Le and Matt were finally able to come for their first visit to Montana in early May.  Like all our other guests, we expect this to be the first of many visits!

I started working at Adobe Systems in January of 1996.  Le joined in 1997, and for the next 21 years we either worked fairly close - many years spent on the same team - or on closely related work that kept us in contact.  So it was a great thrill when the opportunity arose that she and her husband would finally be able to visit.

I would normally not recommend early May as the time to see the park for the first time, as many areas are closed due to snow and the weather can be cold and very wet.  But that opinion was vastly incorrect!!!  Read on ....

*Day 1:

*Le & Matt's flight arrived in to Kalispell around noontime, which means we still had half a day of sightseeing to do.  So from the airport we went directly up the North Fork to Polebridge. Huckleberry bearclaws and chocolate poppy seed rolls are the first order of pastry business after a flight.  The roads to Kintla and Bowman lakes were still closed with snow, but the southbound Inside North Fork road to Logging Lake was open.  This was a treat for me as well as them, in that in all the time I've been to Glacier I had never driven that stretch of road inside the park.  It's a gorgeous one lane dirt road through an area of older growth forest that has escaped the many forest fires that have gone by nearby areas.  The historic Logging Ranger Station is where the road dead ends, and as we stopped and munched on the pastries, we met a volunteer who is working there -- a delightful conversation ensued as he had been the manager at Sperry Chalet in the early 2000s.  After that it was back to the house for dinner.

*Day 2

*As host and tour guide for many visitors, we are proud of our long record of making each day of a guest's visit better than the previous one.  That streak was to be broken, as Le & Matt were treated to a wildlife spotting day that simply cannot be surpassed.

We were up early that day.  Sandy was subbing at the school and did not join us.  The road in to Many Glacier had just been opened, so the plan was to go to the east side.  The forecast on the east side was windy -- heck, it's always windy there, so when it's mentioned in the forecast to be windy that means 50mph gusts are expected.

Out the door we do the quick obligatory photo stop in Apgar at Lake McDonald.  Still plenty of snow on the mountains.

Then the drive over to the east side.  First stop is the Silver Staircase waterfall.

Then a stop at Marias Pass.  Still plenty of snow to play in.

As we left the pass, through the trees I caught a glimpse of a mountain goat on the other side of the railroad tracks.  By the time I found a place to turn around and get back to show it off, it was gone.  So an "almost" mountain goat sighting.

As we continued driving towards East Glacier, Matt in the backseat excitedly yelled out "Bear, out on the hill!".  Though Le and I missed seeing it, it fully counts as a bear sighting!

Lake Sherburne, just inside the park at Many Glacier.  The white caps on the lake indicate very windy.  The closer we head in, the cloudier the sky turned.

While Many Glacier Hotel was not open, we could still wander onto the deck and enjoy the view of Grinnell Point.  And yes, we are very tightly bundled up.  As we drove away from hotel we stopped in the parking lot to tour the not so historic and not so scenic but still open outhouse.  It was while we were in the parking lot that a bald eagle flew by overhead.  It was not moving very fast, as it was heading in to the wind.  So add bald eagle to the day's wildlife sighting.

From Many Glacier, we drove to St. Mary and re-entered the park there.  The first stop was Sun Point.  It was probably the windiest I've ever experienced there.  The views, as always, were stunning. From there as we drove up to Jackson Glacier overlook to where the road closure was, Matt yelled out "Mountain Goats!".  There were slightly behind us up on the right side, and as driver I could not see them.  Le & Matt shared their photos with me, where I identified them as a group of Bighorn Sheep.  Add that to the wildlife sightings!

Next stop was at Sunrift Gorge.  While there we saw up close and personal on the wall by where the car was parked a very cute looking Hoary Marmot.

No tour is complete without a stop to see Wild Goose Island    as seen here https://youtu.be/9spGH0YMkj8

We then drove about 100 yards, and as we came around a bend in the road I saw two cars stopped ahead in the road.  I immediately said to get the cameras out as there was probably a bear or something ahead.  Even better, there was a young moose at the side of the road chomping on bushes.  It was very close and we remained safely in the car.

After we left St. Mary, about 5 miles before we entered the town of Browning, I saw some animals in the field on the right side of the road running.  It took a moment to figure out that it was two dogs chasing a small black bear away.  Second bear sighting of the day.

So the score for the day was 2 bears, 3 or 4 Bighorn, 1 bald eagle, 1 moose, 1 Hoary marmot, and one Mountain Goat.  Not bad for Le & Matt's first full day in the park!