The best thing about having a late night of driving is waking up the next morning to find yourself in a place so very different from where you were when the sun went down. In this case, the sun went down on over a smoke filled Idaho forest and when it rose again we found ourselves at the edge of Glacier National Park, on a spectacular, clear day.
We had a quick breakfast and set off into the park. The first attraction that we came to, just past the West Glacier Entrance was Lake McDonald. About half way down the mile long lake, we walked down to a little beach that was made up of the most curious looking pastel colored gravel, like walking through the base of a giant fish tank. From the beach, the view across the lake at the surrounding mountains were of course beautiful, but one striking feature was the vast swath of bug killed trees on the far side of the lake just waiting for a purging fire.
From the banks of Lake McDonald we made our way to the beginning of the Going-To-The-Sun Road. The road was named after nearby Going-To-The-Sun Mountain, where legend tells that a deity, named Sour Spirit, came down from the Sun to teach the Blackfeet braves the basics of hunting. On his way back to the Sun, Sour Spirit left his image on the top of the mountain to inspire the Blackfeet people. As the 50 mile drive along Going-To-The-Sun Road winds it's way up to Logan Pass, it reveals one jaw-dropping vista after another. Amazing ravines that show the awesome geologic power of glaciation.
The whole drive was as fun as it was photogenic, and we had a great day. After our outing in Glacier we went to dinner back in Whitefish. On our way to the restaurant I saw a sign advertising that Nelo would be playing at the Great Northern that night. Nelo is a band that I first heard of in 2009 when I went with a group of coworkers to Austin City Limits Music Festival. They were the first band that we listened to that weekend, and were one of the bands that really stood out to me, as well as set the tone for an epic weekend. When I saw the show poster advertising their gig at the Great Northern, the first thing I thought was, "there's no way that could be the same band," the second thought was, "Hey dummy, how many bands named 'Nelo' do you think there are?" So I had to go.
Nelo's sound is happy. Not meaning that all of their songs are happy, some of them sting, some hurt, but there is an inherent joy to every one of them. That joy is found in the distinct vocals of Reid Umstattd, whose voice has an underlying sound of hope that I can't really quantify. This is the kind of band that is superbly put together, to the point that they beg the question, "why has nobody else got wind of these guys?" though in a purely selfish way I am glad that they haven't because then I can act all music snobby when the rest of world finally gets on the Nelo bus.
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