Having been to Montana previously, I wanted to be sure to see some new places on this trip, in addition to a return trip to Glacier National Park. One such place is St. Ignatius Mission, which I had read about in a magazine. The mission, located on the Flathead Indian Reservation, was founded in 1854 and the current church was completed in the early 1890s. It is special because of 58 murals painted on the walls and ceiling by Brother Joseph Carignano. These beautiful paintings attract people from all over. It was amazing to me how the church manages to maintain the murals in pristine condition.
There were some impressive waterfalls in Western Montana, especially Kootenai Falls with numerous dramatic drops as the river falls 90 feet in less than a mile. The Kootenai Indians came to this sacred place to worship the Great Spirit. A swinging bridge crosses the river and provides a great view of the raging torrent.
While not as big, Yaak Falls are also pretty scenic.
However, Montana's star attraction is Glacier National Park. On this, our second visit to GNP, we stayed on the west side of the park, closer to McDonald Lake, Creek, Falls and McDonald Lodge.
Trail of The Cedars and Avalanche Gorge are also on that side of the park.
On the east side of the park, Two Medicine Valley had its share of diverse scenery.
It's such a long drive across the park, it simply did not allow time to visit our favorite section, Many Glacier Valley. Accordingly, I've stayed on the east side for all subsequent visits.
No comments:
Post a Comment