Week 8- Montana, Glacier National Park and Canada

Week 8 (September 27th through October 3rd. I know, I'm still a ways behind) led us to Glacier National Park and then into the Canadian Rockies.  First up- a stop at Flathead Lake, just south of Glacier.  It happens to be the biggest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River.  We stopped at a campground right along the lake in the woods for the night.  This state park campground happened to have no hook-ups, well, unless you were the campground host or were disabled.  Well I am neither, but there wasn't anyone in the disabled site.  The sign beside it says that if no one is in the site after 7, then anyone hook up to the site for the night.  Hmmmm, it is 5 now, if someone does come, we will move…. Let's back the camper in!  But before we knew it, the campground host had seen us and shut down our plan within about 3 minutes.  "What if we move if anyone comes?"  Well according to her, the entire campground has to be full before anyone without a disability could take the spot.  This campground had about 5 campers in it and it seemed unlikely that anyone was going to use the spot, but if she says so.  Must be nice with electricity.

We set up camp and grabbed enough firewood to sustain a decent sized fire later that night.  To this point on the trip, no one has caught a fish yet, but why not give it another try.  We took the fishing poles down to the water and fished from a few massive rocks.  No fish this time, but a damn good view.  A trip down to the dock later that night proved very unsuccessful as well.  I don't really have the patience to fish anyway.  I throw it in 3 or 4 times and I'm already mad that I haven't gotten a bite.  How often do I fish?  I live on a lake and couldn't tell you where a working fishing pole is at my house.    

We built a respectable fire in the fire pit right by the camper, enjoyed dinner, and sat around while Bub either cheated or manhandled Allen and I in Monopoly on the picnic table right near the fire...  I'm leaning towards cheating.

Deer right in our campground

The site for the night

Flathead Lake

We slept in the next day before heading on to Glacier National Park.  The park is huge, and actually extends into Canada from Northern Montana.  The name of the road going east to west across the park is called "Going to the Sun Road."  It leads over the mountains in the park and the pass was already closed for the season.  They like to do repairs on the roads before the snow comes and doesn't leave for at least 4 months.  Our campground for the next couple nights was near the western entrance to the park.  You could take road up about 10 miles from the west and about 20 from the east, but they didn't connect.  The east entrance was about at least an hour and half drive from the campground because of the alternate route needed to get there.  We did the west side on the first day, the east side the 2nd day, and hiked and camped the 3rd night in the park.

The glaciers on the mountains melt and form plenty of lakes at the foot of the mountains.  Combining lakes and mountains works out for everyone involved.  Our three days there ran into the beginning of October, and what everyone in the area told us was great weather for the time of the year.  High 60s in the day, mid 40s at night is supposedly unheard of in October.  The locals claim there is often snow by this point.  We had great weather, the leaves were changing, and there wasn't hardly anyone else in the park.  Hard combination to beat.     

Glacier National Park

Preparing to Hike

The preparation takes a good amount of time before actually hiking to sleep on the ground.  National Parks want every person staying in the park to be accounted for.  Even if you sleep outside on the ground, you still have to pay a fee.  This continues to be garbage in my mind, but hey, I don't own a forested area with glaciers on the mountains.  At the backcountry stations, the people or usually 1 person working know the park very well.  We looked on the map and picked out 3 or 4 different campsites that he claimed didn't have that great of views.  3 or 4 miles with a pack on isn't the easiest thing in the world, but I want some good views man.  His recommendation- go to Bowman Lake and do the 7 mile hike by the lake to the campsite.  For liabilities purposes, the park makes anyone camping in the park watch a video on safety and bear protection.  What is this bear mace for anyway?  This educational video was semi-lame, but I guess somewhat informative.  You should make a lot of noise when walking in order not to scare to bear, but if you do run upon it, PANIC!!  No, actually you are supposed to talk to the bear in a calm voice and slowly back away if still a good distance away.  If you are close, remain still, even if they charge at you.  The video claims it is usually is a bluff, and if the smell from ruining your underwear doesn't keep them away, your toughness sure will.  

Not only was the hike 7 miles one way, but it took about an hour and half to get to the trailhead.  It wasn't all that bad, but gravel roads most of the way.  So about 30 or 45 minutes into the drive, we come to a small town named Polebridge- almost in Canada.  We were told to stop by the general store for some freshly baked goods.  This place was so cool.  The small community there supported this place and it seemed to thrive.  They had warm sandwiches, a soup of the day, freshly baked bread, cookies, pastries, and other random items that a convenience store would have.  There was a guy who looked to be in his mid 20s working the counter and then a girl about the same age was in the back who probably made all the goodies.  In the 15 minutes we were there, 15 people probably stopped by.  You think gravel roads for miles but this place was happening.  There was even a small restaurant and bar next door that had to serve as the community's entertainment.  After a few snacks and fresh cookies, we were on the way.  Well, except that we took the wrong road out and had to turn around and come right back to it about 30 minutes later.  We started down the right road initially, convinced ourselves that we were going the wrong way, and then took the other road.    

The Drive In

The Hike In and the Short Stay

Like I said, this 14 mile thing sounded good at the time.  We started the hike in the late afternoon, around 4 pm.  After all this hoopla about the bear, we meet an Asian girl who weighed about 110 pounds walking quietly through the woods by herself with no bear mace.  She played if off like it was nothing and she said she saw two bears the other day up in the trees while she was hiking.  We definitely heard something rustling around in the woods before we met her, but it seemed to be behind us and a little ways away, so we continued on.  After 2 and a half hours and 2 breaks, we arrive at the site.  The trail went right along the water and was beautiful, but was just about 3 miles too long.  We were all pretty wiped out, but it wasn't anything too awful.  We set up camp, gathered firewood for the whole night, and filled up on river water.  There was a river running right by our campsite into Bowman Lake.  Put the water bottle in an area with fast moving water and hope for the best.  Cold, fresh water in the middle of the woods is pretty hard to beat.  

Boxed wine was brought out to the campsite, because it can be carried easily and you are sitting in the woods staring at a fire for the night.  We cooked spaghetti with meat between the fire and the propane cooker that Allen brought and enjoyed a warm night by Glacier's standards.  Before going to sleep, we had to make sure to get rid of all the smells around the campsite in order not to attract bears.  We washed the cooking materials fairly well, put all the food in the packs and then strung our packs on a tree so that no bears could get into it.  Just following what the video says.   

So I knew the next day's hike would be rough if I was dehydrated, so I made sure to drink plenty of river water before going to sleep.  After going to sleep, it wasn't 2 hours later that I woke up about to bust.  I scramble out of the tent and stumble about 25 yards away to relieve myself without any further damage.  I go back to sleep and at 6:30, I'll be damned if i wake up again about to bust.  Geez river water, what did I do to you.  You almost ruptured my bladder twice in one night.

The Hike Out

We woke up and cooked sausage and eggs and sat around in the morning because, you know, we had another 7 mile hike back to the car.  The hike to the campsite wasn't bad because we had something to look forward to.  On the hike back, there was nothing but the truck waiting for us.  So, after a few pics and gathering/cleaning everything up, we hit the trail.  This hike was rough.  Really rough.  About 4 miles in, things started blurring together, my collarbone was hurting from the pack, my lower back ached, and we were all physically worn out.  To finally see the truck and take off the pack was such an amazing feeling.  In the span of about 26 hours, we hiked over 14 miles.  In retrospect, that just doesn't seem like the best idea for one night of camping.  

Since the beginning of the trip, I have been looking for a walking stick.  It has to be found in the woods, and I want to slowly shave it down with a knife to make it look really cool.  Well, I found one in Yellowstone that was really cool- except somehow it was tossed into the fire before the end of the night.  Allen and Bub claimed that I did it, but I won't believe such nonsense.  In Glacier, I found another one, and this one actually made it back to the truck.  I was so wrecked after the hike that I left it on the ground.  I guess it's only a piece of wood, but I really want one.  If only I could keep it for more than 1 day.   

Where the hike started.  You could see how close we were the the mountains in the pictures above.

The West Entrance

We took the road into Glacier the evening we arrived in the area after coming from Flathead Lake.  The drive wasn't long, but the views and pictures were awesome.  There really isn't much to report from the drive, except a couple $1 side bets on throwing rocks.  Pick a target- whether is be a big rock, a tree, anything- and the first person to hit it gets a dollar from each person.

The East Entrance

Like I said, the pass connecting the two entrances was closed, so we had to drive a good ways to get to the east entrance.  On the way, we notice these dirt paths leading up the side of the mountains.  Hmmm, we left the camper at the campground, let's take the trail.  It wasn't part of the park and I have no idea who's land we were on, but we drove a few miles on it to a couple of overlooks before the road decided we couldn't go past a certain point.  We made it into the park in the late afternoon and just enjoyed the drive and the scenery.

Bub setting up the tripod to get a picture of the 3 of us

The road ends here

After Glacier National Park, we had a few days before Kaysee and Sarah flew into Seattle for the weekend on Wednesday, October 5th.  The options?  More of Montana, head to Idaho, drive a little ways to eastern Washington, or CANADA!  Hey, let's sling it around in Canada for a few days.  So we headed north, destination Cranbrook, in British Columbia.  We got there a little late in the afternoon and found this random campground near a casino.  The guy running the campground comes out of his camper in a sleeveless shirt and dirty jeans and accepts our American money for the night.  He tells us how to get to the casino and that was that.

If you have absolutely no interest in my gambling stories and experiences, skip this section.  If you do enjoy reading about my random and hopefully exciting casino experiences, read on.

So as always, the goal is to double the initial amount put in.  I walk away when everything is gone and I have actually walked away twice on this trip after breaking even.  I started off by roaming around the blackjack tables and trying to make things happen.  After a few breaks to watch the football game with Bub and Allen and about 2 or 3 hours later, I am up about 50 bucks.  Allen and Bub are troopers in the casinos.  They may play a few hands and bs around a little, but in the end, it all comes down to when I'm finished.  The casino was set to close in about 30 minutes when I realize that being up 50 bucks is pretty solid.  In the meantime, while I had been playing, Allen and Bub stumbled on to this game that was only in British Columbia.  

The game is basically Texas Hold-em against the dealer.  There may be 6 different people against the dealer, but like blackjack or any other table game, it is 6 individual people going 1 on 1 with the dealer.  So the game is simple, each player and the dealer are dealt 4 cards face down.  You then pick your 2 best cards and discard the other 2 while the dealer does the same.  All the cards are then turned face up and then 5 community cards are dealt.  You combine your 2 cards with the 5 community cards and make the best 5 card hand.  If your 5 card hand beats the dealer, you win!  The dealer wins if there is a tie, giving the house a very small advantage.  Basically you are playing a game with 50-50 odds if you play the right away.  

The thing that makes the game attractive to play is the side bet.  You can put the any dollar amount on a side bet that has nothing to do with the dealer's hand.  It is all dependent on your hand.  You break even on 3 of kind, but better hands have increasingly good payouts.  For example- a straight paid 2-1 on your money, a flush was 4-1 and 4 and 5 of a kind paid really nice.  The thing you have to realize is that the house doesn't really have a game where the player has better odds than the house.  Even more so, the house definitely doesn't have very good odds on a side bet.  You basically have to get really lucky in order to win a side bet.  

So I sit down at table with 4 Canadiens and 1 American girl who seemed to like Canadiens way better than us.  They tell me how to play the game and explain the side bet.  "You gotta do the side bet, it's the only way to win."  My response?  "Hey guys, go play the lottery, you are just trying to get lucky."  I don't really like people telling me what to do, and my stubbornness kicked in.  I'm just going to do the exact opposite of what they tell me to.  They keep getting on to me about not doing the side bet and this irks me a little.  So in response, I bash this side bet and continue to tell these people that they have no idea what they're doing.  Someone asks where I am from and they start to rip North Carolina.  I tell them that NC has a great changing of leaves this time of year.  "Leave changing, huh?  That's the best NC has to offer?"  

After 10 or 15 hands, I hit 5 of a kind- 2s.  Well, those damn Canadiens went wild.  Not only was I not doing the side bet, but as a kick in the groin, the dealer informs me that since I wasn't betting and won, each player at the table wins money.  Sure, it wasn't the same odds I would have had if betting, but by me not betting on it, they won money.  It went so far that the dealer told everyone to thank me for the money and then laugh at me.  My insides were burning I was so mad at these people.  I spent 15 minutes telling them their side bet was dumb and then they got paid after I got a good hand.  I'm clearly outnumbered (Don't worry this isn't leading to a fight) and nothing I say matters to these people.  I am not only an arrogant American to them but I won them money.  This night is going downhill fast.  Although, I did manage to win something like 25 bucks for the night.

I had a drink or two at the casino over the course of the night and after getting back to the camper, I was still fuming and wanting to rant about those Canadiens at the casino.  The next step in the night went way wrong.  In our stash of beer from Milwaukee, we bought a case of 40 oz beers.  If you aren't familiar with 40 oz beers, they are usually very low quality beers with a higher alcohol content.  They are a little darker in color and a little harder to finish.  They upset your stomach horribly the next day, but after a few months of not drinking one, you forget this.  I finished mine and went to sleep like any other night.  

The next day?  Horrible shape.  I woke up feeling a little weird, but not awful.  I have had a hangover or two in my life and know what they feel like.  This was no hangover, this was something serious.  We stopped at Wendy's for lunch and I could barely finish a 5 piece chicken nugget.  We are driving around checking out the scenery and we have to pull over multiple times so I can vomit.  Like I said, I know what a hangover feels like, but this was horrible.  About halfway through the day, we had to pull over and find a campground because I couldn't function.  My apologies to Allen and Bub for killing a day on the road, but this was necessary.  Either the 40 destroyed my world for a day or the Subway from the night before had something bad in it.  2 drinks and a 40 oz the night before and I can't keep any food down a day later.  What has the world come to when chicken nuggets no longer taste good.  

A nap and plenty of water did the trick and this being Monday, we went to watch Monday Night Football at this really cool  lounge in Creston.  They served Thai food and had nice comfortable chairs and a big tv.  An order of pineapple fried rice to calm the stomach and enjoy the game.  The Indianapolis Colts (Bub's favorite football team) played and lost in an ugly fashion.  Their quarterback, Peyton Manning, arguably one of the best QBs in the history of the game is out with a neck injury for an indefinite period of time.  The rest of the Indianapolis Colts don't look so good anymore.  A good QB can make mediocre guys look pretty damn good.  Sure, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are great players, but if you don't have anyone to throw them the ball, what good are they?

The Colts fell to 0- however many games they have played and we called it an early night before heading back into the United States the next day.  Canada is a pretty cool place, visit our neighbors if you get the chance.  Just stay away from their casinos, unless you are in Niagara Falls.

Allen claims to have trimmed up his beard just to get rid of the random long hairs on his face, but there is very much a beard intact.  Bub's mustache is growing over his lips and trying to get into his mouth.  The poll lasted a week and even if he was planning on letting it grow, the "leave it alone" beat out "only keep the mustache" and "shave it all off".

Everyone still has enough money to continue the trip and my current casino record is  3 wins- 2 losses- and 3 ties.  Still up for the trip!

A special shout out to my dad on this post, as today, October 20th, would have been his 61st birthday.  For everyone who knew him, you remember what a great person he was and how he did many things for a lot of people and asked for nothing in return.  Being a doctor and working who knows how many hours over 40 each week, he still found time to be a coach for almost every team Rachel and I were apart of in elementary school- which was basically year around.  He was pretty much a volunteer for the McDowell High School football team- only he was an orthopedic surgeon.  He always put others first and it was never about him.  Heck, he didn't even like having birthday parties for himself.  He left one when everyone at his office tried to throw him one some years ago.  We used to help run the Marion Elementary basketball gym in the winters while Rachel and I were in elementary school and middle school.  He coached a younger girls team that Rachel wasn't even on for 2 years just because he enjoyed helping and teaching others.

I never knew how much he was appreciated and respected around our community until he passed away.  At his funeral, microphones had to be placed outside during the service because there wasn't enough room inside to hold everyone who had come to pay their tributes.  The man playing the piano at his service grabbed the microphone unplanned at the end and told a story about a surgery my dad performed on him.  He was financially unable to pay for it when the bill came, and my dad told him not to worry about it.  When was the last time you went to the doctor and were told to not worry about the bill?  I went to our local hospital a few years later and since we share the same name, everyone knew exactly who I was.  Multiple people working there who I had never met came over to say how much his presence was missed there.  To take things even to the max, recently, a bartender in Marion recognized the name on my credit card at a bar.  He knew my dad from his time as the team doctor at the high school and he retold a story about my dad going the extra mile to ensure he was healthy enough to play the next week.  I knew of the guy but had never met him before and got a free drink out of it.  This incident happened 8 years after my dad's passing.

JHW3- Happy Birthday and thank you once again for everything you have ever done in supporting me.  RIP