A glimpse into Glacier Park & a quick getaway in Colorado

Our first couple weeks have flown by with Mom visiting for a few days and then followed by our trip back to Colorado for a concert for the weekend. Colorado trip was planned when we first left Colorado back in June, so it was a planning free weekend that made it easier for us to relax and enjoy! Planning for Mom’s visit was definitely a must do with Glacier National Park. Some of the National Parks are requiring that you have a ‘day reservation’ for the calendar date that you will be visiting the park. That means, even if you are an annual pass owner, the park still has restrictions on how many reservations they will allow into the park. Visitors must purchase a ‘day reservation’ online and also pay the daily rate/annual pass admission fees. The daily reservation is valid for 7 days. There is a loop hole with this if you don’t want to try to buy a pass every morning at 8am and that is to purchase a reservation for an event within the park, like a boat or bus tour!

Spruce River on the Park has a beautiful view of the Flathead River. We are in a site that gives us two different views of the river, and we’re just steps away from walking into the refreshing water! The first night we arrived, it rained all night and it was such a beautiful sound as it filled the air with a crisp clean refreshing smell. Days following though, the smoke from the fires at the surrounding National Parks were strong and air quality was really poor. Weather in all the places we’ve been have been unpredictable at all times, and the smoke is something we will probably continue to run into as we visit the National Parks all around. I learned that most National Parks do not put out fires, and they allow for nature to take its course, only intervening when fires are nearby buildings and highly populated areas.

When Mom came to visit, we reserved a couple tours with her at Glacier National Park! On the first day, we went on a one hour boat tour at Lake McDonald. The lake is gorgeous; we really enjoyed walking along the side of the lake on all the colorful river rocks. We had lunch at the cafe there as we waited for our boat tour. The boat tour was calm and relaxing. We learned a bit about the surrounding areas at the lake and a little history. The views of the mountains were however not very clear due to the smoke in the air from the surrounding fires. Even with the smokey views, it was still an enjoyable tour of the Lake. The following day we had a bus tour planned. Our truck is too wide for some of the areas on the ‘Going to the Sun’ road, so we didn’t feel comfortable driving in the park. Taking a bus tour was awesome! We didn’t have to keep our eyes on the map and all the signs that we drive by. We were able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Our tour guide knows all the treasures at the park, she grew up near the area so the National Park was her backyard growing up. Our tour made multiple stops and slowed down on many turns where there were photo opportunities. When we’re driving on our own, it’s hard to know where to slow down and when to stop. I definitely would recommend a tour if you have time to take one before possibly venturing off on your own to do a hike and explore. We were able to go a bit further towards the east side of the park, but we did not book the full 8 hour day to explore the whole park. In 4 hours we saw a lot. Mike and I plan to come back to Glacier Parks with Eric, Thi & the kids and again on our own in the next few weeks. We can’t wait to share more of the beauty with you!

After Mom left, we had a short couple of days working away before we flew out to Colorado to meet up with our Cousin, Dan for the Rebelution concert the Red Rocks Ampitheatre! Once we landed in Colorado, I felt happiness again. That same feeling I felt when we first settled into our home in Colorado. I really love it there, I’d definitely consider living there, if not full time then at least for half of the time if we continue on our adventures! Seems like the stars may be aligning as Dan invited his friend Noah to the concert, who just happens to be a real estate agent out there in Colorado! Maybe he can find us a home in an area we’ll fall in love with. Hey, a girl can dream a little! We got in on Friday night, quick walk to grab some burgers for a late night dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing night catching up with Dan. Saturday’s concert was amazing! We got rained on a couple times throughout the start of the concert, got a bit wet, but dried up not too long after and enjoyed a great show! Mike and I got to dance to our First Dance song, which was really special! We got some sweet Reb merch, sang and danced the night away! Rebelution is so amazing live! Always happy when we get to go see them! The following day we were so lucky to get some time in with Aunt Kathleen & Uncle Butch. Aunt Kathleen made reservations at the Denver Jet Center for brunch. What a fun experience! We got a window seat with a view of small private plans landing and taking off. The food was amazing and the company was even better! We have really enjoyed our time with family in Denver. Thank you so much again family, for another memorable weekend!