Day 5: Getting to Glacier

 Brrrrr!!!! It was 42 degrees at 7:30 am this morning and I was very reluctant to get out of the bed.  I knew that it was going to be chilly, but being from Texas one sometimes forgets what "cold" feels like. Last night's stay at the Harlowton Rest Area was uneventful and quiet - everything you could ask for in a quick overnight location. Now it was time to be up and moving for our final leg to Coram, Montana. Coffee was the first thing on the breakfast ticket, followed by some hot biscuits ands sausage gravy. We needed something hot today and that really seemed to fit the occasion. 

We were on the road by 8:30 am, our earliest start so far on this trip. Our journey today took us north on a winding route of US-191, US 87/89, I-15, MT-44, and finally US-2. We passed by the Judith Gap Windfarm (the largest in Montana). We did see several fire warning signs along the highway admonishing truckers to make sure tow chains were secured to avoid sparking, and smokers to keep cigarette butts in their cars. Fire is a very real danger out here and can sweep across acres in a heartbeat.

About 3/4 of the journey today is across wide open plateaus. We keep ascending large hills and come to the next level of the plains. It's fairly dry out here, making this region perfect for farming hay and wheat. The fields truly are golden. It appears that the harvest has already happened, and what is left are the stubby stalks acting as ground cover for the upcoming winter. Occasionally I'll see a hawk swoop down, presumably to pounce a field rodent.

Finally sometime around Browning, Montana, the terrain began to change. Gone were the wide open fields, replaced by mountains, trees and rivers. The terrain became more dramatic with vast alpine forests, dramatically sloping mountainsides and snaking riverbeds running along side the road. The pace westward slowed and we had time to enjoy the vistas. 

There was some on going maintenance construction on Hwy. 2 that caused a few delays, but this was one time I was not sad about being stuck in traffic. The temperatures were in the low 70's, no biting bugs, and with the traffic being led by a pilot car, that mean that no one was being crazy and trying to pass one another. That made it very easy to just sit back and enjoy the journey.

We arrived at North American RV Park right around 4:00 pm, checked in at the front desk and pulled around to our site.  It was early enough that we were able to settle in. We debated going out and about to see the rest of Coram, Whitefish and maybe even some of Kalispell - but fatigue won out. We had lost about an hour due to the traffic on Hwy. 2 and things start closing up pretty early here  out west. We decided instead to just stay at camp, grills some burgers and just relax for tomorrow's adventure.

After a little relaxing in the recliners and watching a couple of very interesting documentaries, we called it a night.  Be sure to join us tomorrow for a recap of our adventure on the Flathead River!