When we found out we were moving crosscountry, we intended to stop and stay in at least six U.S. National Parks.  Travelers come from across the the globe to visit and enjoy some of the greatest (in every sense of the word) national parks in the world.  We do not take them, or our tax dollars that fund them, for granted.  Alas, my husband’s work schedule did not permit us to take the time needed for the extensive tour, but we did manage three days at Glacier National Park, located in the northern state of Montana along the Canadian border.

The thing about national parks is that there’s a lot of nature.  I include weather in nature.  Torrential rains.  Fog.  All things out of anyone’s control.  So my one word of wisdom to pass along to any nature park visitors is to manage expectations.  Or, more specifically, expect the worst and you won’t be disappointed.  Despite the rain, closed roads and fog-obstructed views, we had a blast.  Our only expectation was to see the park, which we did.  We didn’t drive over any glorious mountain passes or glimpse any sites worthy of a calendar shot, but the girls loved throwing rocks in the water, looking for bugs, smelling flowers and eating their sandwiches at a picnic table.  Granted, we could have done all those things within miles of our own home, but we made age-appropriate family memories at one of our country’s most beautiful parks, even if we did not behold its beauty at its boldest.