Catching up...

When last we visited we were going to Yellowstone. It is very large in comparison to Glacier and has very different geological landscapes.
There are waterfalls, from the gentle



To the mighty....


And thundering of the Upper Falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.





Lower Falls is nearby. Most of these gorgeous scenes can be hiked to for a closer and personal view.



There are geysers everywhere. Spouting up along the way and in distant views. Also simmering ,bubbling thermal areas. They are all seen by walking along wooden pathways with warnings of the many dangers if you decide they look more inviting a bit closer.





We headed to Old Faithful but did not want to wait 90 minutes for the next eruption.


And there is wildlife along the way. We saw deer and elk and


the buffalo were posing and causing 'wildlife jams'. we saw no bears. But, the warnings about them are everywhere. There have been 2 deaths of hikers this year by grizzlies. The hiking trails were abundant but since I have this phobia about bears and mountain lions, we stayed on the well trodden and crowded paths.



The fishermen were out. I'm glad we read "A River Runs Through It" .....it was excellent and I will appreciate the rushing river a bit more.

Weather was pleasant but definitely cooler and the fleece and jeans came out. On Thursday, we had a rendezvous with half of the Hatlie couplet as Guy headed back to Manhattan Beach, Ca. from their summer at the lake. Judy flew back a bit earlier. We enjoy running into them here and there.



The clouds did come in and we headed south. On a whim, we pulled into a National Park campground in the Tetons and they had an opening. There were no hook-ups and they keep the bigger RV's separate from
the tents. It was chilly and damp but we enjoyed a fire and were very very grateful for the down comforter. The next morning we stayed buried in until the magic hour of 8 am when generators were allowed. Then it sounded like we were in the middle of a truck stop. We headed over for breakfast at the large historic restaurant. We have found that all tho the ambiance of eating in the National Park restaurants might justify the price, the food does not.

We are currently in Wyoming headed East. We had considered other adventures and itineraries but in the end, decided that it was time to get back to our other life and the realities of hot days , evenings with the Scotts and fixing the golf game.....yes, hope springs eternal.

West Yellowstone

Altho we are happily retired and have minimal obligations these days, there are still annoying blips on the "life is good" radar screen that must be attended to. Nothing of any interest to our thousands of readers but just some bookkeeping and such that needs to be done and in our packing , we forgot to bring them. There was a discussion about flying / driving back to Florida to deal with it all and then decided that modern inventions like FEDEX and the phone might just be the solution. So, the next dilemma (I am a very good speller but that word had me stumped for a bit...who knew it had 2 M's ).....was our itinerary.

We left West Glacier on Monday morning and pointed the bus south. We passed Missoula and continued across the high plains ringed with distant mountains until we came to Idaho Falls, Idaho. Montana really is Big Sky Country. You can see for thousands of miles it seems.......the one thing I've noticed about this trip is the abundance of historical markers along the way. We miss alot of them due to small print as viewed from 60 MPH but when we can read the title or the name or the place, we go to the iPad to Bing to look it up and read all about what we are seeing. ( The iPad's 3G capability is pretty amazing....even out in the middle of nowhere.)

There was only 1 choice of campgrounds in Idaho Springs....it was OK, not great but fine for overnight. The town is quite nice, about 50,000, and has this amazing fountain in the middle of a round about. You can't see the detail but there are animals in the rocks and an eagles nest with little eaglets in it . It is really beautiful.
When we were packing up that morning, we noticed this unusual camping arrangement. I spoke with the young couple and took this quick pic. They are pulling a trailer with the jeep-type vehicle on a flat bed and this 'house on top'.
They said they like to go 4 wheeling and they found this set-up at a rally. It is made by ARB Touring (because Michael would want to know) and when you push up on the ladder, it folds up the tent floor.

So now, we are in West Yellowstone. It was a nice easy drive over and we are in a beautiful campground. Grizzly RV Park is large and within easy walking distance of restaurants, shopping and museums. The sites are large and filled with high end luxury coaches as well as the camping trailers. We had a reservation and glad we did as they have been full every night. Weather is a bit cooler and it rained overnight. We did a short drive into the Park, just on the outskirts of this small town, and found the landscape much different from Glacier. We followed a river with many fisherman on it. Then came to stopped traffic to view the buffalo meandering along the road. Farther along, we saw elk and more camera wielding tourists.

Hoping to spend the day in the park but looks like more rain might be coming. More than anything it will hamper the quality of my photos.....they are amateurish enough without clouds and rain. It will be the first rainy day of our trip if it continues.

BLOG ALERT !!

Today's post is BELOW the Glacier Park post of yesterday. I sort of explain how this can happen to even the best of us........but it's still very annoying.

Glacier National Park

Few words today, just pictures. We did the Going to the Sun hwy yesterday. With frequent Kodak moments and construction stops it was slow but worthy of the slow pace. It is about 50 mi one way. Reminder to click on pics for better viewing. We did see bighorn sheep at the summit but no good pictures.








Hazy here too.


Waterfalls and rivers diminished so late in season


An example of the early road building in the '30's. They are now doing some widening and restoring the rock walls lining the roadway.


Shelf road most of the way. Many bikers.





Only 26 glaciers remain out of 150 and the Jackson glacier in the pic above is only 25% of it's original size.







There are 2 large lakes within the boundries and many smaller ones.



Many Glacier Lodge. Done in Swiss Alp style and being renovated.


Some parts have significant intimidation factor if you are on the outside.











The iconic Red Bus tours. They are 7-8 hours long and all were filled when we inquired. I would enjoy the narrative. These are the original 33 buses and Ford restored them about 7 years ago and now they run on propane.


Wild flowers were in abundance.

I hope these meager pics have inspired you to plan a trip soon. It is awesome.

Location:Glacier National Park

Ignore the date....it's really Sept 12th

I know that I might appear to be a computer whiz but really, it's all a facade, just like my hair and those wonderful eyelashes I wore to the wedding.......anyway...(.and sometimes I do go on and on before I get to the point), we sent Jon a boat-load of old pics.....you know, the ones in the large Rubbermaid tub that 'someday' you were going to put nicely in organized albums.....and 'someday' is looong gone. Anyway, we just didn't send them off C.O.D or anything, he actually requested them. And now he is scanning and downloading to flickr so that we can all laugh at our younger selves. ...and that hair !! So, I tried to move this pic from flickr to my iPhoto, all without success. Jon gave me a hint, and I was able to move it to blogger.....but anytime you start a new post, that date stays there and even if you continue a day or two later , the original date never changes........ But you might be saying, "well, just delete and start anew on the right date !" and normally, that would be the right thing to do, BUT, it all goes back to the picture and the fact that I'm not sure how I got it on the blog and if I start over, I might not get it back.....and the picture is the best part of today's posting.

So, here is the picture......P and I rented this about 25 years ago !! Scary how time flies sometimes......... we picked it up near San Francisco and drove to my parents. Jeff was living in California at the time after high school. We drove this to Seattle and then over to Denver. Don't remember how long we were gone but it was something we always wanted to do and now so many years later, we have moved on to bigger and not always better when it comes to actually driving the thing. But it was a fun trip and I guess it got in our blood.
Yesterday was a day of rest. We read, we loafed, we fixed, we cleaned and we laundered. ...and we might have napped. We loved the beautiful weather and the smell of pine. Later, we did some back road wandering and looked at Park campsights. Surprisingly, there were some big rigs parked in those trees. There is no electricity or water or sewer at the sites and generators are very limited in their use........I would not be happy if I was in a tent and some MH had the noisy generator on at all hours. Thinking the crowds for dinner might be less on a Sunday night, we wandered into Lake MacDonald Lodge. The tour bus out front should have been a clue. But, we were able to get a table at the bar and could choose from the dinner menu or the bar menu. We started out ordering a chardonnay.....the waiter said "we are out of chardonnay"....I thought he meant the house wine....he says no, we are out of All chardonnay. So we ordered a reisling, which was actually better anyhow and then we were served in tiny little wine glasses.....he said, "we are out of wine glasses also" and then brought over the rest of the bottle of wine.....The weather has been so nice and the crowds so much bigger than usual, that they are running out of food and drink and glasses. They close on the 29th for the season.

When we were up on the mountain Saturday, waiting our 20 minutes for our turn to pass on the one-lane only road (construction), P overheard a conversation. A large white diesel truck was at the head of the line, idling and being noisy. Next in line was a smallish SUV type car with a very elderly thin lady standing next to it. She says to the guy by the truck, "Your truck is running" and he explains that it has something to do with the turbo thing and it runs better , etc. She says " well, you are polluting" and he looks back at her and says " And what are you riding, a horse?? " You had to be there, it WAS funny. But, we did notice that he turned off his truck the next time.

I'd tell you our plans for today and tomorrow and the rest of the week, but as of last night , we haven't a clue. We'll spin the dial on the compass and see where it lands......and we'll take you along.

Plan B

We went to bed with a plan to head south towards the Tetons and possibly a trip into Yellowstone. When we awoke, the smoke and haze was evident (there was ash on our outdoor chairs) and the forecast was for it to continue all weekend. Paul, who had pondered various routing at 2 am, was ready with a new plan. It was a good one but just to be sure, we actually called ahead and made campground reservations.

We then headed NORTH. It was a pretty drive with some haze and in a short while we saw the Mission Range in the distance. We followed it for the rest of the drive
and then came to Flathead Lake. It is a huge body of water... 27 mi long and 15 mi wide. It is a natural lake, slightly larger than Lake Tahoe. We followed the lake until
we approached Glacier National Park. Our campground, the West Glacier KOA, is beautiful. Only 2 miles from the Park entrance, it has every amenity , including a restaurant, pool, hot tubs and flowers everywhere. We chose a premium site and it was worth every penny. It has a table for 6 with large umbrella and a shiny new gas grill. It is paved and has a firepit with benches. I've decided that I am going to live here for the rest of the season (it closes in 2 weeks ) !
It was a beautiful warm day and while the driver took a nap, I continued my read of "A River Runs Through It". A neighbor came over to remark on our very large MH. She and her husband are in a small rental RV and are from the UK. They are used to small caravans and she was fascinated by all the large and varied types here. After the driver's nap, I gave her a quick tour and she called it 'palatial', which compared to small British vans, I guess it is.

Altho tempted to just sit and enjoy the ambiance of our site, we opted to drive over to the Lake McDonald Lodge in the Park....a short few miles. We have the Golden Eagle senior pass for which we paid $10 several years ago. It is the best bargain ever and gets us into all Federal parks and landmarks. It is no longer sold according to the website. Anyway, it saved us about $25 as we passed thru the entrance.

The Lodge is typical of national park lodges altho I think this one is a bit smaller than some. The flowers in hanging baskets and window boxes and pots were magnificent. Paul came to Glacier several times with his father and siblings and camped in tents and hiked many of the trails. He remembers thinking that only really rich people stayed and ate here. About 15 years ago, we passed through here late in the season and they had a room available and we stayed and ate here. Which proves that his theory of only the rich allowed in was very wrong.
We sat out in the lovely warm air with some wine and watched the launch come in from a tour of the lake. It's all reminiscent of bygone years when trains brought the tourists in and the lake tours and Red Bus were the way to see the Park.

If you go to Disney's Wilderness Lodge, you will see that they patterned it after these romantic turn of the century lodges , down to the very detail.
Reluctantly, we headed back to our home- away- from -home as the sun was setting over
the lake and fired up the shiny grill for some salmon and chicken.....and enough for leftovers. Or, if you had joined us we'd have had plenty to share. Later, as the almost full moon rose over the mountain, our British neighbors joined us around a blazing campfire.......(note to self, get smores.)

Today we will head out for more exploring and I will use the real camera. The iPhone works very well much of the time and is so handy but I can do better with scenery and distant shots with the Canon.

It is 45 degrees this morning but will get into the 80's. The tent campgrounds are full and I feel guilty waking up to hot coffee and an electric fireplace when they are wearing wool and using an outhouse. I remember tent camping and while it had its appeal (I won't go into detail on that aspect), it isn't fun to change a soggy diaper or find a tree for a little boy in the middle of the cold night. Nor to hear strange sounds and the imagination takes hold and suddenly bears are about to attack and herds of deer are going to run amok. Maybe getting old has it's benefits after all..............

Smoke in the air..........

Enjoying the down time but disappointed that we can't see any views. We awoke to smoky air. We decided to drive south along a valley between mountain ranges and we saw NOTHING. Nada...only the haze of smoke. We explored a bit of Missoula but decided that the view of the campground was the most interesting. We have discovered Bota Box wine.....very easy to carry along.....and no cork. The larger boxes state that they are good for a month once open. How great is that. We discovered it at the golf course in Detroit Lakes after our round of golf with the Hatlies. I ordered the chardonnay and found it to be very tasty. The young waiter sheepishly admitted that it was 'box' wine when I asked him for the label. I found more of it in a gas station/convenience store/casino in Montana and grabbed a bunch. It comes in the small box and the large 4 bottle size. It's packaged in Lathrop, Ca near my mother's house.....(big wine country). Not sure if I can find it in Florida so may have to stock up.....altho we are consuming it at a fairly alarming rate.

Tomorrow, we would like to head south into more scenic country. We will call ahead to inquire about the smoke issue before starting out. We would like to wander about Jackson Hole and the Teton area and maybe meander up to Yellowstone. It would be a return trip after many many years and I'm sure there are alot of changes. But the mountains never change.

We are in no hurry to get home. The open road has its appeal and we have all the comforts of home with us.....This country is quite amazing. The views through the windshield are expansive but the towns are rather homogeneous. There was a time when there was some originality but now you can find a Starbucks, a Walgreens and assorted fast foods and restaurants on every corner of every town. They all kind of blend together..... but the expansive horizon is always different and beautiful.

I ordered "A River Runs Through It" by Norman MacLean on my Kindle and it is perfect for this part of the trip. He captures the mountains and the rivers and fly fishing and relates it to life. He grew up in Missoula and started writing at the age of 70. I will order the movie when we get home.....I'm trying to figure out what role Brad Pitt played...

Hopefully, we'll have a more scenic update after tomorrow.

Idaho into Montana

We are currently in Missoula, Montana. After spending a couple days in Lewiston, Idaho, pondering which way to go, we got good advice from the attendant at the Costco gas station and went for Hwy 12 across the Bitterroot Mtns. This is the same road that we came into town on and weren't too happy about it. But heading west, it is designated a scenic road so they have added many many turnouts and passing lanes.

The twin cities of Lewiston, Id and Clarkson, Wa are located on the Clearwater River. A wide flowing byway that is a haven for fisherman. Outdoor Magazine rated the area as #1 place to live for fishing, hunting and boating and such. Chinook and sturgeon are the big draw they tell me. The climate is very temperate, warm and dry in the summer and no snow and barely near freezing in the winter. It is becoming a popular retirement area. It is a clean nice place with a many vacant store fronts on the main streets. Because this area was the home of the Nez Perse Indian Tribes, there are many statues and tributes and small casinos.

We had lunch at a popular restaurant on the river one day.....further up the river is Hell's Canyon, a wild and narrow Class V rapids, popular with tours. Instead, we explored a more sedate setting. Since entering North Dakota on our way west, we have noticed all the signage pointing out the Lewis and Clark trail.....I suspect a lot of it was designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of their crossing about 6 years ago. Last Sunday, we drove over to Astoria, Wa to view their first view of the Pacific. The interpretive center was OK but staff were volunteers and money was very scarce. In Lewiston, on the Snake River (the Snake and Clearwater join in Lewiston) is a beautiful center with a very informative film on their travels thru Idaho and their survival due to the help from the Pez Nerse and the Shoshone.

It is all very well done with artifacts and sculptures and maps.

The next morning, after being reassured by the Costco attendant, we headed west on 12. Our views were limited somewhat by smoke from wildfires. We followed the Clearwater , a wide and shallow and swift flowing river. There were a few fly fisherman and an occasional boat. It reminded me of "A River Runs Through It" movie and indeed, the author grew up in these mountains.
I have to admit that I did not drive at all. It was just a bit more intimidating than I cared to tackle. We stopped along the way to let the driver nap and make coffee. The drive was about 250 miles and scenic all the way.
We left Lewiston at 700 ft and arrived at the pass at over 5000 ft. It was a slow climb and did not feel that steep.
At the top were firefighters, many of them looked like the Native Indians of the area and were speaking a native language and were covered in soot. They were heading out to a new fire. The Montana border is at the pass and this sign greeted us
as we started down. It was slow but not troublesome in the beast. We are at a large KOA campground in Missoula and again at a decision point in our travels. The air is very smokey and visibility limited and we can't see the surrounding mountains. And for all you Floridians, the temperature was 46 this morning and is to get near 90. It is very dry and didn't feel so warm yesterday.

And now, more wedding pics. This one was taken at the rehearsal dinner and yes, its the same clothes I wore at the reunion for those of you keeping track. Paul, however, had a bigger wardrobe and was able to find something else.

The bride is so photogenic and beautiful and these pictures should be in a bride's magazine. ( All pics are clickable)

Here is the only pic I've received of the family. Starting from the left....Marybeth, Jon and Andy and Mason in front. Then Mike and Jenna from Colorado, the bridal couple, the new MIL in the purple dress and her handsome husband in his tux and then Travis, our grandson and Jeff's son who lives in Mazatlan Mexico and his very beautiful girlfriend, Tania. The couple left the celebration amid sparklers and cheers. They are loving their time in the Caribbean and hoping the hurricanes stay away.

In the middle of somewhere.......

We are currently in Lewiston, Idaho. We drove farther than intended yesterday and felt the stress of the 2 lane winding highway......it would have been very scenic and enjoyable in anything but our current mode of transportation. This area is called the Palouse. It was formed during the ice age and is all hills and gullys....some quite dramatic. They grow wheat on these rolling, steep areas and it said in Wikipedia, that in the early 1900's it took 40 horses to pull the large machinery. Seems to me that if you wanted to grow wheat that bad, you would just move to North Dakota.

We are undecided about direction from here but "tomorrow is another day" and we will just postpone thinking about it. Mostly , we are concerned about roads and in talking to those who know, we would have more of yesterday.

So, we will wander about this area along the scenic Snake River. Looks like there is lot to do if you like fishing and white water rapids and sightseeing by helicopter. Maybe there's something for the less adventurous as well.