Flagg Ranch Trail 7/30/2016

Snake River from Flagg Canyon trail

We headed up to the Flagg Ranch area to lose some of the crowds, and because the mountain views further south in the valley were still obscured by smoke. The Flagg Ranch Trail description promised "spectacular views of the Snake River". While we did enjoy the trail, the "spectacular views" were few in number, and only came on the second half of the trip out. See the picture to the left.

Rather than retrace our steps on the Flagg Canyon Trail, we opted to return via the Polecat Creek Trail. The first part of that trail was not promising, as we trudged through dust and dodged horse manure along the way. Horse trail rides come through this way.  But we were rewarded big time for our efforts in the second half of that trail with views down to the creek. We sat just off the trail, ate a late lunch,  and contemplated this view:

I did say that the trail was dusty--so dusty that each footfall created clouds of dust that clung to our skin and clothes. At the end of our 7 mile hike, we took off our hiking shoes to reveal socks and feet that were absolutely caked with dust. Any exposed skin was gritty from the dust which very nicely to our sunscreen.

After dinner, we walked down by Colter Bay once more and found this scene:

Now back to the Rv for a shower. More photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/nHUKbVKi5kQRtNJbA

Tetons 7/30/2016

Because of campsite availability at Colter Bay in the Tetons, we had made reservations there, and worked that around reservations at West Yellowstone (outside Yellowstone) and Fishing Bridge inside Yellowstone. Here's the route--going north to south, then to West then east: https://goo.gl/maps/8x8LUZsqny72 The ride through Yellowstone was... interesting. The road in some places is very narrow as it goes over the mountains, and there is construction in places. At 28 feet plus 15 feet for the car, ours was not the largest vehicle combo by a long shot going over that road. But the ride is beautiful.

We arrived at Colter Bay campground in Grand Teton National Park mid-afternoon. Like most of the others, our site was not the least bit level, and it was a challenge fitting it into the site in a way that would both get it off the road, and be close enough to the utilities (water, electric and sewer) to hook up. The RV has to be level for the refrigerator to work properly. That challenge met, we chilled out for the rest of the day, and in the evening took a walk down by Jackson Lake where we saw a bald eagle perched in a tree. 

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Smoke obscures the Tetons

Yesterday we drove down to the Laurence D. Rockefeller Preserve, a former ranch donated to the park service (along with thousands of other acres that form Grand Teton National Park). The mountain scenery that greeted us was veiled in smoke and the smell of smoke was in the air. There are substantial fires south and southeast of here. 

At the Preserve, we took a loop trail that took us by lovely Phelps Lake. The Preserve has a wonderful and unusual visitor center. While most visitor centers give you lots of historical, ecological and geological info, all this center tries to do is to get you in a frame of mind to experience the beauty of the preserve itself. There is little reading, but lots to engage your senses. The first room you enter has high definition nature videos. Later you encounter a soundscape room with nature recordings from the Preserve. All you are asked to do is look and listen. There is a reading room as well, filled with books about the area and nature, and fitted with comfortable chairs in a room with views to the mountains. Gorgeous.

Outside view of  Episcopal Chapel

View behind the altar of Episcopal chapel

On our drive back we stopped at the Church of the Transfiguration, an historic Episcopal chapel  with a view behind the altar to the Teton peaks, and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic Chapel with the same designation. As you can see from the pictures--pretty inspiring, huh?

Two Medicine 7/28/2016

The view from the edge of the lake at Two Medicine

The day after our visit to Iceberg Lake, we headed down to the southern parcel of Glacier at Two Medicine. Because it is a bit more distant, and not connected to the Going to the Sun road, fewer people typically visit this area. That makes it more attractive as far as we're concerned. The drive out to Two Medicine was, as usual, gorgeous. On the way, we stopped to note that the forest that had burned many years ago was now covered with new growth of trees--nature renewing itself.

New trees growing after fire

The hike we chose at Two Medicine was a short one (4 miles round trip), and the elevation gain was minimal compared to many others in the park, about 650 feet. What we found out was that all the elevation gain was at the last 1/2 mile, making that portion pretty steep. I must say I sweated my way through that last half mile. On the return, dark clouds were gathering, and we could hear rumbling thunder. But we witnessed just a few sprinkles.

We saw a moose off the trail in the water. After our hike, we drove over to the East Glacier hotel,  where the road in to the hotel was covered with gravel, a result of the storm that we had missed. Apparently the downpour there was heavy, and there were large puddles everywhere. On our return to St. Mary, we saw a few piles of accumulated hail along the side of the road. Such is the hit and miss nature of weather in the mountains, I guess.

One thing we have dealt with on this trip that we never had to before is bugs. In Michigan and Minnesota, I managed to pick up at least 15-20 mosquito bites on my legs. Here at Glacier, the hike to Iceberg was plagued by flies and bees. At Two Medicine, I was bitten several times (5-6) right through my compression sleeve (I think those bites might be from deer flies.), and got several more on my legs.  Oddly, Ray has no bites. He's usually the one to get bitten.

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Wheat and canola fields

Yesterday was a travel day--going from St. Mary area of Glacier down to Livingston, where we would stay one night before heading to Colter Bay at Grand Teton National Park.  We took the less traveled route down Route 89 rather than the Interstate, and enjoyed the ride. We traveled through lots of farmland, and loved the visual contrast between the wheat fields (tan colored--amber waves of
grain!) and the canola fields (bright yellow). Our campground is on the Yellowstone River about 50 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. We woke this morning to the bellowing of moose nearby (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--PyKhohVcY).

Iceberg Lake 7/26/2016

We had never visited Glacier NP at this particular point in the summer season. Our forays here were always in the very beginning of July. One time here, we arrived a day after the Going to the Sun Road was opened. As a result, our hikes to Iceberg Lake (actually 10 miles roundtrip, we discovered) were always taken at the height of wildflower bloom time for the lower part of the hike.

So when we started out on the trail, we were somewhat surprised to see that while there were some wildflowers, there were not the eye-popping drifts of flowers we had witnessed previously. But, of course, the mountains never disappoint, and the views from the trail were, as ever, spectacular. What

Meadow near the lake. Photos can't capture how stunning it was.

we found out, though, was that the second half of the trail (past Ptarmigan Falls) which was never, for us, a wildflower standout, was, at this point in the season, crazy with flowers. As a matter of fact, the last part of the trail approaching Iceberg Lake had in past years been covered with snow. I have pictures of us walking on snow so deep we could touch the treetops. Not this year. Reds and yellows interspersed with drifts of white and purple were everywhere in the meadows in this part of the trail. This trail never disappoints.

When we got back to the RV, later in the afternoon, we relaxed for a bit with a beer or 2, then decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Johnson's restaurant. We brought back to the RV some Huckleberry Ice Cream pie for dessert--a satisfying end to a great day.

Iceberg Lake as you approach from the trail. Usually there is a much larger iceberg in the lake that persists. This year it was VERY small. 

Beauty from fire 7/24/2016

In 2015 there were 2 major fires in Glacier National Park. One was the Thompson fire that consumed almost 19,000 acres west of the Two Medicine area of the park. The other was the Reynolds Creek fire which burned 4800 acres. The one that headlined the news was the Reynolds Creek fire because the flames reached the Going to the Sun road, and burned along the shore of St. Mary Lake. The Going to the Sun road was closed for a time last summer.

What we found in the wake of the fire, was a glorious experience. Our trail today was from Sundrift Gorge to Baring Falls to St. Mary Falls to Virginia Falls, about an easy 6 mile round trip. The view from the road is ominous: blackened trees everywhere. But as soon as you step on the trail, you can see that nature has already started to rebuild the area. Where the tree canopy was gone, and sunlight , could now penetrate, wildflowers were everywhere. Purple, pink, yellow, red, and white--in all shades. With the tree foliage gone, the lovely St. Mary Lake was visible--a shining, wind whipped green gem.

The waterfalls along the way were lovely, but for me the real attractions were the wildflowers drifted everywhere, and the spectacular lake forming a backdrop.

Having finished this hike, we headed up to the Logan Pass area (located on the Continental Divide at the highest point in Glacier NP) and decided to take the  3 mile round trip Hidden Lake overlook trail. Halfway through, my knee told me it was time to rest. Ray continued to the overlook, and I turned back.

Highline 7/22/2016

Gorgeous multi-colored wildflowers lined the trail

Note the mountain goat above the trail, and the hand-hold along the rocks

This morning we decided to try to clean the thousands of crusted bugs off the front of the RV.  Bugs from Michigan and Minnesota especially plastered themselves for their last ride on the front of the Winnebago. A neighboring camper suggested LA's Awesome cleaner from the Dollar Tree. We didn't have the soap cleaner, but did have the orange one. It worked great: spray, let it sit, wipe the bugs off:
one of the less glamorous aspects of Rving.

With that done, we headed for  the site of today's hike: Logan Pass, in the middle of Glacier National Park. We arrived via the Going to the Sun Road. If you have never driven it, we highly recommend putting it on your bucket list. The word "spectacular" does not do it justice. The Highline Trail runs

along a ridge for 11 miles, and delivers incredible views all along the way. It is a

Across the stream

relatively easy walk, although for those averse to heights, there are a few places where the trail runs close to the edge of the steep mountain. For the most part, the views are breathtaking. We did encounter mountain goats and a friendly marmot on the trail. On the way back, thunder rumbled and it started to rain. As the wind picked up, the rain turned to something like sleet, but thanks to a wind at our backs, only our backs (and heads) got wet. Nevertheless, this was an unbelievably beautiful trail, and we'll be back.

Mountains and a mountain of laundry 7/22/2016

We arrived yesterday at the West Glacier KOA after a windy (as in blowing wind) drive. Nothing like driving 2 lane roads with construction with a gusty wind blowing. Mileage that normally tops out at 7.5 mpg may be even less the next time we fill up. Just for the record, a fill up is usually 50-60 gallons. You do the math. Nevertheless, we're loving the experience.

Our campground is pretty much top of the line as campgrounds go. The roads are gravel, not dirt. The campsites are separated by green grass and bushes, and the facilities are all impeccable. The only thing lacking is wifi. That's available in one spot on the campground from which I am writing this. I could use my data, but my billing month just started, and we have at least 3 1/2 weeks at least til we get home, so we're trying to be judicious about using data.

After we arrived here, task #1 was to get laundry done. Laundry is one of those unfortunate realities that must be attended to. So we hung around the campground laundromat waiting for our stuff to get done.

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Today we set out with the goal of taking at least 2 hikes: one at Rocky Point near the Fish Creek Campground, and the other at Avalanche, and area a little further east. The Rocky Point trail took us be an area that had been burned in 2003, and it still bore evidence of that. There were a few nice views of Lake McDonald along the way. It was an easy 2 mile walk.

We headed over to the Lake McDonald Lodge, and had lunch at a picnic table there (you know what we had, right, Alex?) From there, we started over to Avalanche. That trail starts out along Avalanche Creek, and takes you up a steep climb along a gorge cut by the creek. The waterfalls and rushing water in the gorge are stunning. At about 1 mile in, the trail veers away from the creek and turns inland. Along this stretch of the trail, you can see hundreds (thousands?) of downed trees, the result of  recent Avalanches on Mount Cannon. At the end of the trail (2.3 miles) sits Avalanche lake, a green gem rimmed by mountains with cascading waterfalls. Blue sky, the mountains, the green lake, a gorgeous day--perfection.

We lingered a while at the lake, then turned back for a leisurely return.