Friday, August 30
Drove “Going to the Sun Road”, through Glacier National Park. This road was originally built in the 1930s and was a amazing engineering feat. It was a cloudy and rainy morning. Visited McDonald Lake Lodge on the west side of the park and ate at a restaurant in West Glacier, before we headed back over the road, heading back to the east side of the park. It had cleared considerably and we finally saw some sunshine on the way back to our campground. Attended the ranger program on the early visitors to the park. Most of the large lodges in the national parks were built by the railroad companies in an attempt to draw visitors to the area and increase their passenger revenue. Only the rich were able to visit parks in the early days.
Tour car
Saturday, August 31
Drove up to Many Glacier just north of the East Glacier entrance where we were camped. We toured Many Glacier Lodge and then did a five mile hike around two lakes, Swiftcurrent and Josephine. Saw a black bear in the distance. Attended the ranger program that evening on 'renewing your spirit in nature'.
Hiking
Sunday, Sept. 1
Hiked a couple of miles to Sun Point, where a lodge once was, but it was abandoned and fell into disrepair during World War II and it was eventualy bull dozed and pushed onto the ice and burnt, probably in the earl 50s. Sun Point did provide a beautiful vista of the mountains. Tried to go to Logan Pass but the crowds were too large and couldn't find a parking spot - Labor Day crowds. We ended up at a historic ranger station and Carol stayed in the truck while I hiked the Beaver Pond Loop, about 3 miles. Campfire and chili dogs that night. Saw a Great Horned Owl in camp.
Monday, Sept. 2 - Labor Day
Broke camp and hitched up and headed to a small restaurant just outside the park. Headed south toward Yellowstone. Knew we couldn't make it all the way so decided to stay at the Headwaters of the Missouri River State Park near Three Forks, Montana. Carol called her dad and wished him a happy 91st birthday. We hadn't had phone service for the last four days. Headwaters is the area where three rivers, the Jefferson, the Madison, and the Gallatin rivers come together. Lewis and Clark named the river for President Jefferson, Sec. of State Madison, and Treasurer Gallatin. Nice evening around 75 degrees and no bugs. Had corn on the cob, brussel sprouts, that we picked up at a roadside stand and grilled chicken.
Map of the headwaters
Tuesday, Sept. 3
Walked some trails at the campground and then drove into Three Forks, MT to see what it was like. Came back and hitched up the camper and headed on to Yellowstone. We drove through Bozeman and Livingston. Stopped at a junk store (Bozeman) and a thrift store (Livingston). Bought a couple of iron stands at the junk store and a wall rack for magazines for the camper at the thrift store. Found a nice campsite at the Indian Creek campground just south of Mamouth Hot Springs. Nice campground (no generators). The weather was nice again, about 75 degrees and sunny.
Cabin at Mamouth Hot Springs
Wednesday, Sept. 4
Explored the north part of Yellowstone. Drove a dirt road (Old Gardner Road). Only saw one car on this drive (6 miles). Saw a badger pop out of his hole and a bunch of buffalo in Lamar Valley.
Thursday, Sept. 5
North loop of Yellowstone:
Saw:
Sandhill crane
Mule deer
Buffalo
Roaring Mountain
Obsidian Cliff
Oldest exhibit shelter in park system built in 1931
Norris Geysers
Yellowstone Falls
Osprey nest on the rock outcropping at the falls
Elk - cow and 2 calves
Buffalo in the road
Friday, Sept. 6
Moved the camper from Indian Creek campground to Grant Village to be closer to the south part of the park. Also had showers and phone service here. We took a 5 mile hike to Riddle Lake, went over the continental divide, rained on us most of the time.
Saturday, Sept. 7
Took a tour of Old Faithful Inn. It was obviously at one time a place for the rich and famous. Watched Old Faithful spout from the outside second story open balcony. Toured several geysers between Madison and Old Faithful. Stopped at Kepler Cascade. Ate lunch on a log beside the Firehole River and watched an osprey fish. Saw a nice bull elk on the way to the ranger program this evening and we neither one had our cameras with us.
Sunday, Sept. 8
We headed to Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton NP this morning and then went into Jackson. There was a 'Taste of Jackson Hole' festival going on and we bought some tickets so we could try some of the foods from various restaurants in the Jackson area. We walked around town and I had to stop and have a beer at the Million Dollar Bar. The Trapper Motel where we use to stay when we backpacked the area had expanded and is now called the Lexington. Tim and Dianne still own it though. The Bunnery is still alive and well and in on our list for breakfast. We resupplied with groceries at Albertson's in Jackson and then drove the Wilson-Moose road that we have taken for years. Unlike in the past though it was packed with traffic. We still saw a Great Grey Owl, moose, and a mule deer family.
Monday, Sept. 9
What a great way to start the day. Saw moose right in the campground this morning. Then we saw a large herd of buffalo on the way out of the campground. Drove the Wilson-Moose road again to Jackson and had breakfast at the Bunnery. After breakfast we went back the Wilson-Moose road and , saw a black bear which crossed the road behind us, but I didn't get a good picture of him. Visited the Murie Ranch, home of Olaus and Mardy Murie, they were conservations who started the Wilderness Society and were insturmental in getting the 1964 Wilderness Act passed. We then drove a road I didn't even know was ther in the park. It is a 4 wheel drive road that comes off of the main road and parallels the Snake River. Saw elk, antelope, and buffalo.
Tuesday, Sept. 10
My 68th birthday. Drove from Jackson to Green River Lakes Campground in the Bridger-Teton NF north of Pinedale, WY. One of my favorite places. It is home of Square Top and the trailhead for a lot of our backpack trips in the Wind River Range. One has to bear about 16 miles of bone jarring washboard gravel road to get there. We only broke one plate. The campground isn't nearly as beautiful as it was when we visited when the kids were little. The old growth pines had died from the pine bark beetle infestation and it only has small pines (8-10 feed) now. Carol found some shaggy main mushrooms which are supposedly edible but I passed on those, as did she. Carol stayed around camp that afternoon while I headed to the area between the upper and lower Green River Lakes. I did about 7 miles total, explored the far shore of Lower Green River Lakes and then hiked up to the footbridge over the Green River between the two lakes. I thought about heading up to the upper lake but the sun was about to descend behind the mountains and I still had about an hour and a half to get back to camp so headed back. The hike was great. Brought back lots of memories of some great time with the guys - Dave, Mike, Bob, Donnie.
Wedneday, Sept. 11
Awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. I noticed some really potential muddy areas on the road in and wanted to get out before the road got too muddy. I had to roust Carol out early and we got packed up and headed out. Ran into a real cattle drive on the road on the way out and had to drive through the cows. Judging from the noise the cows were making, they didn't like us cutting through.
We were going to go to Rocky Mountain NP but when we got to Ft. Collins it was raining hard so we decided to drive on to Shelby's and spend the night there in Denver. Glad we did. It appears most of the roads in and out of Rocky Mountain NP were closed due to flooding.
Thursday, Sept. 12
Drove home today, about 14 hours with a stop in KC to see Beck, Rob, Annie and Andy. It rained hard on us until we were at least half way across Kansas.
