Float 'n' Boat

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

This is our first morning at Glacier Guides Lodge.  We go downstairs to the breakfast room to find five different kinds of cereals to mix with yogurt, fresh fruit including strawberries and watermelon, and different kinds of breads.  I choose the organic granola with pumpkin seeds and it’s great with Tillamook blueberry yogurt! The coffee is really strong.  Marilyn loves it but I find it a bit overwhelming.  I’ll try the decaf tomorrow.  On the way out we pick up a couple of bars that are crammed full of nuts and berries and very virtuous!

The parking lot is behind the Clacier Guides Lodge.  There are chairs and tables
all over the lodge and the beautiful weather encourages outdoor activities.

We’re off to Wild River and we know just where we’re going because we scoped it out last night!  We pull into the parking lot and there is only one car!  We’re a bit early but only about ten minutes!  It turns out that our scenic float down the Middle Fork of the Flathead River will be a private tour!  We buy a couple of disposable waterproof camera so as not to repeat “The Incident” and wait just a couple of minutes for Brian, our guide.  He fits us with life jackets, even though he says we are almost certain not to need them.  He notes that we get to ride The Short Bus!

 Brian is a very experienced rafter and has done lots of other things in his long and varied career.  He’s lived in Hawaii where he earned his certificate as a naturalist, specializing in whales and has several relatives in Florida with whom he has lived.  We laugh a lot as we float down the gorgeous glacier water.  Someone spots a bird that turns out to be an immature bald eagle!  A little further down Marilyn spots an adult!  Brian pulls our raft out of the water so we can try to get some pictures.  We don’t have a lot of faith in our disposable cameras;  but we have to try!  Further down there is a pretty little waterfall that comes into the river at an angle.  That causes an eddy that Brian uses to turn us around and bring us to a better place for a photo.

This river is one of those protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which protects some of our heritage by not allowed construction near the shores of the river.  There are three levels of protection, wild, wild and scenic and wild, scenic and recreational.  Originally there were only eight rivers so designated when the act was originally passed.  There are now hundreds so protected

We pass the sign for Lake Five.  It was so named by Lindberg who flew over it and noticed that it looked like the Roman numeral five.  Lindberg is buried in Hawaii which makes this a connection to Brian!

Brian was born in Boston and when Marilyn asks him if he can identify a bird I say, "Sure he can!  He's a naturalist."  Brian demurs saying he's a whaler.  I note that he is a Boston Whaler!

It’s a really smooth ride except for one little bump and, as you’d expect, I’m the one that gets wet, but not totally soaked, so it’s okay!

We chat about Brian’s plan to eventually sail a boat into the ocean and live there.  We tell him all about Intervac since he loves to travel.  He owns a house near the park and his brother is renting it but he could certainly use it as an exchange.

We notice the confluence of the North and Middle Forks, marked by a pronounced difference in the color of the water, since the North Fork isn’t fed by the glacier water of the Middle Fork.  We are at our extraction point which is also the park boundary.  Whitie drives us back to Wild River’s office and our car and we take a final photo with Brian to commemorate our adventure.

From here we go to Eddie’s in Apgar Village to redeem our lunch voucher.  We miss the turn but figure it out pretty quickly and find ourselves in such a cute little area with shops and our restaurant, located on the south end of Lake MacDonald.  Eddie’s is a great little restaurant.  Our server is from Romania and REALLY tall and charming.  We order two sandwiches, fried cod and Ham ‘c’ Jam, and split them.  They are both good and we’re glad we got to taste them both. 

Then there’s time for some shopping before we are off to the “boat” half of our “boat and float” adventure.  Marilyn sits on the shore while I polish off the last shop.  I get to see a jammer rolling back the canvas roof of his bus and we watch some kids playing in the water before leaving. 

 The boat launch is at the Lake MacDonald Lodge, which must be one of the original lodges in the park.  We arrive in plenty of time and wander around taking pictures (I know you’re surprised!) and finally the DeSmet pulls into the dark.  We are able to get seats in the aft portion with seats and a roof and no walls or windows!  Yay! 

Interior of the Lake Macdonal Lodge

Down to the boat launch

Lake MacDonals Lodge from the lake shore.

 We don’t see any critters but the day and the lake are lovely.  And I get a huge ego stroke!  There is a naturalist on board named Nate, and he tells us about the ecology of the lake and asks us some questions.  He points to a ridge and asks if anyone knows what it is.  He walks around the boat and when he comes aft one of the men says it is rubble.  I say it is a lateral moraine and get a high five!

 We disembark and drive home and into West Glacier.  We stop by the Glacier Photography shop to see if they can develop our film!  He says he hasn’t seen film since about 2006 but says there may be a Walgreens in Kalispell or White Mountain that could do it.  We have promised ourselves the huckleberry cream pie and stopped by the Glacier Restaurant to reward ourselves for skipping dessert last night!  

Then we go to the mercantile and get diet Dr.  Pepper to mix with our whiskey.

We return to our beautiful room and go for a walk.  There are huckleberry bushes lining the path to the office and we have a couple.  When we arrive at the office there is a fierce dog guarding the door!  Well.  I lied.  He’s just such a good boy!

Huckleberries!  These are by the photographer's shop.  The ones on our
path are much smaller;  but they are all ripe!

Back to our room for our left-over salads from last night and a little Dr. Pepper plus. A little blogging and a lot of sleep, with NO alarm in the morning.