Going to the Sun Road via the Red Bus

We left just after 9:00 a.m. for our tour scheduled to leave Apgar Village at 9:30. When we got there we found Jon Hart, our tour guide, and Red Jammer #102 waiting for us. In addition to the 8 in our party, there was a couple from Georgia and a couple with a young daughter who looked to be around 10. It turned out to be Jon's first season working as a Jammer driver and tour guide, but he had experience before at Yellowstone Park and seemed eager to tell us what he knew about Glacier National Park and to learn more.

Tom & Lee getting on the red bus.

Tom got to ride shotgun and be a consultant to the driver.

Since the high today was to be 86 degrees, many in our group dressed in shorts, though we all brought light jackets. We would have been more comfortable if we'd worn jeans and taken heavier jackets, since we had the canvas top of the tour bus rolled back so we could see out more easily. As Frank said, the whole point of taking the Red Bus tour is to look up, since most of the grandeur of the park is overhead. We were able to stand up to take photos, but had to sit down when the bus was moving.

We learned a lot about the Red Jammers--for example, that they have been in service since the 1930s and were recently renovated by Ford. The views of Lake McDonald and of the mountains surrounding the glacial valleys were spectacular. Unfortunately, when we got to Logan Pass, at the Continental Divide, it was still socked in by the morning fog, so we didn't get to see the great views from the Visitor Center there. We were also disappointed that they didn't sell hot drinks, since some coffee or hot chocolate would have really hit the spot!

We got one impressive view of the mountains after another.

Fog covered Logan Pass.

We got only a glimpse of one glacier on our tour, Sperry Glacier. Our guide urged us to consider hiking the park, since some of the best access to the glaciers is not from the roadway. We will see some more glaciers when we drive around the east side of the park on Sunday on our way to Waterton.

When we returned from the tour, it was after 1:00 p.m. We ate lunch, and then Frank, Tom, and I set off on a hike to Avalanche Lake. The round trip was about 5 miles, with 500 feet of elevation gain, so it was a relatively easy hike, but from the time we left camp until the time we returned was four hours. An hour of that was driving to the trailhead and back to camp, so we spent about three hours on the trail, but much of that time was spent taking photos and just being awed by the views. The rushing waters of the creek are fed by glacial melt. The forest is littered with fallen trees, most of which have apparently been knocked down by the wind. The views of Avalanche Gorge and then of the lake and the waterfalls cascading down into it are magnificent.

Since we got back from the hike so late, the group decided to postpone the planned potluck until tomorrow evening.