Day 15: Remington Carriage Museum & Many Glacier

We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant before we set off for the day.  A nice older couple sat down at a table next to us and we found out they were from Dothan, Alabama!  They told us about all of the changes the hotel had made since they visited last.  Poor Curtis was the only Alabama fan in the mix.  The rest of us were Auburn fans, so we gave them a nice War Eagle before we said good-bye.

We headed to the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston, Alberta first.  The museum was started by Donald Remington with an agreement with the Alberta government that he would donate his collection of carriages if they promised to open a museum.  The government agreed and expanded the museum, gathering more carriages and restoring them.  The museum currently has over 300 restored carriages from all of the different time periods.  Curtis and I stopped by the restoration workshop and spoke to some of the volunteers.  They told us that they try to use modern equipment while trying to keep the traditional techniques.   All of the original wood is kept unless it's just so rotten that it has to be replaced.  I asked if the replaced it with metal because from looking at some of the pieces, it looked like painted metal.  He told us that no...they keep all of the wood and just layer paint and top coating until the finish looks original.  The craftsmanship was pretty impressive. They told us that people come, camp out in the RV area near the property and volunteer in the workshop to learn the trades.  Curtis and I would LOVE to do that one day.  I love to woodwork.  Curtis wants to learn blacksmithing techniques.  When we retire....

This carriage was a do it yourself kit that could be purchased from Sears and Roebuck, Co.

Shepherd's wagon...the first RV!! 

Curtis was learning how to properly hook up the horses and how to control them.

Curtis and I were marveling at the leaf spring suspension and the steering mechanisms.  It was amazing to us that the leaf spring is still alive and kicking.  Some of the carriages used more layers of leather for the leaves.  These were for the rich who wanted to travel in comfort.  There were some that had the entire carriage part suspended.  Really neat to see the designs and finishes.

Trish posing in front of Seabiscuit's statue.  

Back to the USA and Many Glacier:

We crossed back into the US at Piegan, Montana border crossing.  There was quite a line of cars coming back in from Canada.  Curtis and I joked that Canada had welcomed us and told us to enjoy our stay, but the US border patrol officer didn't.  All he said was "Adios!".  Of course, John rubbed it in that he and Trish were welcomed back.  

We headed to Many Glacier after we crossed back in.  We got stopped at the entrance to the park because it was full and there was no parking.  Right after we got turned around, they opened it back up.  So Curtis and I parked in the first spot we could find.  Trish and John went on to the hotel to find a handicapped spot in front of the hotel.  (Trish jokes that membership has it's privileges. 😄)  It was still pretty hilly for her navigate.  But we walked the Swiftcurrent Trail because it was actually handicapped accessible for about a mile.  So Trish enjoyed a good workout and great views of the Swiftcurrent lake and nature.  I took pictures of some of the flowers I saw along the trail. Some of them I have never seen before.  Some were just gorgeous.  Check out the red flower/berry one I snapped a photo of!
 

Can you tell it's a little windy?! 

 View of the hotel from the trail.

 We think this cabin may be a ranger's cabin.  Pretty tough gig, isn't it?

 Probably my favorite nature picture I've taken. I've never seen anything like it.  We couldn't decide if it was a berry or a flower.  It's just beautiful!

 I kind of got in trouble with my husband for these pictures above and below. I walked out to that ledge (in the picture) to take the picture and it made him very uncomfortable.  I felt bad because I think I scared him.  But I would not have gone out if I felt it wasn't safe. I'm not afraid of heights, but I am afraid of falling!  I promised him I wouldn't scare him like that again.  But aren't the falls really beautiful?!

 Trish read a statistic that more people die from falling trying to get the perfect selfie than from bear or animal attacks in Glacier!  Hmmm...

After Many Glacier, we said good-bye to Going to the Sun Road by driving it one last time from St. Mary's Lake on the east side to West Glacier.  Trish enjoyed this route better because she's like Curtis and is deathly afraid of heights.  This way, she's on the mountain side for most of the road. 

Oh.  I haven't told you about the Beargrass blooms that grow in the Glacier National Park area.  They only grow once every five to seven years.  So every year, the Beargrass blooms are not from the blooms of the previous year.  This year it looked like Glacier was covered with white Beargrass.  It was breathtaking to see them go up on the sides of the mountains as far as you could see!  The picture below is my effort to take a picture of some of the growths near Logan Pass. I forgot to ask Curtis to slow down so it's a little blurry.  There is a close up shot of a Beargrass bloom below it.  They look like a big cotton ball on top of a stem.  Curtis said it reminded him of a big oversized dandelion.  I like my cotton ball description better!  But if you look real close, it looks like a bunch of star shaped little flowers forming the large cotton ball.  They are my new favorite flower.

 I don't know what the flower is called in the above picture.  But I thought it was very interesting.  Curtis called it another weed.  It might be Beargrass before or after it's bloomed, maybe???

Trish finally got up to the trail above Logan Pass.  We walked it for a few minutes.  Then we headed down before construction started. The park got a huge grant for road improvements.  So every night after the most of the crowds clear, the construction crew starts to shut down parts of the road and make them one-way only.  Curtis and I got stuck with Carrie Ann the night we took pictures and didn't get down till after 10 pm.  We finished the evening with dinner at the West Glacier Grill where my husband enjoyed yet another huckleberry milkshake.  He has fallen in love with huckleberries.  We are bringing home a couple containers of huckleberry ice cream!