Driving to the rescue on Sun Road

Holly Miller is used to driving in Washington, D.C., where she moved from three years ago. But she wasn't prepared for the experience of driving herself and her four sons up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier Park.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon over Memorial weekend and since her husband, a police officer in Thompson Falls, was on duty, she decided to take the family up to the park herself.

As she passed the hairpin turn at The Loop in her Suburban, she became overwhelmed by both the elevation and narrow road and began to feel panicky. Miller pulled into the next turnout, put her flashers on and prayed a park ranger would come by to help her get turned around.

"My boys were just fine. It was me who was frozen" she said. Finally, her 14-year old son Robbie waved his arms at a passing pickup. Miller saw it start to back up.

"The wife came up asked if I was OK," said Miller, who told her she was feeling a little anxious and couldn't face looking in the rear-view mirror. The woman then suggested she hop out and get some fresh air.

"I just wanted to get out of there," she admitted.

While the woman's husband, Doug, got her car turned around for her, his wife asked if she would like him to drive her car back down. She told her, "We've driven this lots of times. It will be OK." He then drove Miller and her boys, Robby, Cody, 13 and 4-year-old twins, Curt and Colton, back down the road, injecting bits of lore for the kids along the way.

"They could see that I was too nervous to drive," said Miller, "and the way they just took over for me and helped me out of an embarrassing situation was especially kind of them."

Though Miller didn't get the couple's last name, she does remember them telling her they lived in the Whitefish Stage area of Kalispell.

"I just want to thank Doug and his lovely wife for saving my bacon," she wrote. "Had I been in my right mind I would have asked his last name or at least invited them to our picnic afterward, but my shaky hands and racing pulse hindered my thoughts."

Miller said it's just this kind of hospitality and helpfulness that gives her more reason to be glad her family moved here "to this last best place."

"It was probably the craziest and best thing we ever did," added Miller. "Thank you Montana natives for sharing your world with us."

Amanda Parker was on her way to work one day in May when she noticed one of her tires was low. She got a ride but when she returned at lunchtime two tires were flat.

Les Schwab Tires on Center Street put air in her tires and drove her pickup to the shop to repair the tires.

Parker returned to work expecting to have a bill for a couple of tire patches; but when she went to pick up her truck she found that all four of her tires had been punctured. What started as a pathetic act of vandalism became a gift of kindness from Les Schwab. They'd mounted a complete set of used tires on her pickup - for free.

Amanda's mother, DuAnn Parker, wrote to thank them for helping out her daughter. "In these times of war, bad news and vandalism, we want to say a big public thank you to Les Schwab. Our family will always remember what you did for Amanda."