Site #39, Closed Road, Murdock’s, and Up A Mountain is easier on a horse than down…

What a great few days!  While it rained and was cool, we had fun and a great campsite.  At Mountain Meadow RV Park in Hungry Horse, MT, site #39 is the best.  It is close to the bath house – which was exceptionally decorated with travertine and stucco.  Our site is secluded with lots of trees and a curious red squirrel that likes cinnamon buns.  Our first night here, we had a campfire, roasted marshmallows, and made s’mores.  Mitch and Carolyn went to a park sponsored “sing” where performers were brought in to entertain.  Dan and Caris stayed back to tend the fire.  Caris practiced her makeup skills on Dan.  Needless to say, he had to wash-up before a late-night run to Wal-Mart.  Carolyn commented that she thought he would fit right in with the Wal-Mart crowd and didn’t need to wash-up.  Because of the predicted dropping temperatures for our horseback ride, we were looking for warmer clothing.

We didn’t find all we needed, but Raymond, a quirky Wal-Mart employee, recommended Murdocks.  They opened early the next day, so we went first thing.  Murdocks, as Raymond says, is Ace Hardware on steroids.  It was pretty awesome and had what we needed to stay warm.

We then went to Glacier National Park.  We stopped at the visitor’s center and learned the Going to the Sun Road – the main road in – was closed 16 miles down the road due to snow.  We traveled as far as we could go and walked the Trail of the Cedars, Saw the MacDonald Waterfall – which roared with water, and walked hiking paths around it.  We also skipped stones on Lake MacDonald and had a great lunch at the MacDonald Lodge on the lake. 

We received a call from the Swan Adventure Company telling us the fire pit they use for the cowboy dinner was flooded and gave us the option to just ride.  After a safety lesson and orientation, we mounted and rode for our three hour tour.  Caris was on “Waldo”, Mitch had a Mustang named “Mr. Paint”, Dan was on a huge methodical “Teton”, and Carolyn was on a good-natured “Tank”.  We road up and down the mountain trails of MT.  Amid thunder, lightning, rain and mud, our guide lead us on through the forest.  We saw bear grass everywhere, which only blooms every 5-7 years.  It is a white flowery type plant that looks like a plant from Dr. Seuss.  We saw hints of bear, but no bear.  It was a true memory making experience.  When we dismounted and wobbled to the car, we traveled back to site #39 for showers and a taco dinner.  We were all bushed so we went to bed at 9:00 PM.  It is an early start to Moses Lake.  We are sad to leave this great site, but know more adventure awaits.

Lake MacDonald

Trail of the Cedars

 Site #39