OUR DRIVE FROM SPOKANE TO GLACIER

8th – 9th September OUR DRIVE FROM SPOKANE TO GLACIER

On Monday 8th September we left the semi-arid Spokane, and our drive took us into Northern rural Idaho, known for its potatoes, and through the small towns of Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry.
In the early afternoon we crossed into Montana, and a more mountainous terrain replaced the farm fields of Idaho. A sign on the road explained that ahead there would be crosses marking the places where there had been fatal accidents. This came as an effective reminder and made me think of the many people whose lives have been affected by tragedies of this sort.
This beautiful drive also made me think of horse riding in the mountains (from the movies I expect) and I felt an inexplicable sort of sense of belonging although I’ve never been to Montana before. It did also remind me of my dear old school friend Bookey who taught me to ride many years ago in the Vumba Mountains.
For some way the road follows the path of the Kootenai River as it travels south through the Kootenai National Forest. We stopped at a viewpoint and then took a short hike down to the wide, fast flowing river, a series of staggered falls caused by various angled rock drops, and a pedestrian swing bridge.
It was almost dark when we finally stopped to lay our heads down at the Logan State Park, having lost an hour in the crossing of a time zone, and it wasn’t long before we were tucked up in bed.
This was a beautiful place to wake up to on a clear sunny chilly morning. We were beside the Thompson Lake, one of several lakes along that road, and the park, which has cabins as well as camping facilities, is popular with hunters and fishers. It is open all year round, open for ice fishing enthusiasts in winter.
We were headed for Montana’s Glacier National Park, which meets at the international border with Alberta’s Waterton National Park. In 1932 these 2 parks were designated the first International Peace Park. Separate countries administer Glacier and Waterton but cooperate to manage their natural and cultural resources. “The wild plants and animals ignore political boundaries and claim the mountainous terrain on both sides of the border.” The parks which are in the Rockies, have been designated a joint World Heritage Site. “This recognition by the world community celebrates the International Peace Park’s rich geologic history, biological diversity, and dynamic cultural heritage.”
We entered the park at West Glacier and traveled around its southern extremity, across to East Glacier. This took us up to Marias Pass and the Continental Divide, where we stopped to take in the memorial to a certain John F. Stevens. The Blackfeet Nation has lived in these mountains for centuries and still does so today. They were the first to use horses as a means of transportation. Historically they were a very fierce people and no other peoples dared to try to find a way across the mountains, until, in the late 1800’s the civil engineer John Stevens, looking for a way through for the rail line, found this pass which was later named Marias Pass.
From East Glacier we traveled north to a small place called St. Mary where we found a KOA campground and booked in for 3 nights.