Thursday, September 19, 2013

Glacier National Park - Part 4

Leaving Logan Pass is when the Going-to-the-Sun Road got white-knuckle scary. It would be especially true if you are traveling from west to east! Luckily for me, I was not on that outside edge looking down. This section of the the road is why oversize vehicles are not permitted. I hate to think about meeting some big motorhome when trying to navigate a tight turn. The posted speed limit is 25 MPH for a reason!

A brief history:

Going-to-the-Sun Road was the first to carry visitors by the lakes, glaciers, alpine peaks, and meadows of Glacier National Park. The 50-mile route, which connected the east and west sides of the park and crossed the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, was surveyed in 1918, and work began in 1921. Progress was slow, however, due to limited and erratic congressional funding and the difficulties of working under extreme mountainous conditions. The road was completed in the early 1930s. (from the National Park Service website.)

Building the Granite Creek Retaining Wall - From the National Park Service website

Not only would I not have wanted to be on the work crew building the central section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, I simply would not want to be on the snow removal crew either that works to open the road each Spring. Unh-uh. You aren't getting me up there. Period. End of discussion.

Winding, Narrow, Scary, White-Knuckle, You Name It!

Please Don't Fall, Rocks

I think this is referred to as the Garden Wall. Note the Going-to-the-Sun Road near the bottom of the photo.

More of Mother Nature's Beauty

Natural "Amphitheater"

Unknown

All too soon we were down in the valley where the views were hidden by the trees. Our journey isn't over yet, however...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Such beautiful blue skies deserve to be shared on Skywatch Friday. Come join us!

14 comments:

  1. That road looks like a white-knuckler for sure! Yikes!! I can see why they don't allow oversize vehicles!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fantastic place! That road would give me the willies also. As much as I wouldn't want to, I would have to be the one driving, if I was on it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A fantastic place it is indeed and I do remember when I was there -- just glad my husband was doing the driving and I could close my eyes and breathe!! Terrific captures, Sally, thanks for the memories and for sharing the beauty and the magic!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Magnificent mountain photos. I have not been to Glacier Park but have driven some similar roads in other mountain ranges. Not a relaxing drive, no sir!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stunning shots! I've wanted to visit this area for a long time. Thanks for the post!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful views and thanks for the bit of history. What lovely sights--they remind me a bit of the scenery here in New Zealand, with two lane roads and high cliffs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That last image is wonderful. When one thinks of the mountains, crystal clear blue sky comes to mind. Really nicely captured.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I cannot even imagine working on those roads (building or shoveling).... I'm very used to mountain driving, we've done it all our lives, but I agree this road is the mountainiest ever! Absolutely beautiful scenery.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Breathtaking display of the landscape.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We traveled that road in a little motor home...we were on the 'right' side:))

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely road! By your description, I expected it to be unsealed, we used to drive on dirt roads like that, only narrower.
    Great views of the mountains. I look forward to more . . .

    ReplyDelete
  12. So my kind of road. And the scenery is breathtaking. Hope they put in a few wide spots to stop and soak it all in.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. Comments are always appreciated. If you are using word verification on your blog, please consider turning it off.

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...