Back to Glacier...A Slice of Heaven

Back to Glacier.     (Disclaimer....no we are not STILL in Glacier.  Just a lazy blogger catching up plus a worried blog reader checking on me to see if I was OK.)

I felt the excitement and anticipation building as we head back to Glacier Park.  My experiences on the East side of Glacier taught me to arrive at the Park entrance early in the morning so we can locate a campsite before exploring for the day.  I was pleased to see a sign at the gate declaring which campgrounds had vacancies.  My first campground choice (Sprague Creek) showed that it was full so we headed up to Avalanche Creek Campground to set up our base camp for the West side of Glacier.
We arrived early enough that the previous occupants were still packing up so we asked if they were leaving and they indicated they would.  We told them to take there time, put a tag on the post to save our spot, with a chair by their campfire ring and left them with some banana bread and cream cheese.  It was perfect camp site and large enough to have shared with another camper...or two!  We liked it well enough that we stayed our entire stay on the West side of Glacier here.

Funny but I didn't even think to take a picture of our site.

We spent the first day getting our bearing.  Spent some time down at Apgar Village checking out the shops and discovered the swimming area and a great picnic grounds.  

 Lake McDonald is crystal clear and was smooth as glass and OH MY WHAT A VIEW!!

What makes it really amazing is how few motor boats are on the lake.  It is a paradise for kayakers,  For folks traveling without kayaks there is a rental place at the marina, so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the peaceful splendor out on the lake. 
 

Each day exploring and hiking ends at the swim area at Apgar village, me kayaking,  Hailey hanging out in the water connecting with people her age.  It is an arrangement that works for both of us.  It also is one of the few places that have any internet coverage so it seems to be a gathering spot for those dependent on getting they daily fix.   The campground at Apgar is huge so there are far more people than I prefer but spending some time there once a day works out for us both.

Quaint cabins surround a creek which begs to be explored by kayak.   Around the bend was a motel style lodge on the waterfront.  Not a bad place to hang out....

                              I could sit on the balcony looking at that view for a long long time.

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One of the most spectacular and unique features of Lake McDonald is the colorful rocks that are everywhere, on every beach on the trails throughout the Park.  They beg to be played collected,  to be played with and (sigh) sadly left behind.  But they are indeed part of the National Treasure.   I have seen many pictures of the rocks of  Lake McDonald showing wonderful colors of the rainbow some using filters that change the hues to unique colors.  I prefer the natural colors which to me were stunning and the mix of colors like a toddler mixed them up in a blender.  These pics are naked.... no filters used.

Historic McDonald Lodge

And it's always....a Goodnight!!