The East Glacier Experience (Part 2)

OK, where was I? Broken down truck in a tiny podunk town. My daughter Heather was finally able to get our alternator into her pretty little hands, but she was 90 miles of mountain driving away, and it was getting dark.

A quick look around (trust me, the town is only 4 blocks long and maybe 4 blocks wide!) and we could see a motel was open throughout the winter months, and it had a vacancy sign in the window. I called Heather and we made plans for her to drive up in the morning. Joe and I walked the two blocks to the motel and checked in for the evening. We were informed we were (so far) the only patrons and the really nice owner lady gave the nicest room she had. For a mom and pop kind of place, it was actually very nice! Brocade wallpaper, oak vanity and desk, good bedding (not the cheap, scratchy type) over a memory foam topped mattress. Oh Yeah... Very Clean! And, all this for only $64.00! The owner told me she gave us a discount, but I don't know how much it was. I did ask about "On Season, summer rates" and our room would have been $154.00 a night!

East Glacier is a booming town during the summer, mostly feeding off of the Glacier National Park tourists. In the winter, the park is mostly closed, and the tourists and seasonal workers have all gone home. We found out there was one cafe open for dinner, one gas station / convenience store, one tiny market, and one bar!

It was a nice evening, so after we retrieved our bags from the truck and used the clean, private facilities of the room, we headed out for a night on the town! *hahaha*

We walked to the far end of the town, to the convenience store, where we purchased some pain relievers and a couple of sodas. Next stop was the cafe, another place we were the only patrons as it was about 7pm and the place closed at 8. The waitress was nice, but not overly friendly. Joe and I shared a Philly steak and cheese sandwich, fries, and we each had a cup of beef veggie soup. It was good food, but nothing special. On the way back to the motel, we decided to pop into the bar for a drink and some atmosphere, as we didn't have anything else to do.

The bar was occupied by about 8 or 9 locals, and the barmaid. Nothing special about the bar... it looked like a small town bar, smelled like a small town bar, and had the liquor selection of a very small town bar! Joe and I ordered our simple drinks and took a table in a corner. The first thing we really noticed was we were the only non-Indian people in the bar. We were also the only ones that didn't look like we drank every meal for the past 5 years. We finished our drinks while watching two others play a game of pool, then we left. With nowhere else to go, we retired to the motel.

We had brought along a bottle of wine, so we had a couple glasses of that while relaxing. Joe was suffering through a broken tooth, so he was in a bit of pain, but otherwise the evening was very quiet. We didn't even turn on the TV, and we retired pretty early.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Heather called about 8am to let us know she was on her way with the alternator, tools, and jumper cables. God Bless Her! LOL We packed up, signed out of the motel and toured the area in the day light. Here are a few photos:

Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier, MT

A care takers cabin, Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier, MT

I think this was an old Station Agent's office, as it is very close to the East Glacier Depot. All the windows are gone, but the sink and toilet are still there. The main room was barely big enough for a desk and chair.

Heather arrived about 11am, we got the part installed, then instead of heading over the pass to Kalispell, just to turn around, we decided to head back to Great Falls, taking a tour of a couple of towns we had not been to yet. I have a few photos to share of Shelby, MT tomorrow!