Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

On the road again: Try again, Glacier National Park & Hungry Horse Dam

I admit it, I am tenacious. I don’t give up easily. I mentioned in my last post that we went back into the Park to find Polebridge and Bowman Lake but the road was closed because of fire. So instead, we took a path near Lake McDonald. It was smokey, but not that bad.

After, we stopped in West Glacier and found the Canadian Visitor’s Center. We were going into Canada the next day to visit Waterton Lake National Park and needed to know the best route to take. The gal was very helpful, and, loaded with maps, directions and confidence, we left.

On the way home (the trailer), we decided to drive up to the Hungry Horse Dam and Hungry Horse Lake. It was a worthy trip. There are so many lakes in this area, and they are beautiful. While there, we met a family from Kansas doing a whirlwind road trip. After they left, I realized how lucky we are to be living on the West Coast. In Sacramento, we are 2 hours away from mountain life and beaches. We enjoy visiting several lakes and are surrounded by rivers.

Back to GNP and surrounding area. This trip would be perfect if it wasn’t for the smoke and the haze it creates. When you see the clouds emerging from the dissipating smoke, you realize what a beautiful sky it is. However this trip, we’re not seeing it. I’m hoping that for at least one day, it will clear. I don’t give up!

From the Lake McDonald shore.
Another shoreline view. I’m getting pretty good at using the dehaze slider in Lightroom.
The sun is peaking through the clouds and haze.
Last on of Lake McDonald.
Along the path.
A sunlit creek.
Colorful West Glacier.
This part of West Glacier is right outside the Park entrance.
This little village is quaint.
Hungry Horse Dam.
Hungry Horse Lake and reservoir.
The Dam.
Another lake view.
The Hungry Horse River. Not too much water is being let out to the river.
South Lion Lake. Just outside of the Hungry Horse Dam area.
Another view of So. Lion Lake.
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

On the road again: Inside/out, Glacier National Park, Montana

Well, we tried. We wanted to get to Polebridge on the west side of Glacier National Park (GNP). We followed the signs within the park, and then we were out of the park. We like to take the challenge of going off the plan and drove on. The map said that if we drove 37 more miles we would get to Canada; Polebridge was before that. Easy? No.

A sign told us that the dirt road we were about to go on was going through private property, meaning—no trespassing. That’s okay. We passed farms and rural scenery, but no livestock. Do people live here all year round? We asked a gal who lives in White Fish, she said that a lot of them only summer here. So, now I’m curious as to why so much property for living around GNP for 3 to 4 months a year!

We did take the road that was supposed to take us back into GNP at Polebridge. After enjoying a delicious cookie at a gift shop, eatery and bakery, we embarked on the dirt road, but it soon turned into the road from hell. We turned back!

That was a couple days ago. I double checked the map and saw where we made our mistake. So today, we took off to find Polebridge and Bowman Lake on the west side of  GNP. We didn’t make it. A fire had forced the rangers to close the road and campground.

After dinner we went into White Fish to experience an evening Farmer’s Market. We did buy some chocolate huckleberry jam–delicious.

I’m not going to tell you what we did next; that will be in a post a few days from now. We just keep trying! Never give up!!

Taken within the Park, this is a fen, not a meadow. A fen is a a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land.
This is a meadow.
This devastation may have been the result of a fire that occurred in 2015.
We’re outside the park now. This guy just looked at me.
He wasn’t afraid and eventually went back to grazing.
We stopped for lunch.
These horse shoes were nailed into the steps.
Someone has a sense of humor.
One of the cabins we passed.
A close view. The feature photo is another we passed.
They sell delicious cookies here. But, I couldn’t tell you how to get there. You ave to get lost first!
Now in White Fish. We went to an evening Farmer’s Market. This band was playing.
These children were dancing to the music.
This little cutie kept dancing alone.
These windows (there were 4) were beautiful mosaics.
An up close view.
A dad and daughter at the train depot.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

On the road again: More from the twisty Going To The Sun Road, Glacier National Park

I’ve been in a lot of National Parks throughout the USA. In fact, that’s how we typically plan our vacation–which park do we want to visit and what’s around there. Glacier NP was on the list when we went across country in 2013, but for medical reasons, we didn’t make it.

Now we’re here, 4 years later. And, now I understand what the Ranger meant the first day when she kept mentioning the Going To The Sun Road. There really aren’t many other paved roads! Most other NPs have a bunch of paved roads that can get you around. I’m not complaining, the road is beautiful and can take a whole day to drive. However, we’re trying to figure out how to get to the Canadian Waterton National Park.

In the meantime, I do have another set from our drive on the Going To The Sun Road. No more grumbling. I’m sure we’ll come up with a solution and find some more roads.

When these were taken, the skies were relatively clear and cloudy. Tuesday, August 8, there were four fires in the Park. We were surrounded by haze as we wandered in and out of the park. You’ll see the fire effects in my next post.

Honestly, I’m not sure where on the road this was.
Another i’m not sure of.
This was a drive by.
The Weeping Wall. The darker areas are flowing water. There was no place to pull off nearer.
A waterfall at Big Bend.
There was still some snow.
And still some wildflowers.
More wildflowers
Scenes like this are abundant. Mountains and valleys and small rivers.
Packed snow.
A closer look.
Another water fall.
St. Mary’s Lake at the East Side of the Park.
More from St. Mary’s Lake.
It was beautiful
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

On the road again: On the Going To The Sun Road, GNP

We had three options when deciding how to discover what we could along the Going To The Sun Road (GTTS) in Glacier National Park (GNP). We chose to drive it ourselves and not take the free Park shuttle (which really didn’t stop at places we wanted it to) or the pricey Red Bus. It’s been my experience that when on tours, the photographer may want to take a slightly longer time to get the shot, so……..

It took us at least four hours to get across the 50 mile road through the Park. Yes, a lot of it was spent shooting. Richard even pulled out his cell phone to take some pictures. I’d lie if I said it was an easy drive. It was for me, the passenger, but not for Richard. Once we got to the east end of the Park, Richard was exhausted. An ice cream sandwich later, Richard felt better. We decided to go back to the RV park in Columbia Falls by going outside the park. A little over 2 hours later, we were back to the trailer–both tired.

It was worth it. The scenery was beautiful. Our National Parks are amazing and we need to do everything possible to protect them.

Because of our age and physical capabilities, I knew we’d do two days in the park and rest another, and things are happening that way. Today, I’ve been editing, walking and editing. Here’s the first installment of images. I’ll try to keep up by editing while Richard naps and on our days off.

Tomorrow we go into the park to discover what other options we have other than the GTTS Road.

At Lake McDonald.
People waiting for the boat tour.
Bored? Skip some rocks.
Inside the McDonald Lodge.
The ceiling at the Lodge.
This was a stop along the road.
It was difficult to capture what we saw.
From the amazing rocks.
To the rushing water.
The last of this series.
Back on the road.
Shot through the truck’s front window.
A drive by.
A small tunnel. We thought it was amazing and difficult it must have been to build this road.
It was difficult to identify the names of places. I was working with the RTTS map and sometimes signage. Heavens Peak.
At one stop Richard spotted these deer. They weren’t too close.
My 18 – 140 mm did as well as it could. When editing I saw that these two were bucks!
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 3 Comments

On the road again: First glimpse GNP

Excitement churned inside me. This was to be our first time in Glacier National Park, located in Montana , but as we approached traffic was backed up 1/4 mile before we could show our senior pass and get in. I thought, not another Yosemite! I have seen many traffic jams in Yosemite Valley.

All we knew was that we needed to go on the Going To The Sun road that stretches across the park. Because we arrived late, we wanted to do something else for our introduction to the Park. Our friendly Park ranger kept telling us to either ride the tram or drive on the Going To The Sun road (GTTS). “You’ll see everything,” she said.

“But what about this area?” I asked, pointing on the map. She mumbled something about the GTTS road. I knew that conversation was hopeless. So we took our maps and literature back to the car. We mapped out a plan while we ate our lunch.

Since there was a 2 1/2 hour wait to get on the shuttle, we decided to walk to Lake McDonald and do the loop along  McDonald Creek. Well, we didn’t get on the right trail, but we weren’t alone. Two other couples were walking the wrong trail. It was pretty and moseyed along the creek.

We wanted to build up our walking/hiking legs slowly after sitting in the truck for four days. And this walk was the perfect distance. Tomorrow, we’ll get there early, hop on the tram, go all the way across the Park, and decide where to get off on the way back. I’m also thinking that if we wait until Monday, there may be less people.

We’ll decide tomorrow. At least for today we got our first glimpse of GNP.

Beautiful ferns along the trail.
Wildflowers
McDonald Lake.
The path along McDonald Creek.
McDonald Creek.
Some sort of bee?
Having fun on the creek.
More creek shoreline.
Another wildflower.
And another.
The ice cream cone was almost as big as their faces. No, they did not finish. Shot with permission.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

We have arrived: Columbia Falls, Montana

Oh, we are the weary travelers. If we visit Glacier National Park again, we’ll be flying in and renting a vehicle! In our youth, driving almost 200 miles of twisty mountain roads would have been easy. But, now, almost 20 years more than the senior entry of 55 years, it’s more difficult. We arrived in Columbia Falls yesterday afternoon to our RV park for the next two weeks. We’re taking a lazy day today and will go into the the park tomorrow.

While on the road, I shot some more images from the truck window. I took these during our drive to Kooskia, ID. In spite of the highway, Idaho is a beautiful state. There are also 3 from the campground we stayed at. The new owners are updating it, but it’s great to be self-contained!

Somewhere along Highway 95.
You have to catch it just right when the truck is going around a curve.
At our campground.
Two swans a swimming.
The current bathroom facilities.

Yesterday, there was more of twisty Highway 95. We got an early start so our truck (a senior also) wouldn’t a difficult time pulling the trailer up the mountain. And, to my non-surprise, I was able to get some golden light drive-by shots. Once we got into Montana, the road was less twisty and the land became more flat. It took us a while to drive around the large Flat Head Lake. Smoke from fires hid the mountains. Just like California, Montana is on fire. When we checked into our RV park, the gal said they are praying for rain to put out the fires and reduce the smoke. Our hope is that when we get into the park, we have visibility.

I think this is the Snake River.
It also has a lot of rapids.
It’s shallow in many places.
Montana!
Fire devastation.

 

And finally, while I’m doing this blog, Richard has been practicing with my camera and telescope as a lens, getting sun shots. The black dot, bottom left, is a sun flare. I’m hoping to get some good eclipse shots.

DSC_0039

That’s all for now, these weary travelers are taking the rest of the day off!