The night before getting to Glacier we boondocked at a Walmart in Helena, which may or may not have also been the largest campground in the area. I am not exaggerating, I think there were at least 50 campers/semi’s that stayed there overnight. We were in good company. We went out for pizza at a place called Bullman’s pizza that ended up being SPECTACULAR. A lot of time when we’re boondocking you get what you get. We don’t like to drop the campers, and the whole rig isn’t exactly maneuverable in most restaurant parking lots, but this place worked. Next door to the restaurant was a grocery store with a large parking lot so we were able to park there and walk over.
Bullman’s has a few locations throughout Montana and is known for wood fired pizza. It was really really good. 5 star review.
The next day was the 4th of July. We got up and hit the road early hoping to arrive at our campsite around lunch time which would give us plenty of time to set up and then perhaps enter the park that evening.
We drove through one small town after the next on the way to Glacier. One thing to note: gas stations out west aren’t exactly plentiful. For this trip we had the F-150 (gas) which translates to about 175 miles to a tank when pulling. So we had to stop fairly often.
At one town we got off the highway to get gas and had to go kind of a ways until we found a station big enough for us to fit in. We filled up, went potty, acquired the necessary snacks and caffeinated beverages and climbed back in the truck. We took a right, forked left, zigged, zagged, and found ourselves right smack in the middle of a 4th of July parade.
We don’t know how it happened or what we did… But here we were just driving down Main Street America waving to all the bystanders. The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever and the adults could not stop laughing. The town that we were in probably had a population of 1500, and I think half of Montana had turned out for this parade. The streets were JAMMED. Such a great memory.
We continued on to camp. We had an ETA of 12:00 noon. Larry tried to get us to stop for lunch at 10:30, but I miraculously held him off (also there was NOWHERE to stop). I did some googling and found a little place close to the campground and street view on google maps made it seem like we’d be able to park the rigs.
We pulled in to the parking lot at 12:30 (because camper time). Overcome with excitement to be at Glacier and starving.
From the outside Two Sisters isn’t trying to impress. But don’t judge a book by its cover.
This meal. At this restaurant. Was the first day of the rest of our lives.
Larry continued his quest at becoming a buffalo burger connoisseur and the rest of us all had some form of burger. We were stuffed. But I had read on the googs that Two Sister is famous for the huckleberry desserts. What’s a huckleberry? No idea, but the pie comes a la mode, so I’m in.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and all that is holy – WE DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN. Andy declared it the best food, not best dessert, the literal best food he’d ever had in his entire life. No one argued. I would drive 30 hours back to Glacier just to eat that pie. It’s that good.
Also, by the time we left the restaurant everyone there knew Henry’s name because we were non-stop “Henry – sit down. Henry – stop throwing food. Henry – don’t hit your sister. Henry Henry Henry Henry!!” Luckily, he’s cute and won all the bystanders over with his charm. When we left everyone in the restaurant waved and said “bye Henry!”
Next up, arrive at the campground. We stayed at the St. Marys/East Glacier KOA. It’s 1 minute from the entrance to the park and has spectacular views. We could not believe how gorgeous the views were from the campground. Whatever we paid was worth it for proximity to the park and views. It has a pool but it’s not heated. Jumping in felt like what I imagine the polar plunge in Lake Michigan in January to feel like. Andy described it as exhilarating. I thought more like pure torture. It also had a cute little playground, a dog park, a full on restaurant that will deliver to your site, and pancake breakfasts during the week. All in all – we liked it a lot!
After we got set up we decided to drive into the park before dinner for a moderate amount of exploration. We went to the visitor’s center, stamped our passports, and watched the video about the park. {Also, Laura has now joined us!} It’s named Glacier National Park because glaciers carved the landscape, but most of the glaciers have completely melted. There are a few left, but they expect them all to be melted by 2030. We drove on the going to the sun road for just a little bit, got out and hiked down towards the lake and soaked it all in. We couldn’t wait to really get into the park over the next few days.
It was a GREAT first day at Glacier. And to celebrate, Andy drove back to Two Sisters and got more pie for our dessert 🙂
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