I just posted about Three Arches in Glacier National Park, saying that we took the Red Bus Tour. Isn’t this one beautiful bus? The buses were built between 1936 and 1939 by the White Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio. In 2002, Glacier Park, Inc, the Ford Motor Company, the National Park Foundation, and many others made it possible for the buses to be refurbished so they can continue to run.

These are very special buses, first of all because they have a wood frame that creaks when the bus moves. They also have a very classy design, with a roll back roof so passengers can have a view of the mountains soaring above and when stopped can stand to take photos. And most special of all is the beautiful red color. The color was chosen using these red berries that glow in the fall. We were a little too early to see them in Glacier but I took this photo at Mt. Rainier.

The buses are driven by “Jammers”, a name pegged to them a long time ago because people could hear them jamming on the breaks. Our Jammer did a great job of navigating the roads while telling us stories of the park and sharing information about the mountains, glaciers, wildlife, and plants. I was so glad we decided to take the tour because even with her competent driving, whenever she would pull over by a cliff I would lean towards her, keeping the bus from going over the edge (I was sitting in the front). I can’t image what I would have been doing if J. had been driving.