First tour of the 2025 season. And the Jammer blues.

Original Date 6/23/25

This touring season started off a little rough. At least for me. I show up on a Friday afternoon with my cabin previously unpacked and all set to go.

My white shirts and khakis are all freshly folded for three months of driving the bus. And then for the next four days, I fell between the scheduling cracks and was not assigned a tour.

At first I was angry, but if you look at my prior posts, you can see that I made good use of that unexpected time off. I got the opportunity to get the kayak out on Saint Mary and figured out the process of launching an inflatable.

I also had a rare chance to be at Logan Pass on the very day that it opened, which I have NEVER been able to do before. Talk about time in place!

So when I finally got to take bus 94 (Merritt) out for the inaugural run of the 2025 season, the weather turned …. disappointing. I don’t have a problem giving commentary and driving a narrow mountain road in rainy, overcast conditions.

It’s just parr for the course. But I was under the impression my bus would get a new top this season. It’s been a long time coming, and I don’t complain. But if I were a guest, I certainly would have.

Last summer, when driving on a particularly horrible weather day when it was so bad it snowed on us, and we got stuck at Logan Pass, I had a guy ask me, “Has anybody ever drowned in the Park… ”

Before I could answer, he quickly added, “I mean in a red bus, of course.” But I was okay with that. I had it coming. And the smart ass did have to sit in a puddle of water for 4 hours with no heat.

They usually replace 3 to 4 of these massive, heavy canvas tops every season. Each one is custom-made for each bus, since the length can vary by a couple of inches. With a fleet of 33, they must be getting down to the last few, and I should be one of them soon. The current fit is terrible due to years of shrinking.  

And most of the seams have dry-rotted to the point that only the glue is holding the panels together. And when you get a good rain, it is like all five of the Great Lakes forming on the canvas roof.

But there is a special method for getting it off. Although most of it finds its way into the front seat.

Some days it is really tough to get motivated to tour. Especially when you know you will be in this stuff for eight hours with the same group of people, and there is zero chance it’ll clear. 

Although there were not a lot of views to be had, I’m still a professional. Basically, I can entertain if I put blindfolds on everyone. I talk more about the park’s history and why it’s here and why I love it so much.

But NEVER talk about all the great stuff that your guests can’t see. I learned that from my first season, where I just kept my commentary the same regardless of the weather. I was miserable, and so was every soggy soul on my bus.

In my fifth season now, and I’ve learned a few things. More importantly, I have learned that if my commentary is boring me, that means I’m not thinking about it anymore and am on autopilot. Which means everyone on the bus is in the same frame of mind.

So I like to change things up this summer. My focus will be on the original Blackfoot names and the history of how they playeda critical role in the formation of Glacier National Park.

I only got in two tours before a June winter storm closed the road for a day or two. This can happen at any time.Like the aforementioned tour last August, I was stuck up there with my son Mitch when he worked the bus gig for a fun summer.

Now, the upside of that is post-storm: you get incredible views of fresh snow the first few days before the sun comes out and melts it all away.  

Also, every possible waterfall will be flowing, and it’s really an amazing sight. So even if you have a few clouds, you get to see what the park would be like in the depths of winter. When no one is there to take in the beauty. It’s funny how the weather never stops people from driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  

The Logan Pass parking lot, with only about 250 spots, will always fill early regardless of the weather. With fresh snow, it takes on a high-end ski lodge vibe. There have only been a handful of times when I haven’t seen it completely full, with cars fighting for every slot.  

It usually has to be zero visibility and 40-mile-per-hour wind-driven rain to cut the masses. Those are the moments when even my guests choose not to get out of the bus. Knowing they were getting wetter from sitting inside, especially if they were under a compromised seam in the roof.

If you ever take one of these tours on a marginal day, make sure to see how many towels your driver is bringing along. And an experienced one will have the front seat almost stacked full if it is empty and not sold to a passenger.

But at the end of the day, it was good to get back in the saddle. And it was nice to have a couple of days of transition time between what I call my everyday world and this magical, transient one. I write this in retrospect, but I had no idea I would move over 1,000 people for the first time this season, and that I would also have one of my best summers financially.

This proves to me that no matter how uncertain the world becomes economically or politically, people will still come to Glacier National Park and ride these vintage Red Buses. A time machine to an earlier time, when four red-blooded Americans could sit across every bench seat in comfort! And stay dry!

GoatBoy Out!

Almost forgot. Patrick sucks!