Missoula

We went through Missoula on the way back, which was out of the way, but someplace we were very curious about.

The forest fires to the south were bringing a big cloud of very dark smoke up from the south west, but it was clear overhead and to the north east. The sun looked just like it does in this picture (low in the sky and close to the horizon) at 3 hours before the sunset. This picture was taken 2 hours later, closer to the Idaho border.

We talked to a guy in Missoula that said he was 44 and had grown up there and lived there all his life. When asked if the temperature was a record, he said that last summer was a record, reaching around 110° for a week, but this was the hottest it had gotten that summer. He said that the fires had become a fact of life, and that the smoke was so bad sometimes that you couldn't exert yourself outside because it was too thick. He mentioned that it used to get very cold for a long time in the winter, with deep snow, but nowadays, it sometimes was 60° and balmy in the middle of the winter. He said they liked to go down and hang out in the river to cool out.

The town had a cool college town vibe and was pretty, but the bluffs around town had no trees on them and were golden and dormant from lack of rain.

It probably falls under the "good place to visit" category.

Park Cafe

One major complaint about Glacier National Park: the food was horrible.

On our last day, still held hostage to the fact that there was nothing anywhere near, trapped in the town of Saint Mary at lunch time (where the local gas station was busily gouging customers at $4.60 per gallon for gas), we tried something else.

The Park Cafe looked cool, with all the wildflowers around it. It was staffed with cool people, all women with a neo-60's post-hippie hippie girl groove. It had great pie. But the meal was only average, which made it gourmet in comparison with anything else within a two hours drive.

Welcome to Canada

That flagpole behind Andrea does have a Canadian flag on it. Andrea had never been in Canada before, so we took an extra half hour to go pass through the customs stop and cross the border. We almost purchased some fine china with Queen Elizabeth on it, but we were barely able to resist it.

The area along Highway 89 north of Babb Montana up to the Canadian border was a rolling plain without irrigation, with tons of fields that had been cut and bailed for the cattle. It was golden colored, showing that there had not been much rain. Completely different from the ecosystem in Glacier Park.

Saint Mary Falls

This was supposed to be the last hike on our last day. It was still so hot and we were too tired to do any long hikes. We had heard that this little falls was beautiful and worth the "short" walk back, but it was enough for us to call it quits for the day. The final Glacier Park event, and a good note to end on.

Continental Divide

This is another example of the kindness of strangers for getting a picture. This great big gentle bear of a man offered to take our picture at Logan Pass.

Apgar Village Cabin Tour

This is the cabin we stayed at in Apgar Village.

Our Cabin, Our Car

Here's cabin 46 at Apgar Village and the car we rented from Spokane. The car had satellite radio, but the reception cut out in the park and on the drive back many times because the mountains would block the signal. You would think that satellites would beam right down from overhead and not be bothered by the mountains.

The cabin was small and cute.

The car was a Hyundai Sonata, which got two thumbs up from us. It was easy on the wallet in the gas comsumption, quiet and comfortable, and just fine for what we were doing, since jeep trails were not part of the plan.

Evening Drive

One evening we took the Camas Road from Apgar up to the Flathead River at the Camas Creek Entrance. We tried to spot some bears. We were not successful.

However, we got to see the sun set across the Flathead River and the full moon rise over the Glacier Park range, so it was a beautiful drive.

Grizzly Sighting

This was our only grizzly sighting. I'm not counting the pair at Swiftcurrent Lake because I couldn't get my binoculars out fast enough to see the bears and see if they were grizzlies or brown bears. We were in a parking lot, where a crowd was gathered around a Park Ranger with a spotting scope on a tripod. This bear was over a mile away, grazing on something (probably berries) in the tall grass.

I was really hoping to have one leaning over the hood of our car roaring into the windshield, but you take what you get.

Just a Little Hike in the Woods

This is the Swiftcurrent Lake, with a prominence at the end of the ridge, which looks like a mountain in its own right.

We originally planned to hike back to Grinnell Lake and maybe see Grinnell Glacier after taking the ferry across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. It was hot and we were worn out, and frankly, the thought of running into a bear was higher here than anywhere else. While waiting for the boat, we saw a pair walking along Swiftcurrent Lake along a hiker's path. When we got off the boat at Lake Josephine, we started off on the trail and ran smack dab into the two most paranoid older women hikers we could have possibly found. "There's bears everywhere!" one of them said. "Did you see any?" I asked. No, they did not.

However, even the rangers had explained to us that seeing a bear would be most likely in this area (as well as Moose and Mountain Lion). We were hoping, right up to that point, to see a bear. But we hoped to see a bear from inside of a car, not from 10 feet away in the woods. Suddenly, it seemed all too real. Andrea said, "I've got a bad feeling about this." While I tried not to act too freaked out and didn't admit that I was a little scared, it did seem like the kind of place we'd run into a bear. Rather than going back to the boat dock and waiting for the ferry to return in an hour and a half, we walked back around Lake Josephine, which was about a 2 or 2½ mile hike (right through that same bear country).

I'm not sure whether this is an illustration of adventure, excitement, poor judgment, or some weird blend of the three.

Many Glacier Lodge

This is the Many Glacier Lodge. We took the boat trip on Swiftcurrent Lake and shot this picture from out on the lake.

They told a whole story about how old the lodge was, who built it, who used to visit it, and the time it almost burned down. They mentioned that the snow drifts up to the roof in the winter. Yeah, that's 5 to 6 story drifts.

Tourist Shot

This is Goose Island on the day of the mirror-like Saint Mary Lake.

There is a new unspoken code between tourists nowadays in the era of digital cameras. In the old days, SLR (single lens reflex) cameras were for people with a like of gadgets with lots of buttons and knobs. You had to focus and adjust the aperture or speed. Even with the old point and clicks, each camera was different.

Now, most digital cameras not only adjust the light and exposure, but provide autofocus. Even a child can use them. So when you get to a pretty spot, where there are usually couples standing around admiring the view, it's not uncommon for strangers to offer to take your picture, or to have people ask you to take their picture together. No one thinks anything of handing a $200 or $300 camera over to a stranger and expecting them to do a good job taking their picture. I usually take 3 or 4 if I get someone's camera in my hands. Why not? It costs the same as one, and then they have a choice. I do, however, resist the urge to imitate Austin Powers and tell them to "work it" or "make love to the camera, baby." Not everyone is up on their movie lines.

Mirror Lake

This is Saint Mary Lake the next day when we pulled over to the west of goose island and looked south over the guard wall. There must have been absolutely no wind. This lake is probably more than a mile across at this point, and the boat probably has 20 people in it, yet the surface is just like a mirror. It was magical.

Ice Bridge

This little stream was undercutting the snow accumulated in the ravine next to the road. It was very hot when we drove by. The water was putting up a cold mist and the wind down the ravine blew across the snow before hitting you on the road.

This place was like a giant outside air conditioning unit blasting away at you.

It was wonderful.

Goose Island

This little island in Saint Mary Lake is sort of the icon of Glacier National Park. You'll see many pictures of it, if you haven't noticed it already.

Glacier Park Roads

This is what the road going east from Logan Pass in Glacier Park on the Going to the Sun Highway. The east leg of the road is shorter and not near as steep, but there are still steep drop offs and a tunnel on this leg. Note the stone guard wall, which is comforting when you are on the passenger side, looking right down the side of the cliff.

Baby Goat

This pair, mother and baby, were right above the Logan Pass Visitor's Center. Even the babies were fearless of people, and the mother didn't seem to be too overprotective.

Tourist Paparazzi

This is a good illustration of how close you can get to the Mountain Goats.

For the goat, it's probably like being a movie star and the tourists look like paparazzi. I'll bet you didn't think Britney Spears had much in common with a Mountain Goat. Or maybe you did.

Hey Buddy

This is how close you can get to the Mountain Goats.

Andrea thinks they are cute and they look like they are smiling.

Hidden Lake

This is Hidden Lake, which is in front of Sperry Glacier. There are little islands in the lake and lots of nice pines going right up to the water's edge. We looked down on the pristine lake on a hot summer day, and it looked inviting, like some place you'd like to swim in.

I'm sure in the winter it's buried in snow and a very cold and uninviting place to be.

Sperry Glacier

Here's what a glacier in Glacier National Park looks like.

We've been wanting to go to Glacier National Park sooner rather than later because we heard the glaciers were going away. This is true, apparently. This is a trend that has been going on for a while. Glacier National Park is a hold out from the last ice age to a certain extent, but it's also just a place where snow accumulates and glaciers can grow. While global warming is not the only cause for receding glaciers, many believe it is accelerating the trend.

There were 150 glaciers in the park area in 1850 and now there are 26. Experts believe they will all be gone in the next 20 years or so. The park was established in 1910, but it doesn't say how many glaciers were there when the park first opened. See: http://www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/glaciers.htm

Chillin' Out

There were lots of Mountain Goats on the trail up to Hidden Lake/Sperry Glacier. They were very tame, walking within a couple of feet of people with very little fear or concern.

It was also very hot this day, probably close to 95° when this picture was taken. It's pretty clear that the Mountain Goat likes cooler temperatures. They were all panting in the heat and loved to lie down on the snow, where they looked really cool.

Logan Pass

This is the Visitor's Center at Logan Pass, which my GPS said was at 6660 feet. Not being superstitious, I was free to enjoy the pass.

We took the hiking trail over to the Hidden Lake overlook, which is also the viewpoint for Sperry Glacier.

There are no bathrooms on the path.

The Garden Wall

This is the view of the tall thin Garden Wall formation, from almost edge on. The vantage point is just above Logan's pass. There is a really cool hiking path that starts at the pass and goes around the base of this formation. You can hook around the end of it and see Grinnell Glacier from above before continuing on to Granite Park Chalet.

Hungry Woodland Creature

These little squirrels came out at one place where people were pulled over to look at a waterfall. They were so tame that I put my camera on close up and was holding it about 4 inches away from the squirrel trying to catch a picture when they were not moving. I believe they thought I was trying to feed them cheese-its, which someone else was being very generous with.

There was another tourist there that kept calling it a rock squirrel, or something. Usually, when you pull over in the mountains, chipmunks are the little beggars that come out for snacks. In the interest of accuracy in my blog, I looked up the list of mammals found in Glacier National Park at http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/resources/mammalcheck.htm. I believe this is a Richardson ground squirrel. But it's also a hungry little tourist beggar, cheese-it loving, photogenic rodent.

Glacier Carved Peaks

The mountains in Glacier National Park remind me a little of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. The peaks only go up to 8000 to 9000 feet, but the come off of a plain that is only around 2000 feet, so in less than a mile, you go up a mile. This makes the mountains look sharp and steep. They say that this is because they are carved out by glaciers. There is a ridge in the middle of the park that is called the Garden Wall, and it comes to an edge so sharp that it looks like a knife's edge.

Wet Valleys

The little waterfalls throughout Glacier National Park are bursting with life in mid-August. We saw some areas that were lush with wildflowers, like the ones next to this waterfall next to the Going-to-the-Sun Highway.

Construction Delays

When you have to do construction on a highway that is basically a cliff, everything is tricky.

An article in the paper was talking about the fact that the Going to the Sun Highway had not been maintained very well for years. They were rebuilding the stone barrier road that acted as a guardrail and the protection from plummetting to a nasty death on the rocks below.

Andrea asked how they know that the road is stable and won't break off in some places. My answer to that is either 1) when huge cracks form in the road or 2) when some portion of the road falls off. Just hope you aren't driving on it when it falls. That would be very bad luck.

Heavens Peak

Heavens Peak was the first pretty peak we saw when driving up the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park. It doesn't have a glacier on it, but it does have big slabs of ice or snow sliding off of it.

Boat Dock

Here is a place on Lake McDonald where they pull the boats up on the dock. I'm not sure how they managed it, or why. It was still very hot. I can see trying to keep them out of the water in the winter to make sure they don't get crushed in the ice, but it was almost 100° this day.

Lake McDonald

While we were at Glacier National Park, the were having almost record setting heat. This was on August 15th, and we were hoping to get relief from the heat in Kansas City while up in the mountains. While this is generally a good bet, this time, it was 80° in Kansas City and almost 100° during our long weekend in the mountains. These people were swimming even though the sun was almost down. This is a mountain lake, which you would expect to be very cold, during the cooler part of the day, but I think they were quite comfortable.

The mountains in this view have a portion of the Going to the Sun Highway and the Garden Wall. These are both prominent features of the park that are visible from Apgar Village.

Apgar Cabin Dogs

The people running the cabins at Apgar Village have a couple of nice dogs in their apartment. They look like they want to come out and help greet the new arrivals. I wonder if they loan them out for hikes in the park?

Bear Country

We knew that Glacier National Park had a reputation for having lots of bears. When we stopped to pay our park entrance fee, the Ranger loved Andrea’s debit card. The Bank of the West uses a Grizzley as its mascot/icon, which is on the card.

When Eagles Attack

The Mule Shoe Ranch outside of Hungry Horse Montana was near the west entrance to Glacier National Park. The Eagles are not really that big.

The Boot Spur Honky Tonk

Our trip to Glacier National Park this September started in Spokane Washington and went past Flathead Reservoir. There were almost no services, stores, or even houses for many miles. This was the first bathroom stop possibility and it was long overdue. The lazy weekday afternoon attracted a smattering of not very productive looking people, staring over their beers at the Olymics in China. It was not our favorite place on the trip, but the big spur made of horseshoes and CDs was really cool. The rowel wheel actually spun on its axis like a little windmill, flashing in the sun. When we left, a car pulled up and a couple of guys got out. They were speculating whether is was a gay bar because of the rooftop sculpture. Maybe Disco Cowboy, but that’s not necessarily gay.

Life Savers

When I was a kid there were different flavors for Life Savers. Wrigley’s bought them out a while back and had a contest to decide the new flavors. So what is now Watermelon, Pineapple, Cherry, Raspberry, and Orange used to be Grape, Wild Cherry, Orange, Lemon, and Green (I can’t remember whether it was apple or lime or what).

Motorcycle Crop

I don’t know if the owner of this Harley understands that you can’t plant a motorcycle and expect it to grow. It was clear that the guy messed up and ended up in the ditch and then could not get the bike out. Notice the mushrooms in the background. It’s the remnant of a fairy ring that used to grow a 20 foot ring of foot wide mushrooms.

Home Grown Cat

I don’t know why Bullseye likes this flower pot that we did not grow anything in, but it’s always fun to see him sitting in his favorite pot.

Fall in July

I’m not sure why the sumac along I-70 between Lawrence and Kansas City would be turning colors on July 31st. If they are changing into fall colors, it’s the earliest fall I’ve ever seen. I was wondering if the highway department had sprayed some kind of weed killer or maybe even some fertilizer or soil stabilizer that caused the foilage to turn early.

Dewy Web

I’m sure the spider did not intend to catch only moisture when he wove his web. But the beads of water highlighted the web perfectly.

Sailboat Cove

Going back to before the Colorado Vacation, this picture is from the training grounds for the climb.

This is Lake Jacomo’s Sailboat cove. I took the camera along when I jogged the hilly road around Jacomo one foggy morning. The still morning air made for a good reflection on the lake.

Ghost Jerry

Another photograph dredged up from 1984. I got my first camera the summer before and was experimenting with double exposures. This picture is at Tuttle Creek Reservoir north of K-State in the winter. I think it’s on the hill above The Rocks, a place we would hang out in the summer. Jerry and I went out and ran around on the frozen lake. The ice was around 8” thick and we went way out from the shore without any hint that the ice was not thick enough to hold us. After 24 years, I’m not sure the winters get cold enough to freeze the lake that thick any more.

Photo scanned in from 1985 scrapbook

Uncle Jim and Pete

This picture is from Easter of 1984. The Lonkers used to have this dog named Pete. I always thought he looked like a little coyote. I remember that Pete was a good mouser and loved to ride around on the truck. He was a real popular dog with all of us. Obviously, Uncle Jim and Pete were very good friends.

Photo scanned in from 1985 scrapbook

Leisurely Reading at Ox Yoke

Here's an old pic of Uncle Jim, reading a Louis Lamore novel on the steps of the cabin at Ox Yoke back in 1985. We went back to the cabins, which have been sold off individually to people for them to live in, rather than rent. I tried to figure out which cabin the picture was taken of, but I couldn't tell.

Photo scanned in from 1985 scrapbook

No Jeeps Beyond This Point

In dredging through the memories to get ready for this year’s Colorado trip, I found this picture from 1984. Dale is driving and Jim is behind him. We went up to a lake about a mile beyond this sign and fished in a lake with an old log cabin next to it.

Bobbie tells me that the person next to Jim is John H. Marks, a guy from Dallas that they hung out with while in Lake City.