Glacier National Park

Monday, July 9, and Tuesday July 10, 2012 (Days 234,235)

Cooling our jets lakeside

We left Shelby and traveled on highway 2 towards Glacier National Park. It turned out to be a hot, hot day…the high was 95 on our dashboard thermometer. We made one stop in Great Falls, and bought a screen house, because we knew we’d be staying for a while in one spot…and in a national park there are no hookups for air conditioning! We came in from the east, and ended up at Two Medicine campground. Just before we entered the park itself, a coyote ran across the road right in front of us.


A favorite camping meal

It was just too dang hot that afternoon to do much of anything, so we set up camp and crossed the road to the lake and put our chairs at the water’s edge with our feet in the cold water to cool off. Harris made a fabulous supper of steak and fried potatoes. We sat outside in our screen house until the thunderstorm drove us in. At least that cooled the air off! Harris beat Judy at cards..again….so what else is new?



Luckily, just a short storm

Tuesday morning we wanted to get going before the heat got too bad, so after a quick breakfast we rode our bikes down the road to a trailhead and started off on the Aster Park trail. It is a beautiful trail through the woods, and only gets hard the last .7 mile…long switchbacks up and up. Before we got to that point, the trail opened out a bit around some ponds, and we saw a moose wading through one. There was a deer at the edge momentarily, but she took off pretty quickly. The moose just kept wandering through the pond, eating and cooling off for quite a while. We finally left just so we could get back in the shade of the trees.


Bear grass

Our view from Two Medicine campground

Our 2nd camp site

The trail ended at a fantastic overlook, with views of mountains and Two Medicine Lake. We could see the campground at the very end of the lake, and could almost see Howie, but he was hidden in the trees. Because of some spur trails we took, we ended up hiking about 5 miles this morning. Good exercise!


Moose we saw on our hike

Thankfully the bike ride back to camp was mostly downhill. We decided to move Howie to another campsite because then we could use the generator to replenish the battery. We read our books outside in our screen house, rode our bikes around camp some more, talked to other campers, and had a lazy afternoon. The weather continues to be hot and beautiful, although it is a bit, just a bit cooler today!


Judy replenishing her neck cooler

The end of the hike!

Our farewell view as we left in the morning

Total miles driven today=75

Camping at Skidway Campground

Saturday, July 7, and Sunday July 8, 2012 (Days 232,233)


Our morning breakfast stop at Three Forks, MT

Candy and Rick like to get out of town whenever possible, so Saturday morning we hit the road, heading north. We stopped at Three Forks for a great breakfast , sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine. Then we backtracked just a bit to see the Missouri Headwaters State Park, where there were people playing in the water, deer jumping through the grass, and the remains of an old town called Gallatin City. Judy was intrigued by the sign that showed where buildings used to be located because there was an Akin house and barn….although she doesn’t know of any relatives that lived in Montana.


A mural of earlier times on a building

We headed north on highway 287, then east on 12 towards a forest service campground they had been to before called Skidway. It was a beautiful campground, and had only about 3 other occupied campsites. We were able to get a site that accommodated both Howie and Goldie, and Candy and Rick set up their new screen house so we could enjoy being outside and not be eaten up by the bugs. We were so impressed with this screen house that we later bought one for ourselves.


The English teacher in Judy

Candy, Rick and Harris went for a bike ride up the hill and onto a cross country ski trail. Candy and Rick kept Harris going by promising him it was just a “little further”…They arrived back at camp hot, sweaty and happy that they had made it!


The Missouri headwaters

Harris and Rick cooked a great dinner of chicken and brats, corn on the cob and carrots. Rick brought out a big tub of candy we quickly named “the evil”…almonds and cherries covered in dark chocolate…sinful indeed.


Kyle, Keith, and Tasha???

It had been a hot day, into the 90’s, and then a thunderstorm broke out. We started playing cards outside, but finally had to move into Howie to finish. Judy actually won one game (in spite of Candy’s delusions) of Chicago Rummy and Harris beat us all at hearts. The night was so beautiful..away from lights and noise..after the clouds cleared out the stars were spectacular.


It looks so easy...

Harris made us all a terrific breakfast of eggs and leftover brats. We took a walk down the road and up a hill that we think was someone’s long driveway, and packed up to leave. After the hot walk, Candy was hankering for a chocolate malt of all things, so we drove a bit more to White Sulphur Springs and actually found a café that served them!


The Akin barn

Then it was time to say goodbye to our good friends and thank them for their great hospitality. We headed north towards Glacier National Park, and they headed south towards their home. We are camping at a municipal park outside of Shelby that we found in spite of the very poor directions in our AAA book. It has some shade and electricity… a good thing since it was 95 again!


Harris feeling proud!

The view at the top of the bike ride

The "Happy Campers" Candy, Rick, Judy, and Harris

Total miles driven today=204

Checking out Bozeman, MT

Friday, July 6, 2012 (Days 230=231)

Juneau friends Sue and Dave at their Bozeman home

Thursday was a cloudy, cool, and drizzly day so it didn’t take much convincing to simply hang out around the Lubanski homestead. We decided to head out to Bozeman (all of ten miles away) Friday and drop in on some Juneau friends, the Zimmermans. Harris was Sue’s matron of honor in her wedding to Dave some 27 years ago. We caught up on kids, plans, and some friends. There was a house two doors down that the owner modeled on a Texeco gas station. It’s an attraction, but doesn’t do much for the home values in the area.


The Texeco House two doors down from Sue and Dave

Afterwards, we met Rick for lunch and he took us to the Museum of the Rockies where he volunteers. There are awesome dinosaurs displays, a Napoleon traveling exhibit, and a planetarium (where Harris took a little nap). Judy spent time exploring the dinosaurs while Harris spent his time at the Montana history section looking at the old cars, appliances and old time displays.


Museum of the Rockies has a ton of dinos

Candy and Rick were easily talked into taking a short 2 day camping trip in the general direction of Glacier National Park so the vans were packed on Friday. The weather was a perfect high 70’s with a slight breeze in the late afternoon so we ate pizza and drank some wine on the deck.



The old style gas pump was cool

Later Rick and Harris watched the Mariners on TV while Judy and Candy watched Doc Martin in the other room.


Howie's early predecessor

Total miles driven today=25

4th of July with Candy and Rick

Wednesday, July 4, 2012 (Day 229)

Rick and Candy showcasing Pisco Sour

While hearing about Peru from Candy and Rick, they told us about a drink they discovered called a Pisco Sour. It’s made from a white brandy from the Pisco region of Peru which is south of Lima. Since the liquor stores were closed today, we decided to try a variation with Christian Brothers brandy. Rick and Candy blended the ice, brandy, sugar, lemon juice, egg whites, and a touch of bitters. The first batch was deemed “acceptable—although different from the Peruvian version” as we watched the second half of the Peru Adventure photo show. It was interesting how the drink was deemed better and better as we continued to imbibe.


Long time watering hole, Stacie's Bar

After scoping out the possibilities we agreed to head to Big Sky to see the Seattle band called Freddy Pink. We stopped on the way at Stacie’s Bar for lunch. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but once inside the Montana décor is warm and inviting. We spent some time looking at the pictures and posters on the walls.


The classy interior

We had some extra time before the concert so we stopped at an open house just 9 miles from the ski hill and for a mere 1.6 million…


The water jumping bison of old poster

The weather at the concert lawn was perfect with temps in the low 80’s, sun on our backs and a few clouds to provide some extra cooling relief. The band started promptly at 7PM Montana time (7: 10 to the rest of the world) with a variety of music (Chicago to blues). We left after the first 90 min. set so we could play some cards and have another round of Pisco sours while listening to the fireworks on the front porch. In short, we had a great 4th.


Freddy Pink Seattle bank rocking out in Big Sky

Total miles driven today=0

Back through Yellowstone

Tuesday, July 3, 2012 (Day 228)

Rush hour at Yellowstone

We were heading for Belgrade today, and decided to go back through Yellowstone to do it. The west entrance pictured sure had lines to get in!


A herd was grazing away just inside the West entrance

We decided to get out at every available spot, just to get some more walking in. This first stop was at Terrace Springs. Our second was at Gibbon Falls. Unfortunately, other spots were so popular that we couldn’t find a parking spot, and so had to pass them up.

Great view looking out from Terrace Basin

We did see elk again today…and just missed a bear sighting. (By the time we made it through the traffic jam, the bear was gone.)

Gibbon Falls was going full strength

We stopped at a shady picnic spot and enjoyed the peace and quiet and beautiful forest smells.

A magnificent elk

Our last stop was at Mammoth Hot Springs. Harris took this picture of a family all huddled together in the shade. It was hot, but at least the wind was blowing, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable as we walked around the various boardwalks. (Judy had to take off her hat before it blew off…at one spot we counted 10 hats laying on the ground where you couldn’t retrieve them.)


Our shady lunch spot w/o crowds

We left Yellowstone via the North Entrance on highway 89. Three miles before Livingston there was a terrible accident in front of us, so everyone had to pull over and wait for all the authorities to come and do their thing. It was a sobering reminder to always pay attention on the road.

Scooping out the shady spots

We then drove on to Belgrade, and Candy and Rick’s house. How good are these friends? They just returned yesterday from a trip to Peru, and here we are staying at their wonderful home. Rick had a chicken on the barbeque, and served us a delicious dinner when Candy came home from work. We looked at some of their pictures from their trip before hitting the sack, and will look at more tomorrow.

Mammoth hot springs (water flow has fallen)

We were 5 cars behind (and 2 mins after it happened

Total miles driven today=150

Beartooth Highway

Monday, July 2, 2012 (Day 227)

We started the day in Red Lodge, Mt, and ended up outside of West Yellowstone. Oh, what a glorious day it has been between these two points!

One of the many glorious vistas on the Beartooth Hwy

Helen and Joe led the way from Red Lodge over the Beartooth Pass to Cooke City. This is a gorgeous road that goes climbs to 10,947 feet before it starts down again. It is curvy and windy and utterly breathtaking. We saw marmots, mountain goats, beautiful wildflowers and snow at the top. In fact, we were surprised to see a small ski lift at the top, and people hiking to the snow fields with their skiis!
We felt we were at the top of the world.



The four of us near the top

The road descends into Wyoming for a few miles, then winds back into Montana just long enough to claim Cooke City. When we crossed into Wyoming, we first saw road signs that said, “This is grizzly bear country.” Ok. Then just a mile or 2 later we saw road signs that said, “Open range, watch for cattle”. Hmmm. We didn’t see either one, but it did seem to be an odd combination!



Marmot checking us out

Mountain goats near the ski lift on the BT hwy

Beartooth Peak

Cooke City is an interesting tourist town full of motels, shops, outfitters and a great general store that is on the national historic registry. We bought sausage and cheese for a picnic lunch, and enjoyed walking around seeing all the old time scales, cash register, spice bins and such inside.


100+ year old general store at Cooke City

When we left Cooke City, we agreed we’d stop at the first good picnic spot inside Yellowstone for our picnic lunch. Well. This is July. The weather is glorious. And the park is a bit crowded! The first 4 spots were jam packed, so we kept driving until we found a pull out with a rock wall we could sit on and enjoy the view. We shared our sausage, cheese and crackers with Helen and Joe, and they shared their blueberries, chips and oranges with us. As long as we’ve known Helen (about 36 years now), she’s loved picnics. We used to picnic with them in Juneau..even in the snow! So these sunshine picnics are especially treasured.


Not more than a few miles into the park and...

We entered Yellowstone via the northeast entrance, drove past Tower Falls to Canyon Village and then around the north shore of Yellowstone Lake to Old Faithful before exiting through Madison Junction and the West entrance. Along the way, we saw buffalo (of course), elk, and were lucky enough to see a mother black bear and her 2 cubs. We stopped for ice cream at Old Faithful just after it had erupted, so waited about an hour for the next show. No hardship to eat ice cream on a hot day with good friends! Just before Old Faithful erupted, Beehive geyser went up, so we really got a show.


Mom and 2 cubs (although you'll have to take our word)

The weather was perfect all day. Yellowstone is so vast, even driving all day just barely scratches the surface of things to see and do here. We may go back tomorrow to see a bit more.


The mini Grand Canyon

We stopped in the town of West Yellowstone long enough to see where Helen and Joe’s motel was, then drove 3 miles further north to a national forest campground called Baker’s Hole, along the Madison River. We have plug ins here so were able to turn on the air conditioning for a while. Harris cooked a steak for dinner, we visited some more with the Donahues, then said goodbye. They’re on their way tomorrow to see relatives, and we’re heading for Belgrade. We’re sooooo glad they suggested this route!


Elk in Paradise

And of course...Old Faithful

Total miles driven today=210

Red Lodge, MT

Sunday, July 1, 2012 (Day 226)

We awoke from another restful night behind the Froid baseball field around 6AM. After breakfast we were on the road by 7 thinking that we will have circumnavigated all of Montana by the time we’re finished. The temperature kept climbing and topped 97 degrees by the time we stopped for lunch by the Yellowstone River. Even the wind was hot! As we drove south towards Billings, we saw haze from fires, although that’s the only sign we saw.

Stopping for lunch at a rest stop on the way to Billings

We arrived in Red Lodge around 4, and found our good friends Joe and Helen Donahue at their motel, the Lupine Inn. Harris talked to the manager/owners and got permission to plug into the parking lot outlet, so we’re spending the night here. We took a walk up and down Main Street, looking at the many stores but not buying much. (Except delicious ice cream cones, thanks to Joe). But it was just too hot to do much, so back to the air conditioned motel room, drinks and talk and talk and talk. We decided to have a pizza delivered so we wouldn’t have to go anywhere at all..it was delicious.


The Free ride around downtown Red Lodge

After dinner we saw a sign advertising free horse and wagon rides through town. They pick you up at the motel and meander up and down Main Street. By this time the temperatures had dropped to a balmy 77, so it was a most enjoyable ride. The driver told us the horses were Norwegian Fjord horses ….a breed from Norway that has only been in this country for about 50 years. They are a beautiful color.


One of the many sights we saw on the ride

We took a quick dip in the Jacuzzi before bed, although it was really too hot to stay in for long. Tomorrow we’re heading to Yellowstone!


Harris, Judy, Joe, and Helen

Total miles driven today=380