Author: wellsmarsha

May 28 – The campground is significantly less crowded now that it is Memorial Day with families heading home. We are staying a second night at St. Mary campground so we paid our $10 for the coming overnight. The National Parks Senior Pass is a fantastic deal. Free entry into the US National Parks plus ½ off at each camping site.

Another sunny day in paradise. We chose a hike of 4.2 miles to St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls. All four of us were tired at the end. Not great photo opportunities with the waterfalls in the bright sunshine but I made the attempt. Again I will post them at some point once I have decent internet connection. Tonight we are off to an Park program on Wolves given in our campground. It’s been used as a training session for the new seasonal workers. They have been arriving at the Park over the past week. Back in the mid seventies I spent a few days at the Park’s most remote Ranger Station, Goat Haunt which is accessed from Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. The two National Parks, Waterton and Glacier are known as Waterton Lakes Glacier International Peace Park. From the village of Waterton Lakes one can take a passenger ferry to the southern end of the lake. It’s about a 10 mile one way boat ride. I chatted with a Ranger that will be posted at Goat Haunt for the summer and he said that the park service will not get in to open up the place until June 16. There is way too much snow on the trails at the moment.

May 27 – Today Dad would have been 93. We packed up from the campground and drove around the southern edge of Glacier National Park on Route 2 to the east entrance of the Park. At the west end the road has been cleared of snow for 14 miles. Well, actually 21 miles but the 14 mile mark is the place where they can accommodate parking. The 7 miles are now open to hikers and bicyclists but not cars. From East Glacier Going to the Sun Road is open for 13.5 miles while hikers and bicyclists can go another 2 miles. Rangers are saying the road may not fully open until early July. We secured a campsite at the St. Mary Campground in the Park. Then we drove to another section of the Park near Many Glaciers for a nice 3 ½ mile hike. Another beautiful hike. Afterwards we stopped at the Vistors Center where Marsha would continue her busman’s holiday.

May 26 – We picked up my friend from high school, Frits, and his lovely wife Lynette at the train stop in West Glacier a bit after 8 am. They live in the United Kingdom and are in western Canada and the northwest US for a few weeks. We will drop them off in Calgary on June 2.

Saturday it was cloudy and the park only had limited trails open so we decided another hike up to Avalanche Lake was a great outing. Again Marsha and I enjoyed the hike and it was great fun catching up with Frits and Lynette. I had better luck with the photography of Avalanche Lake and the multiple hanging waterfalls way up high in the mountains. At some point those photos will be posted here.

May 25 – Heading to West Glacier it was an easy drive arriving at the campground around 11 am. It came highly recommended. Small trees in an open field. Maybe it is great for the large motorhomes but we would be in a deep woods. The hot showers were apricated. It’s the only location where we made reservations in advance made weeks prior. It was costly and with lots of facilities. It was highly manicured and not our try of place. For example, it looks as though sod had been place on the ground to create a “beautiful” lawn the day prior. After we got set up an employee came along and was spraying the odd dandelions. Not our type of place. Well it’s the beginning of the long holiday weekend and there were not many other options so we stayed.

Next we headed into the park. On the west side of Glacier National Park Going to the Sun Road is open 14 miles. We went in the full distance and went on a beautiful hike to Avalanche Louake, just over a 4 mile round trip hike. It was outstanding but sunny so I was not thrilled with the bright sunshine for my photography.

May 24 – A short trip today of 75 miles heading towards West Glacier where we will be staying for a couple of days starting tomorrow. It was short in distance yet much of the paved road was taken at 25 miles per hour. From Troy we headed east again along Yaak River Road to Yaak, MT where we had visited two days ago. In the greater Yaak area there are several metal sculptures of Big Foot so we took a photo of us. It’s too large to upload now but hopefully soon I’ll get it uploaded. The photo should be titled, “Return to Pottersville.” If you don’t get the reference look up the 2018 movie, Potterville, which was filmed in Hamilton, NY near our home.

After leaving Yaak the paved road, and I use that term loosely, followed the Yaak River eastward and upwards for about 30 miles. Spotted several mule dear including one with a start of this year’s antlers. As we just crossed over the pass at the top we saw our first black bear. A beautifully healthy large bear. It didn’t stick around to model for me but I did manage a few decent shots. I’ll post them when I have the necessary internet access.

After the heights of the small Yaak River Road we got to a larger road and am now camped at a National Forest Campground at the cost of $4.50 with our old fogies National Park Pass. Without the Pass it would be $9.00.

Tomorrow we will head to West Glacier, MT near the west entrance to Glacier National Park. There will be no traveling through Going to the Sun Road and Logan Pass for at least another month due to the heavy snows. That road normally opens up sometime in June, but this year it is looking like the beginning of July. I’ll report more on that later.

Troy, MT second night

Leaving the camper in the campground we took a drive to a nearby National Wildlife Refuge in Bonners Ferry, ID. Hiked to Myrtle Falls in the NWR then did the 4.5 mile wildlife drive. Earlier in the morning black bear and moose had be spotted but today was not the day for us. Still it was an enjoyable outing.  Next we decided, heck, Washington State is less than an hour away so let’s go there for lunch. We enjoyed our lunch in Newport, WA. Then  back to Sandpoint, ID to check out a bookstore and quilt shop. Later in the day we visited two more waterfalls, Yaak River Falls and Kootenai Falls which was massive.

May 22 – Made it to Troy, MT as we continued following Rt 200 almost across all of Montana. Not far from Idaho we left 200 and settled in Troy, MT for a couple of days. It was a short travel day, but then we took a drive on a few of the smaller roads and went around the block via Yaak, MT. Mind you around the block was about 100 miles. Found plenty of moose scat, but no moose. There are plenty of mention of the black and grizzly bears as well as elk and mountain lion. I was at the ready with my camera, but no wildlife opportunities came up. Tomorrow morning we plan to check out a National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho and see what happens. We are at the campground in Troy, MT for a second night tomorrow.

May 21 – After arriving at a campsite not far from Missoula it was a day to get things done. First laundry was done. The first time on our trip. It was an easy task since the necessary machines were at the campground not far from our site. Next into Missoula we went to get a few repair items including a propane hose for our grill and a few other items for our Airstream. The two things I managed to leave at home were a pair of bicycle riding shorts and my rain jacket. We got those. Next it was time for a late lunch and walk around Missoula. It’s a funky college town that appears to be doing extremely well. The river though the center of the city was rapidly flowing with the spring melt. We got to see a whitewater kayaker prepping to play in a few standing waves in the center of downtown

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Pronghorn

Female Sharp Tailed Grouse

Male Sharp Tailed Grouse

Several Bison in Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We found them in our campground and sometimes blocking the road. It was fun watching one scratch itself on a National Park information sign in a turn out.