Bear Liar

It was so hard to leave Glacier, but Loran promised that our next stop was a great one, and he didn’t disappoint. We stayed at the Holland Lake Lodge which was spectacular. Located on Holland Lake, they have a tract of land that is like a small peninsula so from their main lodge and yard, you can see the sunrise over one range of mountains and the sunset over another with the lake in the foreground. There are rooms in the main lodge, but a few small cabins around the grounds. We stayed in one of those small cabins, named Bear Lair, that was a small, old log cabin that was just beautiful. There were some kittens that loved our porch and in turn got plenty of exercise running from Ella. Ella loved running around the grounds finding pinecones and rocks. She especially liked the satisfying “thud” of throwing a rock at a tree trunk. Loran worked on teaching Ella how to not throw like a girl and throw rocks over hand into the lake.

     

     

Our meals and drinks were included in our stay and they did not disappoint. We were able to order off of a gourmet menu and had courses. Our food consumption probably negated the cost of the cabin. Ella and Lillian made friends left and right. The owner of the lodge was sure to bring Ella to meet their wonderful Golden Retriever Silas. Ella was also fascinated by the owner’s adult son who was driving a four wheeler around to deliver firewood to each cabin’s fire ring. We’d thought about having a fire after the girls went to bed, but by the end of the night, I was too tired and just wanted to crawl under the fluffy down covers and read. Plus, when I looked outside, it was the blackest black I’d ever seen. Not even the stars made a dent in the darkness. So yes, this adult, city-girl was a little afraid of the dark.

Ella enjoyed laying on the floor on the carpet.

The next morning, after sleeping in a bit on the most comfortable beds of the stay, we grabbed some breakfast and then headed out on a hike to the nearby waterfalls. There was a warning sign at the trailhead that there had been a grizzly sighting recently. So, of course, I was near stroke on the trail. Every time I’d spy movement, my heart would jump into my throat. Every single time, it was another hiker. And most of the time, the hikers we were coming upon were quite eligible for the senior discount at most eating establishments, so I’m not sure what I was so worked up about. We never made it to the falls though. Our littlest hiker was getting quite cranky and hot in her carrier and was sure to let everyone know. So, we turned around. We did enjoy the views though.

We were only able to stay one night because there was a wedding party coming that afternoon. But, we were blessed to be able to have the night we did. It was a great place to stay with breathtaking views. But, our stay was over too quickly, the Suburban reloaded and off we went, to Anaconda.

Additionally, at dinner, we met a pair from actual Holland. They assured us that actual Holland looks nothing like Holland Lake. In case you were wondering.