Aug. 3, 2006 - Thursday
Breakfast: Tropical fruits in a hollowed-out mango (I tried the mango, and it doesn't seem to have done me any harm); fresh-baked berry muffins with butter; baked egg in a ramekin with veggies and mushrooms; freshly-toasted French bread to dip in the moist egg yolks; coffee; orange juice.

Our companions at breakfast: Canadians Darren and Sharon, a denturist and hygenist from north of Edmonton; and two Loudon County, Va., government contractors who work at MITRE and SAIF and whose names I forget.

The Canadians were nice, outdoorsy folks. They clearly have money, and they're relaxed about it. They use it to take long vacations, maintain a vacation home, explore the world, and fund Latin American charity work.

The Northern Virginians reminded me very much of why I'm glad notto live in that region any more. The two karat ring, the band of diamonds, the polished silver Rolex said all we needed to know. But flashy displays of affluence were not enough for this couple, determined as they were to one-up any and all.

"We live in a very affluent area."
"Oh, I know the president of that company?"
"You traveled to Peru during a tmie of political instability. We were there during the civil war, weren't we dear?"
"You think it's cold and dark in northern Canada during the winter? Let me tell you about Wisconsin."

I'm not sure I can actually capture how annoying they were. But, ugh. Eventually the conversation lapsed, and Ben and I were able to make our escape.

We spent a good eight hours taking a car tour of Glacier National Park and its surroundings. We drove down Going-to-the-Sun Road, which pisects the park, and filled the camera's memory card with shots of mountains, lakes and glaciers.

A large forest fire blocked the most efficient route back, so we took a detour that probably added 80 or 100 miles to our travels, but which gave us rolling hills and gentle mountains to view.

Early dinner at the edge of the park: buffalo burger for Ben, veggie burger for me, strange spicy fries made from corn for us both.

It's nearing 8 p.m., and we're both showering now before an evening of calm book time.

On our first day here, Ben finished the last book in a Star Wars-related trilogy and I finished the first. Now I'm roughly halfway through that last Star Wars book and Ben's reading a book I recommended -- "Under the Banner of Heaven."

Tomorrow's our last full day in Montana. We plan to return to Glacier, this time for some out-of-the-car exertion.