Speedy gets a transplant and we make it to Glacier National Park
It was a fairly short drive to Creston RV only a few miles out of town. Both Roadtreks were in for service. Harry and Sally's van had burned up a fuse and fuse block in their refrigerator, leaving them with no 12-volt cooling, which is pretty much necessary while going down the road.
Creston opened at 9 am; we were there at 8:30. They seem to specialize in Class B and B+ RVs and they carry several other brands besides Roadtrek. There was quite a choice to look at while we waited for them to open. But we all had sticker-shock when we peered into a new Leisure Travel Van ($188,000!!!).
The service manager was ready for us when they opened and took both vans right in. They were done in only a couple of hours. We have a nice new macerator pump, so we can now pump out out waste tanks again. H&S weren't so lucky. Their van needed a new DC heater element as well as fuse and fuse block and the parts weren't available locally. Creston ordered the parts and we will have to go back next week. Fortunately, it is only an hour's drive from Glacier and the park is not a bad place to hang out.
Creston did a good job on our macerator pump from what I could see and I did watch for a bit. They charged a fair price but the wallet is yet still lighter. But maybe that's our string of three (new tire, new brakes, new macerator pump).
We drove directly to Glacier National Park from Creston RV, arriving at the Fish Creek campground in time for lunch. Our current plan is to see what Harry and Sally have to do and either stay here or move to the east side when their repair is completed. We had a good selection of sites available for three nights which takes us through the weekend. The rangers even allowed us to share a large site. Unlike many campgrounds, the Glacier two-vehicle per campsite rule means any two vehicles.
Before settling in, we stopped at the Apgar Visitor Center for brochures, maps, bird lists and the passport stamp, then went on to Apgar Village to look around and have a huckleberry ice cream cone. We stopped at Glacier Outfitters, a shop in a yurt that rents bikes and kayaks and sells some camping items and fly fishing gear including locally tied flies. They confirmed that fishing inside Glacier does not require a Montana license, which is very pricey for non-residents. Harry and I picked up a couple of the recommended local flies for possible future use.
The birding started early, even before we arrived at the campground. As we turned into the entrance road to the campground, there was a bird in the middle of the road, a Spruce Grouse. We stopped to take a look and it came right up to Speedy making noise. It even chased the van as we pulled away. Quite a greeting.
The next stop was the showers ... finally. Only Fish Creek campground on the west side of Glacier and St. Mary's on the east side have showers in the campground. It was one of our reasons for camping here.
Settled at last, we had our first dinner outside. Summer and blue skies have arrived.
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