It's too cold to go swimming.

When I was little, I thought every vacation spot should feature a place to swim. It wasn't summer unless I could take a dip. Most of our vacation destinations (with the exceptions of Cape Cod and perhaps Lake of Bays),* however, were not good places for swimming.

Of all the spots we visited, the one least suited for swimming was Glacier National Park. The shores are rocky, the water is icy, and the lakes are deep. My Dad nonetheless indulged my insistence on testing the Glacier-Park waters.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. My Dad and my Godmother's husband help me explore Lake MacDonald. My Godmother briefly tests the water, and she decides it's too cold.

*I don't count Union Pier as a "vacation destination." That was a one-day, or weekend, spot.

Where the trip is the destination.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. The Going-to-the-Sun Road takes visitors from one end of the park to the other. But the purpose of the drive isn't to reach St. Mary or Lake MacDonald; instead, it's to appreciate what you see along the way.

Glassy

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1987. There's not a ripple in Lake MacDonald.

We're heading in a westerly direction.

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1966. We're on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, driving from St. Mary to Lake MacDonald.