starrs

monpetit, I have a question - do you eat pie for breakfast every day? If so, do you have other items to or just pie? I love your trip reports but at first was surprised at how much you mentioned pie. Now, after reading your reports, I'm thinking that's a pretty good idea for breakfast.

monpetit

We don't eat pie every breakfast...but almost...
In Glacier, while in the west part, Eddie's in Apgar had some nice breakfast and eggs not so bad but they have also some pies...if berries or apple with a good coffee pot it's nice(sometimes more difficult to find a good coffee than a pie...).
In West Glacier just across the road/tunnel's entrance the small restaurant here, also frequented by the locals have some very good berry pies.Coffee is so so. You can buy the pie and have the coffee in the small shop near T shirt company store. The coffee and cappuccino are real coffee.
In East Glacier two medecine gril's and luna have also good pies and sometimes we buy a complete pie and this will be our breakfast for the days after.
What we like : drive to two medecine, buy a cup of coffee at the store and eat the pie in front of the lake before hiking...
Finally, in St Mary the park cafe has very good pies(I've not tried the restaurant in itself, only the pies...).
And it is generally our breakfasts in Many Glacier : the breakfasts at the garden restaurant are for us not very good...Too much lipids in the classic american breakfast and you have impression to eat your eggs all the morning long...
When you hike you need some proteins, and quick and slow glucids : pies have all of that...
There are some pies in the dining room in the lodges but not every day and they don't sell the whole pie...
Finally we have never found good pancakes in the park but we try and we'have not said our last word...
Erik

starrs

That is so very interesting. I knew the quality of pies were important to you but we only eat pie a few times a year. Maybe I need to try out this "pie for breakfast" approach.

I checked and Two Medicines Diner is where we picked up the pie - a slice each of the huckleberry and blueberry. We picked it up as we were waiting for the pizza (pie) to be cooked at the East Glacier Trading Company. LOVE that store and learned last night the two (EGTC and TMD) have the same owner. Made me want to go back too...

Ackislander

Some notes: Montana is famous for pie, and my wife, sister and I had it at least twice a day. We ate pie at BOTH Luna and Two Sisters (near Babb).

GTTS is a beautiful road but when we drove it in August a few years ago, it was absolutely mobbed. Nowhere to park at the pass, so I drove around the parking lot, around and around and around, while the others went in to use the toilet. Never got to stop, never got to get out. Never got to see a view but I remember it from my ViewMaster, so what the heck. Never got out of second gear except in the parking lot: second gear all the way up (we were coming from the west), second gear all the way down.

spirobulldog

Oh pie is a huge deal for me too. LOL Best pie ever at a national park is Capitol Reef Gifford House, IMOP. The fruit is even picked there. I am going to Glacier this next summer. and I have pie on my agenda.

BTW, I have pie for breakfast all the time at my house. And we don't have anything else with it. Bacon and pie--yuck.

I prefer the traditional pies, but I can always do a fried pie or something along that line if I have to.

Of course you can get the best of both worlds with a Quiche.

starrs

Ackislander, that's why I'm such a fan of the jammers. I was a bit so-so before we took the tour. I LOVED seeing Glacier from the open top antique jammer. I drove the GTTS road the first time in 1986. I don't mind driving mountain roads and the drive was "fine". Not much more than that - just fine. It was also the Bicentennial of the Statue of Liberty and we were trying to get a signal of the celebration on a little TV. On the drive I yelled "It's snowing!" and the navigator said "That's the best picture I can get!". I wasn't talking about the poor TV reception (snow) but the real stuff falling from the sky...on the 4th of July! What a memory!

Anyway, on the last trip I'm glad I was talked into the jammer drive. It was a FABulous experience!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2K3W9hxjlE

Ackislander

I would absolutely do a jammer trip next time. We were fitting in the park on the way to a wedding in Waterton Lakes so were pressed for time to organize things in advance.

John

TO ACKISLANDER

After 9:30am the parking lot will be filled almost every day, hence the need for the FREE shuttle that travels Apgar to St. Mary with stops along the way including Loagan Pass.

John

That of course is LOGAN Pass!!!

Myer

As John wrote, get to Logan's Pass parking lot by 9:30 at the latest.

The day we hiked to Hidden Lake and on the Highline trail we got there before 9:30 and the parking lot was less than 1/4 full. This was on a beautiful day in early August.

The jammers serve a purpose but it depends upon your style and goals. For me it wouldn't work.

Some of the stops we made and the related detours probably aren't on their stop list. For example, the Lunch Creek parking area a couple of minutes east of Logan's Pass. A beautiful walk/hike up along a cascading waterfall.

starrs

There are several jammer routes. We enjoyed our trip. We had no problem driving back to specific places we wanted to see more of. I didn't want to do the jammer tour but went along with the others. I'm glad they insisted. Different strokes for different folks. Just sharing what I liked about it.

cathee

i am just starting to plan this trip----it may be too late for this summer--we'll see. Are the "jammer" trips the same as Red Bus?

spirobulldog

Jammers or Gear Jammers are the same as the Historic Red Tour Buses. Very similar to Yellowstone's Yellow Tour Bus, if you are familiar with that. I plan on doing one this summer for the first time in Glacier, I did enjoy the one in Yellowstone.

starrs

Yes.

We also took a tour of Livingston, MT - which was the original entry to Yellowstone in the train age - in a jammer.

The guide passed around a binder with photos showing the restoration. I looked at the pics...and looked at the guy sitting behind us...looked at the pics...looked at the guy. I finally asked. Sure enough, the man who restored the coach was sitting behind us on the tour (with his son too).

I told the guide. She was surprised. And he shared a little bit about the restoration. It was a great moment.

spirobulldog

That would be a great moment

starrs

I tried to post his picture as my profile pic but there was a problem uploading. I DID post all of the pics to my Facebook page, including pictures of the restoration process in the binder, pics of him during the tour and greeting the guide as he exited at the end of the tour. Nice guy. Great restoration.

cathee

Yea, sounds so cool. We will definitely take one in GNP. Is this something that one can make when at lodging in the park, or do they fill up fast and should be made before arriving there?

CindyA

Bookmarking

aliced

Visited PNW 4 years ago -- arrv'd at Glacier coming up through Helena & Great Falls into the east side; reserved at Many Glacier which we loved; two couples, two rooms, their first one upon inspection was happily changed to a larger, brighter room; ours was on lowest level but had door right out to the lake. Room very large w/ fireplace, two twin beds, very quiet and comfortable. Food quite good. Spotted grizzly not far from the lake one morning. Husbands confronted moose on their horse ride.

Pies: Huckleberry, huckleberry, huckleberry -- icecreams, pie, pancakes, syrup, so so tasty. Also still at 56 degrees is bottle of "Rock Slide" a syrah/zin from Missoula vines. Only in Montana.

Only went whole route of GTTS road once, stopping at Lk MacDonald, then couple nights in Whitefish before boarding train to Portland and points north. GTTS under construction which caused significant delays but friendly visit w/ construction sign-holder telling us all about her life there. Liked the atmosphere of Many Glacier much more than St Mary's, but Lk MacDonald was nice too. I'd also say 2 & 2 nt stays. You will not look for add'l activities, but down to the southeast is unusual town of Choteau, where there are amazing dinosaur fossils, first site found in North America. Great day trip from east side of park. Sandwiched between the plains and Rockies and pops up at you.

Wish we could get to MT someday again..... love at first sight.