A soggy, white Memorial Day weekend at Glacier

Katie with our favorite dog, Fat Boy, at East Glacier Park's Brownie's

Many Glacier in the new snow

Grinnell Point

It's been an annual tradition to scope out Glacier Park on Memorial Day weekend.
Despite the sloppy snow and unrelenting rain, Katie and I scooted up to East Glacier on Saturday.
We stopped at Two Medicine Lake and walked through the campground and across snow drifts and watched people setting up flimsy tents, apparently unaware that the forecast called for more snow.
Sure enough, about six inches of heavy, wet snow fell overnight and made the East Glacier area look like a fairy land.
We had a wonderful stay at Terry Sherburne's Mountain Pine Motel, and had lunch at Luna's (unbelievable sweet potato soup) and supper at Serrano's, where they've got their Mexican food down to a science.
East Glacier was almost empty. We had no trouble getting into Mountain Pine, and the line at Serrano's was manageable when doors opened at 5 p.m. At Luna's they were glad to see us because there were no other customers but us.
We took a side trip to Running Eagle Falls (Trick) and enjoyed the rush of spring melt over the falls.
After dinner we got a call from Terry to come join us for a bottle of French wine he had just opened. We were joined by a couple of his old friends. It doesn't get much better than this.
On Sunday we had breakfast at the Village Inn, now the Last Star, I think, and met up with an old friend and longtime East Glacier worker, Debbie, who is now working at the Mercantile.
We couldn't drive the Looking Glass Highway back to St. Mary because it was blocked.
We drove back to Browning and then up to St. Mary, where the Going to the Sun Road was opened only a mile because it was being plowed for the fresh snow.
Then we headed up to Many Glacier, which had been plowed earlier.
We drove to the Swiftcurrent Inn, which is still boarded up for the season, and found the ground too soaked with water to hike.
The Many Glacier Motel was still boarded, too, but the new staff was being trained inside.
Despite the lateness of spring, the Many Glacier valley and its surrounding mountains were loaded with fresh snow. I wish I had brought my skis, although my wife reminded me that it hadn't stopped raining the entire time we were there and it would be too wet.
Then, it was back to St. Mary where we could drive only as far as Rising Sun, and then lunch at an uncrowded Park Cafe.
The snow did not stop us or dampen our spirits.
Glacier looks good no matter what season or weather!