{ To Start at the Beginning & Day 2 }

After beginning the retelling of our trip to Glacier, Tim and I realized that down the road, when we remember back to this time, we wouldn't fully appreciate it unless I also include something about getting ready to go.  There was SO much that went into planning and preparing for this vacation, it is really kind of amazing.
In January we started making plans, doing research and booking reservations.
In February Tim began ordering parts to rebuild the front end of our Jeep, because it wasn't going to comfortably get us to and from without them.  He worked on it off and on until it was finished.

{ I love these pictures of Oliver helping his daddy.  He wants so much to be just like him! }

We also began the process of applying for passports for the kids, as we were also heading to Canada and Waterton Park.  While doing that, thankfully I discovered that Tim's was about to expire!  So thankful we didn't find that out at the border!
About a month before the trip, we had the AC fixed, twice.  We knew we didn't want to travel at the end of July with two kids without it.  Ha, ha, the best laid plans sometimes go to waste.... but more on that later!
We also began training the kids to sleep in the same room again.  We had many nights of crying and exasperation, but finally we got over that hurdle, only to throw in simultaneous teething and colds about a week before we were going to leave!
Many, many times it felt like maybe this was just way more work than it was worth, but I guess there is always that question with anything.

Now on to Tuesday, Day 2

After a fairly peaceful first day on the road, it would be nice to say that we all got a good night sleep and were bright eyed and bushy tailed for the next day.  Alas, that first night away from their beds and their routine, completely threw the kids off.  They were awake, taking turns for four straight hours during the night.  It wasn't until sometime the next morning that we put two and two together and realized Oliver had indulged a little too much in the fresh cherries my aunt had to offer.  Between Tim, me, and my aunt, we had fed him a very good size bowl, which resulted in a serious tummy ache!  Poor guy!  At least their was a reason for all that wakefulness, but it sure made getting going and enjoying the next day quite challenging!

The biggest lesson we learned on this trip was that every day there was a major obstacle to overcome.  There was always something significant that threatened to ruin the day and make us wish we'd just stayed home.  We very consciously had to work through the obstacle and look past it and move on.  It was a really good discipline and in the end, we felt like this trip helped us to function much better as a family unit.

The day we entered Glacier it was cold and cloudy.  It made for some great photography, but not so much for hiking.  At the top of the Going to the Sun Road, when we got out for a break, it was in the 50s and windy, making the air temperature much closer to 30s.  

 { Driving up the Going to the Sun road.  We had to stop for a bit, so Oliver took a turn "driving". }

 { Sunrift Gorge }

We didn't get out of the car a whole lot that day.  It seemed like the kids would just fall asleep when we would find somewhere we'd want to stop, and naps were a much higher priority!  We did stop at this gorge, though.  It was amazingly beautiful!

We stayed the night at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.  A couple of weeks before we left on the trip, we decided we should stay one more night inside the park, rather than just the one we had planned.  This was the last room anywhere in the park for that night!  We enjoyed it very much.  It was rustic, but had the amenities that made it a little bit like camping, but not! 

 The kids slept much better that night and actually slept in.  I went out before anyone was awake the next morning and brought back coffee for Tim and I.  We enjoyed it together on on the stoop outside our door, listening to the sounds of the forest and watching the sun come up on the mountains.  It felt luxurious.  Then we went back inside and said good morning to these two "best of friends"!

 { Wake up, Sister! }

Okay, that's a little of day three as well.  More to come......