Day 9 Pics

Day 9 -The Drive to Glacier

Day 9 of the Great American Road Trip: Pancakes, Reindeer, and Restroom Shenanigans

We kicked off the day with a solid breakfast. My meal claimed to include a small order of pancakes—but apparently, “small” out here means three pancakes the size of hubcaps. Honestly, most of the meals we’ve had out west could feed a small village. Or one very determined Ray.

Now, onto our six-and-a-half-hour drive to Glacier Mountain National Park. (Or was it Glacier National Park? Either way, it's got glaciers and mountains, so we're covered.)

First interesting moment: we had to pee. But of course, we were passing through what looked like an abandoned cowboy movie set from 1885. Not a bathroom in sight. We held it until the next town—if you can call it that. This place had a combo bakery/saloon. Not two separate places. One single establishment. Nothing like a croissant with your Coors Light.

Ray decided he needed a coffee. Great idea, except this “coffee bar” had one machine... that did everything but interview the beans before brewing. Grind and drip—one cup at a time, with the cashier walking Ray through it like a barista sherpa. She was kind enough to add cream, which Ray never uses. He drank it anyway and now he’s worried he might like cream. The man’s having a full-blown coffee identity crisis.

Somewhere around Hour 4, we sped past a town at about 60 mph, glanced to the right—and bam! Reindeer. Lots of them. Like, Santa-level reindeer, behind a random fence, just hanging out like it's no big deal. I didn’t stop for a picture and yes, I regret that. Somewhere in Montana, there’s a majestic photo that could’ve been.

A bit later, I had to slam the brakes because two deer were standing by the road. I don’t know if there was a crosswalk, but they definitely looked both ways before trotting across like the polite little forest citizens they are.

The scenery? Unreal. Mountains everywhere. Probably one of the most beautiful drives of the trip. As we neared Glacier, ominous clouds were looming—like a thunderstorm auditioning for a horror movie. But in a true road trip miracle, we’ve had maybe 90 seconds of rain the entire trip. Clearly, we packed the right good luck charms.

We checked in at St. Mary Lodge, just outside the park. A gorgeous place—two chairs on the back porch, a river (or maybe a very confident creek) flowing by, and mountains in the distance. It is very peaceful and Serene.

We had dinner at the Two Sisters Cafe close by. The food was excellent, and we both had Huckleberry pie and Huckleberry ice cream. It was pretty amazing!  I am a huge fan of blueberry pie and this was better than blueberry pie.

After dinner, I made a beeline for the bathroom. Nature wasn’t just calling—it was screaming. Ray stayed behind to pay the bill. A few minutes later, he came outside, and I pointed him in the direction of the restrooms.

While waiting, I wandered around and exchanged a few friendly words with a nice Indian family enjoying dessert at a picnic table. All was calm... until it wasn’t.

Suddenly, we heard a commotion—furious banging on the bathroom door. Some poor woman was knocking like she was trying to escape a hostage situation. Turns out, someone had locked the door from the inside—even though there was a big, bold sign that clearly said: “Please close the door, but DO NOT lock it.”

Then, like a plot twist in a sitcom, the women’s room door creaked open... and out walked Ray.

The woman standing there looked like she was ready to call in backup. But instead, she smiled tightly and said, “I’m not giving you a ticket this time, but maybe next time... use the men’s room?”

The Indian family absolutely lost it. And honestly, so did I.

Ray just shrugged and said, “Well, I did think it was weird there were no urinals... and there was a tampon machine.”

We’ve been laughing about it ever since. Ray’s bathroom privileges are now under close review for the rest of the trip.

At the restaurant, Ray asked the cashier for a receipt. Simple enough. But instead of just handing it over, the cashier launched into a full-on TED Talk about how he’s “old school” and prefers pen and paper over computers. Cool, Grandpa Tech.

Then, out of nowhere, he asked Ray, “Are you driving?”

Ray blinked. “Why would you ask that?”

Clearly realizing he’d just accidentally called Ray old, the cashier tried to backpedal—but it was too late. The shoe was already halfway down his throat.

“Well, you know… us older folks sometimes have trouble driving at night,” he mumbled.

Without missing a beat, Ray said, “I’m 90 and I drive just fine.”

The cashier, visibly sweating now, replied, “Oh, I’m… uh… 71.”

It was the politest generational showdown you’ve ever seen: 90 vs. 71, and Ray walked away with the title belt and his receipt.

We have gone through the following states. 

Florida 

Georgia 

Tennessee 

Kentucky 

Illinois 

Missouri 

Kansas 

Colorado 

Utah 

Wyoming 

Montana 

We plan to go through following before heading into Vancouver.

Idaho 

Washington