of something dead that wafted through the whole compound all the while we were there. We left in a hurry. Since then, every time we stay at Lake McDonald Lodge or thereabouts and look across the lake at the lights at that old place, we get a vague feeling of unease. So far we haven't gotten that feeling looking across the lake at the lights in the darkness here.

There are plenty of birds to feed here, and friends have promised to feed the Bear Paw birds more in our absence.

So, for a while, more stories about Glacier, interspersed with what's happening in the beautiful Bear Paws as well.