Fall in Montana

It is fall in Montana, temperatures are in the 20's at night, and there is frost on the grass in the morning. I was looking for all of the "color" that I used to see in Georgia, but guess what -- Montana is full of pines, spruce, furs, etc. Trees that don't have leaves, and therefore, no color.

I did take a drive into Glacier National Park, with the thought that I would take a little hike. Glacier is pretty much closed down -- no lodges, gift shops, restaurants are open. But you can drive into the park -- about 15 miles to Avalanche Creek. There the "Road to the Sun" is closed. And it does allow you go to by Lake McDonald Lodge.

As I said, the lodge was closed, but there were some beautiful aspen trees (and some other types) that had turned a bright yellow. I think for full color, I should have been a week earlier, but I enjoyed walking around the lodge having it all to myself. And here are some of my favorite pictures.





(Some color around the spiral walkway to the lake)













(View of the back of Lake McDonald Lodge)






























(Not too many boats left on the lake)












(Several rental cabins at Lake McDonald Lodge)









I also stopped at Apgar Village (also closed) where you have the beautiful view of Lake McDonald and the beautiful mountain peaks of Glacier Park. From this spot you can see (from left to right): the Garden Wall, Mt. Cannon, Mt. Brown, Little Matterhorn, Edwards Mt., and Gunsight Mt. (and no, I didn't know this -- there was a sign by the lake pointing to the mountains).





And of course, regardless of whether the park is open or closed, there is always road construction.















There are other fall activities in the area, including the Oktoberfest in Whitefish, MT. It's the first year the held the event, so I do think it will be larger in years to come. There is a large tent where you can buy beer (of course), and food -- mostly bratwursts and potato salad. There was a line, so I headed for the beer first, so I could be having a little refreshment while I waited for my bratwurst.

They had a polka band, and several afternoon activities. One was the "stein holding contest", one for the women and one for the men. It doesn't take long for their arms to give out -- even the winner for the men could only hold the mug for 4 minutes, 30 seconds.

And my favorite for the day was the dachshund races. Those little dogs are just so cute, and I didn't know there were so many in the area. After all, we do get snow, and those dogs have such short legs. Hopefully the organizers will figure out a better way to hold the races -- very small enclosed area which barely left enough room for the "holder" and the "catcher" to position themselves. And definitely not enough room for people to watch. I didn't get any pictures of the race because it was hard to see, but also because the race was over in about 5 seconds. But they were cute. Several decided to socialize mid-course, and made new friends. Some started out, and then ran back to the "holder". But fun was had by all.













(Several dogs "checking out the competition)