Day 29 – Living on the Edge

All Smitanic occupants held their collective breaths as the driver side slide was brought in. A unison sigh of relief and an accompanying cheer sounded as the slide was retracted completely for the day's drive.

Most of the route today would be on 2 lane state and county roads. It would change directions from Westward to North and then into West Glacier, MT. The scenery changed from fence-lined ranges to tree-lined lakes. Along the lakes were waterfront houses with docks protruding into the water. Images of long, serene stays on the shore of these calm waters with colorful sunrises and sunsets danced in all the retirees' heads! Kevin recalled good times with his family spending summers on Flathead Lake at his Uncle's home. Ah... the calming effect of water!


The drive continued to wear on Kevin as the winding roads left little clearance between the RV's mirrors and any oncoming large truck or other camper. The thought of managing the appliances and AC with the planned 30 amp connection for the night's accommodations would just add to the frustration. Theresa offered an alternative KOA that would be full hook up but a bit more expensive. She called and sure enough there were plenty of spots available because of the reduction in campers due to the area fires. She called and cordially cancelled the 30 amp site without any fees, hurray!

Kevin had fun feeding carrots to some of the horses.

The KOA had all the amenities and also included a restaurant and ice cream stand! MJB cheered! The premium site was quite spacious and adjacent to an unoccupied horse pen. It also happened to be next to the firefighters' incident base for those brave folks challenged with managing several raging fires in Glacier.

All slides with the exception of the problematic driver side slide were deployed. That gave just enough room for single lane passage thru the main corridor of the Smitanic. Since the stay was for 3 days Kevin opted to the contrary of MJB and Theresa to go ahead and deploy the slide. All held their breadths as slide successfully was deployed. Theresa checked the status of the 4 bit fix and it seemed to be holding. Who knows if the retraction will work when they plan to exit in 3 days. Time will tell. Kevin was living on the edge!

Eager to plan the 2-day limited stay in the park, the crew stopped at the visitor center. There, they were supplied with maps and suggested hiking trails. Theresa also spied a recycle bin where she could dispose of the Smitanic collection of bottles, cans and paper.

For dinner, MJB was impressed with Theresa's preparation of seared Ahi Tuna coated with a spice mixture brought from a spice store in Blowing Rock, NC.

After supper, the diners succumbed to the draw of the Ice Cream Stand and all meandered through the park to the stand. A muscular teddy bear of a guy was scooping up 1 or 2 scoops in a cup or cone. All ordered a well-earned selection and Theresa shared a vanilla scoop with Zin.

Kevin was able to record 2 Phantom flyovers – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and Glacier Park.