Out of the Comfort Zone- Full Time

On The Fly Decision-Making Takes Courage, I'm Finding

Columbia Falls, Montana- July 25

I saw this Ours de Canadienne (Canadian Bear) 3 miles from the US border. She
was picking berries.

I gotta say, I've chosen an interesting style in which to handle this trip. Hour to hour a new decision must be made and I never know where I'll spend the night. This morning I got up early to attempt to avoid the Glacier NP crowds.

Lower St. Mary's Lake in Blackfeet territory. Camped on this last night.

So many beautiful vistas. I'm so glad I came in early and took my time.

Good choice. As the sun came into the park I drove west at 15-20 mph, letting the rare driver behind me zoom past. Should I stop and hike? What's the trade off? If I hike I'll come back to the craziness of mid-day Glacier traffic. If I don't hike, am I still 'doing' Glacier? I opted for slow driving and relaxed picture-taking. Good choice? I only know that it got to be wall-to-wall traffic by the time I left the park and I had a fantastic slow perusal of Banff from the road.

Now I have Montana to tackle. Cities? Small towns? No towns at all? Will I find marked hiking trails? What will the campgrounds be like? Will I find decent food in a grocery store? Hour by hour, what's next?

What I fall back on is: It's All Good. Every choice can be a good one and I'm choosing to believe there are no mistakes. As I turned into Columbia Falls Main Street, it looked pretty sad and un-cared for. Yet here is Basecamp Cafe, a little oasis of good food, nice hostess, and wifi.

Bear Grass, had to be up high to have them still blooming.

Don't forget this, Melanie. If you're ready to roll with less than clean bathrooms, loud neighbors, required bear protection tactics, and infrequent showers, then I will find wonderful surprises, I feel sure. Steady on, Melanie, steady on.