Day 26

Our site in Lincoln RV Park was about 40 or 50 yards from where we set up our tent. There wasn't much point hauling the stove and everything else over just to brew some coffee (which Rhonda won't drink because she is scared that it might stunt her growth), so Brett hopped in the truck and grabbed some coffee from the local gas station, a 2 minute drive from the RV Park. It was a good thing that he had some cash, as all of the card machines were down. After sitting around, the sky started to rain a little, so we decided to tear down the tent. We packed the gear and got ready for the shower. There was only one shower available, so we were going to have to take turns. Brett checked his e-mail while Rhonda showered, and we switched off. While Brett showered, Rhonda found the campsite availability online for Glacier National Park, our home for the next couple nights. We decided to stay at the campsite with showers, and we were on our way. Showering has become noticebly important to us on this trip. I guess it is the close quarters in which we exist.

As made our way into the open valleys of eastern Montana, it started to rain on us. We stopped for fuel and a quick brunch at a gas station on the way. Needless to say, lunch at a gas station was not spectacular (understatement). We hit the road, and were in Browning, Montana within an hour. It's the southern edge of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Now, our only other experience driving through a reservatioin was in Arizona, and this was no different. It still looked like a third world country. Only this time with much less sand and sun.

We exited the reservation at St Mary, a small town right on the edge of Glacier National Park. We got in the park, stopped at the Visitor Centre, and found our intended campsite, which was only 5 miles up the road. On eof the exciting parts of this leg of the journey is the fact that our National Park Pass has save us a lot of cash, so it was a worthwhile investment after all.

We then arrived at our campground, and drove around for a while, looking for a good spot. We decided on a spot nestled amongst some old growth trees with no undergrowth to get in our way. Staying here would cost us $20 a night, and we intended to stay for 2 nights. However, we only had $38 in bills. This campground was one of those honor system campgrounds where you pay your fee at the entrance sign using an envelope. To make a total of $40, we had to use quarters from our change box. Which was ok, because it was pretty full, and we had to buy tokens for the showers here.

We set up the site, and then sat and relaxed for a bit. It wasn`t raining anymore, so we were able to enjoy the outdoors for a while. It was soon time for dinner. Neither of us wanted to cook, so we decided to try the restaurant beside our campsite. We headed over to check the prices and browse the gift shops, too. After, we headed back to St Mary to get some supplies for the evening. One of these would be instrumental in our relative comfort over the next 2 nights: a tarp for the tent.

Back to the restaurant we went to try some fine dining in the mountains. Brett tried the Ultimate Cheeseburger, while Rhonda went with the Sweet Chili Chicken. Both were very delicious, but I would say that the highlight of the meal was probably Brett`s beer, called Moose Drool. The best part was the slogan of the beer, "We Make Water Fun". And they did.

We went back to the campsite and started the fire and hung out having a quiet and relaxing evening. At midnight, it stared to rain and this was only the beginning. 300 km's put on the truck, and everybody's still here.