June 1, 2014 " The Mountains are Calling and I must Go" (John Muir) [ Johnson's of St. Mary RV Park, St. Mary, MT]

The first snow-covered mountains of the trip.

The mountains are getting closer.

Down the big hill, remnants of a forest fire, and a mountain lake.

View from the MH tonight, east entrance for Glacier Nat Park

Back of RV park.  Forest devastated by fire.

Lilacs are just now blooming.

A new favorite flavor!

Miles driven today: 502
Miles to Canada border: 30
Weather: blue sky, cloudy sky, rain, bright sunshine, thunder
We turned the heater on this morning during one of the rain showers.
Time on the road: 11 hours, but that wasn't all driving

Note: you can click on the pictures to enlarge

The huckleberry ice cream sandwich was a treat last night when we checked into the 7th Ranch RV Park.  Huckleberry is a yummy flavor.

Lilacs are used as wind/snow breaks around homesteads in the lower elevations.  They are just now blooming.

We left Garryowens, MT this morning.  Not more than 5 miles down the road Evelyn reported their truck was not running well.  They limped into Hardin MT, a small town with very little open on Sunday.  

Glen and Gary decided it probably was a clogged fuel filter.  Billings MT was 40 miles north.  We started there to find a auto parts store to buy a fuel filter. 

First Gary filled with fuel before we left Hardin.  As soon as we got on the interstate they reported the truck was running great.  I had a look of puzzlement on my face then Glen explained that Gary remembered one other time the truck had run rough and he unplugged and plugged the computer on the truck.  He did that again---unplugged and plugged in the computer.

Evidently that did the trick as it started running without problem immediately.  However we did stop in Billings to buy a fuel filter--just in case.

The only glitch ..... the "check engine" light was still on.  After restarting the truck after lunch  the "check engine" light went off.  All very mysterious, but there are no lights flashing, and  the motor is running smoothly.  No problems the rest of the day.

Not true!  Just one more little problem.

When we stopped for lunch Gary had "lost" his phone.  In his mind he had left it on the top of the truck when he had refueled.  There were some long faces in that truck.

Glen opened our truck doors.  Evelyn called Gary's phone.  It rang.  Hurray!  it was between the console and seat.  Gary had left it there when they were looking for a parts store in Hardin.  The day could only get better from that point.  

The scenery today was varied.  Wide vistas, flat buttes, fields of cattle.  We saw black cattle (Angus), white cattle (Charlois), black and white cattle (Holstein), and red cattle (red Angus) and black and white striped (Galloway). Galloway's front end and back end are black, the middle is white.  We saw horses, flocks of sheep.  There were pronghorn, mule deer, magpie--big black birds with white wings.  

Finally we saw the mountains.  There are large amounts of snow on the mountains.  

It's time to start watching for moose and bear.  Maybe tomorrow.  We will cross the border into Canada at Babb, Montana.

We are only half a mile to the East entrance to Glacier Nat Park.  The road leading to the "Going to the Sun" road is closed because of snow.  It will be the latter half of the month before the snow will be removed and the road opened to traffic.  "Going to the Sun" is supposedly the most scenic 50 miles one can drive.