Somehow the sky didn’t light up until 5am and so the birds didn’t sing until then either. I decided to skip breakfast and tea and squeeze in another thirty minutes in the warm sleeping bag. I had to get up at 5:30am because I had a long day of driving ahead of me and I needed to roll off early. It took me twenty minutes to take down the tent and fold it into the car. I was on time with my roll off schedule at 6am.
It took me almost two hours to get to the West Yellowstone gate. It was Sunday morning and there was no traffic. The drive over the continental divide was stress free and very pleasant. The chi was totally different on this quiet Sunday
At Montana I stopped by Wheat Montana bakery deli and picked up puff pastry, cinnamon roll and spent $morning.
I think I am set on sugar. I ended up having to go to Albertsons because it was the only grocery store option. I bought mini croissants, tomato and newspaper for fire starter. The wind was strong and made it feel twenty degrees cooler than the weather guide had indicated.
I stopped for gas and
the staff told me Logan Pass at Glaciers National Park is still closed as of
yesterday and that it would take me another ten hours of driving on the road to
get to Glaciers National Park East Gate. I went to use the restroom at the gas
station and when I came out the same mosquito that was in the restroom made it into
the car with me. I think it
wanted a ride to Glaciers National Park. I tried to show it the way out of the
car but somehow it dove into the hot air vent into the dashboard. I told it that I didn’t mind giving it
a ride to Glaciers National Park. It’s
just that it might be a long journey in the heat for it.
The drive from Yellowstone West Gate to the Falls was difficult. I had trouble staying focused. I felt so tired. After passing through the Falls the weight lifted and I felt light and
happy, driving was no longer burdensome. I pretended I was snowboarding not
driving and I felt much better. For
my drive I had access to two radio stations. One was 91.9 FM and had Americana
Music on, no commercials. It
had fun tunes. Then in
Blackfeet Browning area I picked up local indigenous music and chants. It is on for three hours each day on
107 FM. The music was
beautiful. The
radio helped me with the drive, I was very tired. After the Falls, the road was
pretty straight and leveled.
I had planned to stop at the Falls to pick up groceries but I felt
overwhelmed and decided to not stop and continued forward. Well, after
that I only saw two Albertsons for the next 150 miles. Maybe I should
have stopped because Albertsons are expensive and don’t carry pretty produce.
I pulled over at a Wells Fargo to do banking in Helena. I stopped at a
gas station and Subway at Shelby. I inhaled the foot long. It
wasn’t my idea of a healthy option. But in the middle of what seems like
endless land and no civilization, I am grateful to have bread and two slices of
lettuce and tomato for food. I just pretended I was in France and that
this was a French sandwich. It is still a better option than any other
burger fast food for a vegetarian.
I took this time at Subway where I had some cell phone reception
to call home. I checked in
with family and spoke to my mom. She
sounded well and healthy and that was nice to know. I also chatted with my sister Helen
who was trying to ask me how to photograph a wedding. That she was at Miki and Yoshki’s
wedding in Half Moon Bay. They
never had one and this was their wedding ceremony. They rented a place out and all the
friends got together to make it work. That
sounded like a nice thing.
It seems I am missing three weddings this weekend, all
friends. It’s a busy
wedding weekend.
I finally arrived at 5pm at Glaciers National Park East Gate. I was happy to arrive before 7pm, before sundown. My ankle burned as I drove today. I used cruise control to give my leg a rest on the last stretch of the drive where it was flat. I was so tired I just want to sleep.
I picked out campsite #83 at Rising Sun Campground. It had the cleanest chi compared to all the sites. It is right next to the amphitheatre. I put up my hammock too. A deer, male walked through my site. There are deer droppings on my site. I like how the campsite is quiet and not crowded at all. It feels good to be here. I paid for five nights. A campground volunteers from Philli gave me the down low on Logan Pass and trails. They gave me good info that I really need for the duration of my stay here.
At 6pm a group of five ladies did their prayer and song in the amphitheatre. I sat in my car to be more protected from the wind and mosquitoes, and I listened in from there. "I like to sing," is what I told myself.
At 8pm Ranger Austin sang poems of Glacier National Park inspired poems that he put melodies to. The amphitheatre was pretty full. I enjoyed the songs. I sat on the bench on top of my pillow in my snow wear for the cold and mosquito, I was also in snow boots along with a blanket for just in case. It kept me warm, I was no longer shivering. A family brought their big Golden Retriever and the dog was bigger than the kids.
Hours driven: 11 hours
Miles driven: 500 miles
