My wife and I left on a road trip from New York to Montana. Upon return, anytime we would tell people where we went, their face would turn sideways and with few exceptions the response would be, “Montana?! Why would you go there?” One gentleman that my wife and I met with asked the question which serves as the title to this writing. Although some of the surprise was not completely warranted, especially for those that have known me for some time, I kind of understand. With no offense, racism, discrimination, etc. intended, we are black people that live in New York City; Harlem to be more specific. I do not think I have met anyone, especially not a person of color, that has voluntarily made provisions to visit Montana. So I can’t plead total ignorance as to why incredulity was frequently the response.
The ultimate goal of the trip was to spend a couple of days in Glacier National Park. My father is a hiker, and being his son, I have tagged along for a number of hikes in the Hudson Valley area near New York City, the Grand Canyon (a family favorite, and one that nearly got me killed), Zion National Park (another favorite), King’s Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands and maybe I have even forgotten one. Whenever Glacier was suggested as a destination for one of our trips, the logistics or some other issue always got in the way. After I got married, since my wife is not from the United States and there was this elusive destination that the family could never seem to get to, we decided to take a road trip out to Glacier and stop hither and thither before coming home. (As part of the hither and thither, I was finally able to confirm that North Dakota actually does exist. Before the trip I had my doubts).
Glacier Park
Cutting to the chase, Glacier park is stunning. Our initial plan was to do some hiking on the first day in the park; that didn’t happen. I am sure, although my wife refutes it, that I had mentioned the very real possibility of running into bears while in the park. This did not really hit home with my wife until we got close to the park and radio announcements made it clear that there was a possibility of being mauled, eaten, or being put through some other grizzly ordeal. So, we scrapped the hiking plan after a very short venture and decided to go for a drive.
Once we started our drive through the park, I thought I saw some cars dangling off the side of a mountain up ahead of us. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on up there, but I distinctly remember saying, “we are not going up there.” Little did I know that we were on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and that dangling off the side of the mountain is exactly what we would end up doing.
It was possibly the greatest mistake we have ever made. The views we were treated to on this drive were absolutely amazing, and that may be an understatement. I took pictures, but as with many truly scenic places, the pictures do not do it justice (perhaps a more able photographer with better equipment could do better). We drove for some time with mouth agape, pulling over at every opportunity to try to take it all in; that proved an impossible feat but was an excellent way to spend a day in the park.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why people go to Montana.
Polson, MT
#HighlyRecommended
Polson is located about an hour and a half from Glacier Park. I stumbled across it as I was trying to find reasonable hotel accommodations in the vicinity of Glacier, although in hindsight I underestimated the time it would take to get to the park. If Going-to-the-Sun road was the best mistake I have ever made, staying in Polson might come in second.
It is located on Flathead Lake. For people that live in or near similar settings maybe it is not a big deal, but I was blown away by the beauty of Polson, Flathead Lake and the surrounding topography (there are not many lakes and mountains in New York City). The Red Lion Hotel also did not disappoint and I would highly recommend it for anyone traveling to the area. Honorable mention also goes to sunset being around 10 p.m., which was a first for me (we were there in July). We found some places to stroll near the lake which were picturesque, and the drives to and from Glacier provided amazing views.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why people go to Montana.
Huckleberry Pie
In the episode of Seinfeld (“The Calzone”), Kramer is warming up his shirt in Jerry’s oven (if you are not a Seinfeld watcher, yes you read correctly). When questioned as to why he did not use his own oven, he says he is baking a pie; huckleberry to be exact. Up until 2018, that was my only experience with huckleberry pie. I am glad that changed.
During the course of our time in Montana, we kept seeing and hearing about Huckleberry. Eventually we decided that we had to have some and located a restaurant not far from the western entrance of Glacier Park that apparently specialized in Huckleberry pie.
It did not disappoint! Unfortunately, a power outage was recently underway when we arrived so I could not have a cup of coffee to go along with the pie, but the slice I had there (and the one I got to go) was memorable. If you happen to be in the area, I would highly recommend a stop at Willow’s Huckleberry Jam and Pie Factory. In addition to very good pie, the proprietors were very friendly (not a typical feature of restaurants in New York City). I am sad to announce that I have not had huckleberry pie since then. It seems to be particular to the state of Montana. My wife and I have unofficial plans to go back.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is another reason to go to Montana (but I would not recommend making travel plans simply for a piece of pie).
Although most people may never utter the words, “we are going to Montana”, perhaps more people should. There are some amazing places and sites that most people, in particular us city slickers, will never get to take advantage of. I must say, and pardon me if I am stepping out of my lane, I think that’s a shame.
WHYSOBLUE 