| Bob Brown |
Apr 12th, 2000 08:52 PM |
John, I don't recall exactly how long it took to drive to and from Whitefish, but traffic is not usually heavy. As I recall the run to Whitefish from Lake McDonald was less than an hour. I was not pushing it. <BR>Big Fork is actually a little farther away, so it took about an hour to reach the Lake McDonald parking lot, which is near the trailhead. <BR>One reason to select Whitefish is that there is a laundromat in the shopping center on the south side of town. After grubbing around on the trails, we need to wash clothes. <BR>On the other hand, Bigfork does have a summer theater!! We got there too late to go in but we could hear it on the street and it sounded like the theater attracted competent performers. So you might want to docket that fact and recall it when decision time comes. <BR>Lake trips!! We have taken boat trips on St. Mary Lake on the east, and on Two Medicine Lake, also on the east side. Both lakes are in Glacier. But the very best boat trip of the group is the one from Waterton down Waterton Lake to Goat Haunt on the American side of the border. Once at the Goat Haunt boat dock, you can get off and walk around. Just be sure to check the return schedule, unless you want to spend the night!! There is short trail to a scenic cataract near the dock. We also walked about 3 miles south along the Waterton River to a wide spot where we had a splendid view of Porcupine Ridge. We took our lunch and dined with three Moosetresses. They ate acquatic plants from the stream bottom and we had our sandwiches and cookies. They were very charming luncheon companions. They weren't intersted in my lunch and I didn't ask to share theirs. <BR>The motel that we used last year in Big Fork is the Timbers Motel. We had one of the new units which was a little nicer, a little more spacious, and a little more expensive, but worth it. <BR>In Whitefish we stayed at the Chalet Motel. In checking my AAA TourBook, it seems to me that prices for motel rooms in that area have shot up out of all proportion to their value. I guess it is the increase in tourism in that area. <BR>Calgary is a nice place to fly into and out of. You will need to go through customs both coming and going. Coming home we went through US Customs and Immigration Control in the Calgary airport. <BR> <BR>Technically, US Citizens are not required to have a passport to visit Canda and return home. When crossing the border by car, I have never had to show anything. Last year the border official questioned me about the rental car, which was one we picked up from Hertz at the Calgary Airport. So have your contract handy when you report at US Customs. <BR> <BR>Flying in and out is a different story when it comes to Customs and Immigration Control. Even though a passport is not required for US Citizens, I decided to take mine along last year and found that it expedited matters considerably. I made the decision after two of my wife's co-workers, both physicians, reported being given the 3rd degree when returing by air from Vancouver. They did not have passports; and quickly learned that their driver's licenses were insufficient proof of citizenship. If you don't have a passport, I suggest two photo id's and either a voter registration card or your birth certificate. Obviously immigration checking is much more extensive at the airport than anything I have experienced when crossing the border in a car. <BR> <BR>For a place to stay in Calgary, particularly one that is convenient to the airport, I would stay at the Greenwood Inn. It had a good dining room last summer. We made the mistake of staying at the Holiday Inn and could get no food service, even though the dining room door was open. So we left after sitting around with nothing happening in the way of service, and drove to the Greenwood. After inspecting the lobby and a room, we wished we had stayed there. It looks great from the lobby level. <BR> <BR>I don't know anything about the jammer trips you mentioned. I guess I prefer to drive myself. My wife is an excellent driver so we swap off. Besides, the scenery from the road is nothing compared to the trails. Get off on the Highline Trail from Logan pass and you will see the sights!! The Highline Trail runs a long ways north, but if you go as far as Haystack Butte (A large rocky knob that is obvious when you start heading north.) there is a good chance you will see wild animals. We were on that trail once when we met a herd of 12 mountain sheep -- all rams. (no problem) And there were mountain goats and marmots as well. And the return walk is enough to make you just stop and stare. <BR>How long do you have? Maybe you can return through my favorite of them all: <BR>Yoho National Park in BC and take a look at Lake Louise in the process.
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