Thursday, July 31, 2014

Going to the Sun Road

July 2014
 
 
 
Going to the Sun Road

By far the most popular attraction in Glacier National Park, Going to the Sun Road is by itself a national treasure. New vistas open up on every turn and the scenary is spectacular.

 
 

 
 
 
We made several trips across this wonderful drive at different times of the day, and with different light conditions, and were blessed with something new each visit.

 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
Mountain goats, big horn sheep, waterfalls, and long deep valley views were everywhere.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Views of the river (Sacred Dancing Creek) with it's deep blue pools giving way to rapids along the west side of the divide are spellbinding.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
The serenity of beautiful St Mary lake on the east side completes one's sense of amazement with snow capped mountains arising from both sides of the lake.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our first drive was during the approaching sunset.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"Selfie"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



We shared the road with dozens, if not hundreds of bicyclists riding up to watch the full moon rise as the sun was setting. It was spectacular.

 

 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 

Another day we drove all the way across and back during the middle of the day. Numerous isolated showers blocked our view of some of the peaks as occasional patches of blue sky peeped thorough.

 

On another occasion we drove from East to West in the early morning hours, and were blessed with some incredible light patterns as the sun rose behind us.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Even after a month of hanging around Glacier National Park we never grew tired of it. It still remains our favorite of all the National Parks that we have visited.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Essex and Trains


Essex, Montana
 
 





If you are looking for something a little out ot the ordinary, Essex might just be worth a look. Oh, and you should like trains......
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
Essex sits along Hwy 2 just south of the Glacier National Park boundary.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Isaic Walton Hotel is the main attraction. It sits right next to a working rail yard complete with sidings, switch engines, and a train every 30 to 45 minutes.
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
The hotel has a good restaurant. The rooms are adequate if you can tolerate no TV, no internet, no cell phone coverage, and no air conditioning.





Externded accomodations include several caboose sleeping cars, a locomotive sleeping cabin and numerous small traditional cabins situated along a hillside above the hotel.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 There is a walkway that goes over the tracks and railyard to your cabin. It is a good place for viewing the rail yard activity and passing trains. You can drive to your cabin over a mile long gravel, bumpy road that takes longer to drive than to walk. The cabin area has large huckleberry patches everywhere. Yes, you can pick huckleberries in season (July).



 
 

 
 
Amtrac provides twice daily service. I understand that the scheduled arrival and departure times vary a lot with the rail traffic.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Built in another era to accomodate railroad workers, the hotel maintains much of the original charm.

The charm being that you immediately feel as though you have been transported back in time. Expect to be at least 26 miles from things to do. (It's 26 miles to West Glacier and 36 to East Glacier.) There is not much in between other than beautiful mountain and river views.


 
 We did not stay at either the Isaic Walton Hotel nor it's cabins. We were just a few miles away at an RV park. The big negative factor for us was the total lack of cell phone coverage from East Glacier to West Glacier along Hwy 2.



The drive along the Flathead River was breathtaking. There are several nice pull offs along the way for photos.



 
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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Black Bear or Grizzly


Black or Grizzly






Montana locals are quick to give you advice about bears. Don't run, back away, and when in the woods make noise. Many locals carry pepper spray bear repellent, and have bear bells attached to their clothing for noise.   



One local even advised me how to tell if the scat you see is from a Black Bear or a Grizzly.

It is apparently common knowledge around here that if you see scat with seeds and fruit remnants in it, that smells fruity, it is likely from a Black Bear. On the other hand, if you see scat that contains bear bells and smells like pepper, it is probably from a Grizzly.
 
Useful knowledge, perhaps.........




 
 
photos - courtesy Wikipedia
 

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Friday, July 18, 2014

East Glacier and Two Medicines


East Glacier – The Often Seen and the Frequently Missed



Most who go to East Glacier have the lodge as one of their must see destinations. And it is really something to see. It just turned 100 years old and it still looks good for it's age.


 
 
 

 

The East Glacier Lodge started with it's famous ponderosa pine logs that support the structure. In fact during the construction, the logs were place first in their standing position, then the rest of the lodge built around them. These beautiful rustic logs, still with the bark on them, capture your attention the minute you walk through the doors to the main lobby. Large skylight windows that allow you to see the sky and clouds make it seem like daylight inside the massive structure.

Shops and restaurants surround the lobby, but do not dominate it. Sofa's, chairs, and tables are placed throughout the lobby, inviting you to sit, relax, and look around at the details.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 









 

 
 
 
 












Learning to Relax...!














Outside, there are gardens for you to walk through, adding to the natural background of the snow-capped peaks of the mountains, and the huge old lodge that dominates the scene. Teepees on the grounds add to the historical interest. And there's a golf course where you can play a round of golf with the mountains in the background.



Acrosss the road in front of the lodge is the train station, that still receives visitors by rail every day. Jo remembers hearing a story of her grandparents visiting Glacier by train and the sights they saw when stepping off the train, 70 years ago. The same scene, for the most part, is still the one you see today.

 
 
 
 
 
A short drive or walk puts you into the business district of East Glacier with its quaint shops and restaurants. Most people turn around at this point and head back to other parts of the park.


Two Medicines




About ten miles further, on Hwy 49, puts you into a lesser know area of the Glacier National Park.

A spectacular lake with some very impressive mountains surrounding it will delight you. With camping, picnicing, boat tours of the lake, and hiking right in the middle of it, the Two Medicines area is a stop we highly recommend.
 
 
 

 
 
A short walk (3/10s of a mile) leads to Running Eagle Falls, one of the best we have seen anywhere. This trail to the falls is wheel chair accessible and is well marked from the road.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 





 




A visit about 10 years ago to this incredable National Park gave us just a taste of what we are seeing now. Also, we have come to realize from talking to some of the locals, a month is still not nearly enough time to see Glacier National Park and it's surrounding area. But, that's ok. That just gives us a place to visit again for more new discoveries.


 
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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Bridger Range





The Bridger Range





Jo and I are both fascinated by mountains. Even after living in Colorado for 7 years, we never got bored with snow-capped peaks and the valleys in between. We still are drawn to those scenes.



 
 
The Bridger range stands between White Sulphur Springs and Boseman, Montana. We drove across the range (nice paved road) starting in the early afternoon when the lighting for photos was horrible, and ending late in the day with the Montana sunset pictured in another post.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The drive crosses huge hay fields, with picturesque old barns, an old school house, and miles and miles of mountain vistas.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gravel and dirt side roads bring out woodlands with wild flowers up close and personal.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
We also visited the remnents of an old ghost town (Castle Town) from the gold mining era.



 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




 
A highlight of the day was when we  happened upon a golden eagle sitting next to a barn. As I watched through my lens she took flight to the heavens.




















 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



We feel humbled and truly blessed to be able to visit so much of this great country.















































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Friday, July 11, 2014

Big Belt Range

Crossing the Big Belt Range
 
 
As was our custom when we lived in the west, we seem to be falling quickly back into following "The roads less traveled".












The road across the Big Belt Range between White Sulphur Springs and Helena is definately a road across the top. It starts as a nice wide gravel road, which narrows as it goes up, until it becomes a single lane trail that clings to the edges as you near the summit.








While techncally NOT a four wheel drive road, good ground clearance makes it easier as you near the summit. After passing the summit, where you can see the entire valley with its large reservoir and Helena in the distance, the road widens quickly as it descends through the forest to the other side.
















Wild flowers were everywhere all along the route in early July.




A few pickups, a couple of 4-wheelers, and some forest service personel in large pickups were our only company during the drive.






Oh, and it seems that no matter how rough the road, or how far off the beaten path you go in the west, there's always at least one Texan in a Cadillac sedan there when you get there.




This was a great 4 hour drive for us. Jo took dozens of wild flower pictures and we had some really fantastic views of what Louie L'Amour's describes as "The Shining Mountains".


We also had a pleasant picnic lunch at a sparsly populated rustic campground near a pretty lake.



























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