Rita and I said our "I do's" in front of a waterfall in Glacier Nat'l. Park, offciated by a female Blackfoot Tribal Judge. We used the Blackfoot ceremony, not a religious one but quite spiritual. The following day we headed up into Canada as far as Jasper, going up the east side of the Rockies and down the west side. Canada's economy took quite a boost during those two weeks.
On the morning of the 5th, we had to drive to Cut Bank, MT for the license, about 50 miles one way. On the way back, as we got back into the high country I stopped near a mountain meadow that was covered with wild flowers, whipped out my trusty pocket knife and cut my new bride-to-be a mountain wild flower wedding bouquet. Later that day we met with the lady judge(Rita had made prior arrangements with her by phone before we left home), her husband and daughter, then drove back into the Park. About a 1/3 mile walk through the forest brought us to the opening where the waterfall was, we had the ceremony on a raised sandy portion of the creek bed. A beautiful spot to behold.
The license bureau in Cut Bank was amusing. We walked up to a main counter, behind it were about a half dozen little rooms with various signs over the doors; marriage license, occupational license, recording, etc. While there, the phone would ring and the one and only person there, a woman, would answer the main line as "license bureau." Then put the caller on hold, walk into the corresponding room, pick up that phone and answer "_____bureau"....which got Rita and me laughing over the little town scene. A one person operation wearing different hats, depending on your call.
She's still in a nursing home for another week or two so she's not happy spending today in such a place. I'll do my best to make it special anyway.
