Vintage View Vednesday Glacier National Park 2005

We are making our way through our accidental vacation in 2005. Thank you for riding along with us. It is time to dive into western Montana. Wow! What a place and what terrific people!

After staying in West Yellowstone, Montana a few nights, we hooked up and drove toward western Montana, toured Glacier National Park and visited the Metzger's church for the very first time. That proved to be the wisest thing we did on our whole accidental vacation. We left there with lifelong friends wrapped up in our hearts. We have been back many times, but it all started with that first "unplanned" visit!

We first drove north from Yellowstone and turned west on I-90 toward Missoula. We were constantly amazed by how awesome the scenery was. We finally found out what people mean when they say "big sky country". Wow! The sky looks so big and feels closer at the same time! Unbelievable!

We found a campground at Missoula and then loaded up early the next morning in the truck and drove to Glacier National Park. We had no idea what to expect. In the winter time, the alpine section of the Going to the Sun Road is closed completely. You can enter the park from the west or east side and drive only a few miles.

We did not know any of that. We pulled up to the gate, got our maps and drove in like we had good sense. And it turns out we did have good sense and a good dose of good fortune. The road had opened for the season only seven days before. In fact, it was the second earliest opening of the road in the history of the park at that point. There were only six other years going back to the beginning of the road in 1933 that we could have got in on May 27 when we were there.

We found out later that the Going to the Sun Road typically opens in late June or early July. We were blessed indeed! I am telling you we enjoyed every single minute of the trip. Our mouths were hanging open 95% of the time and we will never forget the awesome fun we had that day as a family enjoying God's creation!

This is a list of dates of the opening and the closing of Going to the Sun Road since 1933.

Pictures can not do it justice, but I hope you enjoy our Vintage View of Glacier National Park. Get ready for sensory overload!

There is a glacier/snow pack fed lake near the west entrance of the park and also near the east entrance of the park. Going to the Sun Road connects the two sides of the park by switchbacks up and down the sides of the mountains.  A visitors center sits at Logans Pass at 6646' elevation. The road is an engineering marvel.

We have since been back in the fall when the water flow has slowed down throughout the park. It is beautiful even then, but this early season visit in 2005 is still one of our favorites!

Yes, that is snow still up to the roof on parts of the visitors center at Logan's Pass.

This was one of the smaller snow moving machines.

If you wondered why it takes so long to get the road open, wonder no more. Open your eyes and behold!

This is how it feels to be free!

We even saw a Bobcat!

That is all folks! Thank you for joining in the fun today.

Davy

We have a long way to go, but here are the first three installments.

Accidental Vacation 2005 I Yellowstone National Park

Accidental Vacation 2005 II Grand Teton National Park

Accidental Vacation 2005 III More Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

Pastor Jimmy Millikin

We have certainly been blessed to meet some great people in all of our years on the road. Do you know, Bro. Jimmy Millikin? He and his family are some of the very best people we have ever met.

I can not even recall when we actually met the Millikin family. Bro. James, Sis. Wilma, Bro. Jimmy and Bro. Marty have been mainstay evangelists among the conservative Pentecostal people for many decades. They are incredible people and it seems we have known them all of our lives.

I do not remember exactly the first time we met them personally. Perhaps it was Allentown Camp Meeting in the late 80s. I do know this for sure. We were blessed by their sincerity, talent and heart to minister to others.

In 1993 we were in Florida and drove over to Lake Placid to be with them in revival. That was probably the first time we heard them in a revival setting over several nights and we immediately loved them very deeply.

In the years that followed, we were able to hear them minister from time to time and we were always blessed by their music, singing and Bro. Jimmy's preaching. We came to appreciate them as dear friends.

About eleven years ago when we begin to plan on doing more tent revivals, I approached Bro. Jimmy about him and Sis. Shauna helping us on some of them. Two years later, we had one of the most blessed summers we had ever had with the Millikin family joining us in four tent revivals. They were part of two in Oklahoma, one in Kansas and one in our hometown.

We have been blessed many times since then to minister together with our dear friends. Bro. Jimmy has become one of my best friends and also one of my biggest advocates. He is always in my corner and has been a tremendous encouragement to me and my family.

I have tried to do the same for Bro. Jimmy, Sis. Shauna and their two beautiful children. I have told people far and wide that Bro. Jimmy is my favorite evangelist and I have meant every word of it. They are worthy of applause, appreciation and support.

Bro. Jimmy has traveled in evangelism with his parents most of his life and last fall he passed the 30 year mark of preaching revivals himself. That is a long time to spend on the road, but Bro. Jimmy has a great heart for people and has loved visiting and ministering all over the USA.

Recently Bro. Jimmy and Sis. Shauna experienced a huge change in their life, family and ministry. In the last few weeks Bro. Jimmy excepted the pastorate of Westside Holiness Church in Claremore, Oklahoma. Sis. Shauna was raised in this church under her parents' ministry and it has been the Millikins home church for many years.

After several months without a Pastor, the church has now called Bro. Jimmy in that role and the Millikins are settling into their new direction and position at Westside. I imagine it will be a tremendous change for them, but I am confident that God will prosper their ministry and bless them with many souls in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Please pray for my favorite evangelist, Bro. Jimmy Millikin as he navigates this new course in life and applies himself with diligence and determination in the direction that God has called him to go. May God bless them and Westside Holiness Church.

Thank you for reading today.

Davy