8/17/21 - Today is a great day and one we will remember forever. Our youngest son and his wife delivered their second baby- a Boy! All is good with baby, mom & dad.

Glacier news was a 40 degree drop in temps to 42 this morning and heading to 35 degrees tonight. Rainy today, but certainly not a washout. We traveled the length of Going to the Sun road which winds through the mountainous area. The road building started in 1922 (finished in 1932), is really an engineering marvel with bridges built over the side of cliffs, two tunnels hand dug and a 50 mile road bed constructed. Power equipment back in that day was not an option due to the remote mountainous area. Amazingly over the 10 year period only 3 men died hanging on ropes over cliffs, blasting and traversing the rough terrain & weather conditions of the Rockies. Employment turnover however was a staggering 100% per month.

Views along the way

Two overlooks cut into side of the tunnel

Lake McDonald Lodge at the West Gate entrance to Glacier, one of three built by the Northern Railroad in 1913, was built to entice travelers to use the railroad. Constructed with lodgepole pine, the lodges are quite something to see and still true to their 1913 vintage.

Lake McDonald view from the lodge.

Of course there was hiking on the agenda today. Trail of the Cedars to Avalanche Lake is a 5 mile hike with a 500 foot elevation gain. 

Never go anywhere without bear spray.

The Cedars trees at the start of the hike were 500+ years old and pretty impressive in their own right.

At the end of the cedar boardwalk was a really cool waterfall fed by Avalanche Lake, 2+ miles up the mountain. Crystal clear blue water.... wow.

The lake is fed by 3 mountain waterfalls plummeting from the top of the mountain in the background.

End of the day was a bear bear sighting off the road

about 150 ft.