July 7, 2008 National Bison Range

Off to the National Bison Range.
At the refuge the government keeps a herd of about 350-500 bison as a reminder of the great herds that once roamed this country. The road took us through several VERY small towns, and Polson, a bit larger. The refuge is in a very out of the way location. This results in very little visitation. That works great for me. The greatest charm of this place is the absolute quiet and peace. There are 2 small trails that lead to wonderful vistas, and one that tells of the fact that the valley below the refuge was once a vast lake thousands of years ago. The highest lake level was only 550 feet below the place where Ray is standing in the photo. With no traffic noise, no planes overhead, and no other people around, the solitude was astounding. All you could hear was the wind, the grass rustling, and the insects buzzing. And we were surrounded by hillsides of flowers and grass with the mountains in the distance. This place is a treasure.

All that and the bison... The bison take no heed of cars as they drive through the refuge, and sometimes they park themselves in the middle of the road. They really are impressive animals.

We are staying at another cabin in a KOA in Missoula tonight. We did a bit of housekeeping (laundry), and caught a little bit of TV. I can't say I've missed it at all, and won't miss it for another 2 weeks.

Off to Helena, then Bozeman tomorrow.
See today's photos here.

July 6, 2008 Avalanche Lake--Glacier day 4

Today we set off for the west side of Glacier via the Going to the Sun Road. The closer we approached Logan Pass (the high point on the road), the cloudier it got. Many of the peaks were shrouded in clouds. In numerous spots, waterfalls cascaded over the road, and in some of those places, the road was eroded. It was for that reason (and many others) that the Park Service is in the process of road repair. Since the road is so narrow, they have lane closures that result in single lane traffic and traffic stoppages. It was directly after the flow of traffic on the westbound side started moving, that we spotted a mountain goat on the road--not just on the road, but right next to the car. Ray snapped the picture you see here.

For anyone who has never driven the GTTS Road, it is a 2 lane road that is barely wide enough in some spots to fit two cars side by side. Take into account that some drivers, spooked by the fact that they are driving VERY close to the edge of the mountain, drive over the center double line, and it makes for an interesting experience. So while you're dodging the rocks that jut out into the roadway (I mean, you can actually reach out and touch the rocks on the passenger side as you drive by), you need to be aware of the louts that can't stay on their own side of the road. Dad, you'd love this!

Over on the west side, we stopped at the area called Avalanche Lake. The 2.9 mile trail (one way) follows the Avalanche Creek gorge, winding upwards through the forest until it reaches the foot of Avalanche Lake. The lake is rimmed with steep cliffs on three sides with numerous waterfalls cascading downward from the hanging cirque valley formed by Sperry Glacier. Once on the trail, it felt very much like NH--deep forest. The lake at the end was quite spectacular, though, that typical Glacier aqua water.

After our hike, we stopped at the Lake McDonald Lodge, a designated historic site. This was one of the first lodges for the rich travelers who came by railroad to visit Glacier.

We ended the day at our KOA cabin in West Glacier. Since we had no dinner food left from our shopping foray at Great Falls, we had a dinner at the KOA. They offer a barbecue dinner (steak, corn on the cob , baked potato) for less than most restaurants and equal or better quality, and you can chat with the guy cooking your steak. Good deal.

Man we're pooped.
Til tomorrow...

See photos of the day here.

July 5, 2008 Two Medicine-- Glacier day 3

The day started and ended WINDY. So we figured we'd start by trying out a shorter trail at the Two Medicine area in the southeast part of the park, since we had never visited that part before. The Aster Park trail seemed to be an easier choice at a total of 3.8 miles roundtrip and rising 670 feet in that distance. what we didn't know was that the 670 feet was all in the last 1/2 mile or less. Even so, the trail took us through some lovely meadows filled with wildflowers, and the payoff after the steep ascent was an almost 360 degree view of the mountains. Breathtaking. On the way back, we were startled by the sight of a muledeer on the trail. It was obvious that he was quite used to seeing hikers, because he didn't bolt at our approach. He just kept on munching vegetation. Better there than in my back yard.

Since it was only about 1:30 by the time we had finished that hike, we decided to try another short hike--1.2 miles round trip to Appistoki Falls, a short part of a longer hike of 6.2 miles called Scenic Point. We had considered doing the Scenic Trail earlier, but we had been told to expect winds of 30+mph, and maybe some snow on the trail. The Scenic Trail rises 2350 feet. So, we started out for the Falls. A short jaunt later we were at the falls, and a gate blocked the trail. I, in my infinite wisdom, said, "No, the trail continues around to the top of the falls, and you have to go around the gate." So, we went...up to the Scenic Trail, via a cutoff that had evidence of slides. Probably not the safest route, but...

The view from the Scenic Trail was incredible, as we were above the tree line. Enticed, we continued on--just for a little bit, or so we thought at the time. Windy---HELL Yeah. But the views... So we continued on...Switchback after switchback, we went up and up and up, with the views becoming even more spectacular. But man, after a few hours, your calves start to tell you "no mas". But, we continued on, til we arrived at a point on the trail where the switchback had come to an edge looking directly out on the lake and the mountains beyond. But the trail along the edge looked VERY narrow, and the wind was gusting to at least 35-40 mph here. All of a sudden, Ray's vertigo kicked in. We had to have been up at least 2200 feet above the valley floor. We both decided that we had seen the views we came for, and turned back. 3 1/2 hours after we had started our little jaunt to the falls, we were back at the parking lot.

Back at Two Medicine Lake, we witnessed the EMTs bring a woman who had fallen back from somewhere along the lake trails . We weren't sure of her injuries, but they brought her back by boat.

The ride back to St. Mary was rich with views of the mountains and valleys as well. The word of the day is WOW.

We've decided to stay at Glacier for one more night on the other side of the park in West Glacier. Our experience at this KOA cabin has convinced us to try another over there.

Til tomorrow...
See photos of the day here.

July 4, 2008 Iceberg Lake trail, Glacier day 2

Slept in til 7:30 this morning. Although the day started out cloudy, it promised to be warm and gradually cleared. We set off for the Many Glacier area of the park, and hiked the Iceberg Lake trail, a 9.8 mile round trip. The trail ascends to a ridge that runs the majority of the trail, and from which you get a panorama view of the mountains and the valley. Along the length of the trail are carpets of wildflowers, red, orange, blue, white, pink. And as you pass through certain areas, the air is filled with the sweet scent of those flowers. Honestly, it’s like a party for your senses: the birds are singing, and the waterfalls echo through the valley, the flowers are often electric in color, the mountains seem as if you could reach out and touch them, and you can smell the dampness in the earth and the sweetness of the flowers around you.

When we went cross-country with Alex in 2000, we hiked this trail. But this time, there was a lot more snow, and snow melt. In many places along the trail, we had to tiptoe over rocks in streams, dodge waterfall spray, or walk over snow pack. In fact, the last ¾ mile of the 4.9 miles in to Iceberg Lake were completely snow covered. Nothing builds up your legs and ankles like walking uphill on slippery snow. For that matter, going downhill is harder. While Iceberg Lake was mostly thawed in 2000, it was completely frozen this year.

On the trail, we met a photographer carrying a huge film camera and tripod (the camera was probably 15” square) and the tripod was gigantic. He had carried the camera and tripod all the way up to Iceberg. When we asked if he was a commercial photographer, he said “No”. He was just photographing for his own personal pleasure. Yikes—now that’s dedication. We also stopped to speak with a young couple carrying a baby in a backpack. Man, we had trouble staying upright on the snow just by ourselves. And I wouldn’t want to be carrying a baby as I edged along a drop off while stepping through a stream. Also on the trail, one group of hikers pointed out bears high up on the mountain, and others noted mountain goats. But both sightings were well up in the higher elevations.

At the lake, we rested a bit and ate some of the snacks we had packed. As we ate, we heard a thunderous crack, and turned to the place from which the sound had come. A small rock slide started at the top, and we watched as it made its way down the cirque walls. Amazing that such a small rock slide could sound that loud. We wondered what the big ones sound like…

As we made our way back from the Lake, the skies began to darken. We had been told by a ranger that thunderstorms were moving this way. With about 2 miles left to go, it started to rain—not torrential, just big fat drops in a light rain. Since it wasn’t cold (temps were in 70s) it wasn’t any big deal. All in all, it was a great time.

Since we had no more “dinner food” back at the cabin, we treated ourselves to dinner at a local restaurant. This restaurant has been in St. Mary for over 50 years, and has that feel as well. They had home style food, well made, and in generous proportions. And the restaurant had killer views to boot. We went back to the cabin to clean up and crash, when we heard the sounds of fireworks. We opened the door, stepped out, and looked up to see fireworks erupting in the sky over the campground. A fitting end to the day. Happy Independence Day!

See photos of the day here.

July 3, 2008 Glacier National Park-day 1

After a wonderful night's sleep in the cabin, we woke to a glorious morning--bright blue skies and as can be expected in these altitudes, a bit on the cool side-- in the 50s. It was promising to be a warm day.

Our first foray into Glacier National Park was a hike to Virginia Falls and back that took us along the edge of St. Mary Lake. It was a 6 mile hike that was fairly easy, but had fabulous payoffs for the sights along the way. Views of the mountains, the green-blue lake, and hillsides covered with wildflowers were everywhere. Ray and I each took a camera, and between us, we took about 120 pictures. One result of Ray taking a camera is that now you'll have proof that I actually came on this trip (there are photos of me). Along the trail, we came upon several waterfalls and streams that were swollen with the melt from this winter's massive snowfall.

After the hike, we drove up to Logan Pass, the midpoint of the Going to the Sun Road. The park had just opened the road for the first time yesterday. On June 11th, Glacier had a snowstorm that caused 25 avalanche paths that buried the road that had already been cleared. See a photo here of what the road looked like as late as June 23. As a matter of fact, there were jersey barriers up on parts of the road where the edge and wall had been destroyed. At the visitor's center at Logan Pass, the snow was still 8 feet high in places.

In the evening, we attended a talk given by one of the rangers on how the railroads opened up Glacier, and the automobile developed it. Pretty interesting.

See photos for today here. Til tomorrow...

July 2, 2008 Great Falls

The day dawned misty, rainy and cool... But we were warm and dry in our cabin. OH YEAH! The campground turned out to be nicer than many motels we've stayed at. Luxurious bathrooms, an outdoor kitchen, and they even bring the morning paper around to you.

After a fine night's sleep, we packed off to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls. Interesting enough, but we were both well-versed in the Lewis and Clark expedition, amazing as that was. After a few hours at the Center, we decided to go over to the Great Falls, the place where Lewis and Clark were forced to take their boats out of the water and carry them for 18 miles. The trip getting to the falls was about as interesting as the falls themselves. There's no easy way to get there, other than by the 7 miles or so of roads around and outside of the city of Great Falls. It's pretty obvious, by the shape of the road, that not too many people actually take the time to go to the falls. In the early 1900s, they built a dam directly behind the falls. We spent a little time there taking photos and then turned northwest to Glacier National Park.

That road was typically Montana--unbelievably beautiful, with 360 degree views to the horizon at the top of each rise in the road. By 5:30, we were at the edge of Glacier's snow-capped peaks. The road on which we approached Glacier was marked by the remains of the 2006 fire.
All along the road into the valleys were charred trees. I don't think I've ever seen a burn that large.

We settled into our cabin for the evening. Tomorrow and the next 3 days we will go exploring in Glacier. See today's pictures here.

July 1, 2008 Car trouble

What promised to be another “routine” long-distance ride (about 650 miles) from Jamestown, ND to Great Falls, MT, turned out to be anything but. About an hour after our start at 8:09 (odometer reading 100370), Ray noticed that the temperature gauge wasn’t working—no reading at all. Then, he tried the air conditioning---UH OH… no air. The fan worked, and everything else worked (including the electronic message center that tells you when stuff goes wrong—like low tire air pressure, open doors, high engine temp, etc). What to do? I checked the car manual. No help. So here’s the scenario: do we just tough out an upcoming ride of 590 miles in 90s heat without air conditioning, and hope that the message center would accurately tell us if the engine was overheating? Or should we stop and get the problem diagnosed and fixed? Remember that we still had about 9 hours more to drive and it was 10:00 am.

Being the reasonably sane folks that we are, and I, being a very sweat prone person, immediately opted to get the damned car fixed. I checked online for potential assistance. Nothing. So we decided to call the nearest Chevy dealer to see if we could drive in and get help. I checked online for a local dealer and called them. The first dealer in Bismarck, ND said that they could take us “maybe later this morning”. Forget it. We need assistance NOW. Drove a bit further and called a dealer in Dickinson, ND. YAAAAAY. “Come on in.” So we plugged the address into the GPS (soooooo helpful) and off we went to the dealer, Sax Chevrolet in Dickinson. Al Meier, the service manager there, took the car in immediately. After a 2.5-3 hour wait, we discovered that the computer controller for the car was on the fritz and had to be replaced for the tidy sum of $658.00. Yeah, but at least we now had air conditioning……

So, onward, starting at about 2:00 pm…to Glendive, MT, the beginning of an amazing road that’s pretty much of a straight shot to Great Falls, a road that’s about 343 miles long. For about 220 of those miles the scenery is essentially wide open spaces, (and I do mean WIDE OPEN) with ranches that spread themselves over the miles. The only way I can give you some equivalent is this: Imagine driving from our house in NH to Alex’s place in NY and all you can see for 80% of the ride is open land as far as you can see to the horizon, all rolling hills, and buttes. This ride would be punctuated over the first 220 and last 100 miles with a few ranches whose houses you cannot see—just driveways with a mailbox on the road. Amazing. We couldn’t help but speculate where the kids go to school… We also wondered at the number of road kill on this road. Geez--didn't their mothers tell them to look both ways before they cross the road?

Then the landscape started to change. We saw trees, and the road became curvy, ending in Lewiston, MT, for this part of the country, a good sized town. By then, it started to rain—not a good thing because we are camping tonight. And it was 7:00 already and we still had 1 ½ hours to drive.

By the time we had arrived at the KOA campground at which we had reserved a tent space, it was 8:30. It was apparent that the skies had opened up here and drenched the campground. Large, deep, puddles were everywhere. We were assigned a space, and told that if it was too wet at the space to come back. It was, and we did. When I went back to the office, the girl at the desk said that because it had been raining, and was very wet, she might be able to upgrade us to a cabin. After a call to the manager, the deed was done. We are spending the night in the comfort of a heated, dry cabin.

We sat on the porch swing of our little cabin, protected from the rain that had started up again, drinking a beer, and celebrated our day.

See pictures of the day here.

Til tomorrow...