ENJOYING GLACIER

Joel and Cameron at Avalanche Lake

I'm sitting here at our favorite campground in Glacier National Park. All of Glacier is spectacular, but this place is special. We've been asked to keep it a secret but someone is spreading the word because this time it was packed with campers and unless you arrived early you wouldn't get a space. I've always loved the magnificent views here and the smell of spruce is addicting. 
My brother, Joel, and his son, Cameron, drove from California to camp with us for a week on the west side of the park. Joel traveled here with us in 1978 when he was fifteen years old and loved it so much he's always wanted to return. Now he was sharing it with his son. My parents visited with them for a couple days then began their trip to Michigan. They'd been traveling with us for three weeks.

1978 when Joel traveled with us to Glacier. This was taken on a hike to

Sperry Chalet. (We're the couple next to the ranger in case you didn't know and Joel is kneeling)

Visiting Polebridge for some baked goods before going to Bowman Lake.

Dick and Cameron went on a three day hike. They saw lots of wildlife but the
most exciting was a grizzly swimming about 70 yards away.

Joel hiking on the Highline trail to the Garden Wall. My favorite trail in the park.

Beautiful Bowman Lake

Dick enjoying his favorite place on earth! 

A beautiful view outside our door.

We got our dog fix by offering a few times to watch Allie while her parents did some long day hikes.Can't believe we didn't take a picture of Dick and Nancy too. 

We meet so many people in our travels and always hope to meet some again along the way.

Renee and Jacques from Tucson, AZ. were in the campsite next to ours.  They were a load of fun.

Eva and James from Englewood, FL. are walking 1,000 miles of Montana's CDT. They found out the Bob Marshall Wilderness is on fire so they have to change their plans.

We are heading for Many Glacier tomorrow for awhile before heading home. If all goes as planned we'll be pulling into our driveway mid-August. My parents camped in our driveway  when they arrived in Michigan and my mom said our grass is up to her hips.

WAGONS HO!

My parents continued traveling north with us all the way to Glacier National Park. From Durango, CO we visited Dinosaur National Monument.  QUARRY TOUR  After taking the tour of the quarry we all agreed it was too hot to stay at the campground so we headed to a higher elevation for a night in the very NE corner of Utah along the Flaming Gorge. This National Recreation Area is shared with the state of Wyoming.

Watching the deer and antelope under the blue skies and wide open spaces of Wyoming, I couldn't help but burst out singing, "Home, Home, on the Range." 

We stayed in a quiet campground near historical South Pass City and Atlantic City. Two small frontier towns built in the 1800s as a result of a gold mining boom. The Oregon Trail passed just north of South Pass City and the wagon tracks are still visible today. We stayed here in 1999 when Dick hiked the Continental Divide trail which passes through South Pass City a popular mail drop for the long-distance hikers.

We traveled to Dubois, Wyoming to talk with the Forest Service. Dick was hoping enough years had passed that something had been done to build a trail from Union Pass to Togwotee Pass for CDT hikers. He hoped to hike this new trail.  He talked to a ranger who had been funded all last summer to route a trail through this area, but he said there is no money to build it.  So Dick would have to follow Forest Service roads. He hates road walking so he scratched those plans and we continued on to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

US 26 West of Dubois, WY

We camped near Jackson Lake

So Dick again made plans to do some backpacking along the backside of the Teton Mtn. Range. I was hoping I was finally going to get my alone time. He was told by two different sources that the trail was still under snow in areas and he could lose the trail easily and he would need an ice axe in some areas. He decided against attempting it. So we traveled the park enjoying the beautiful views, animal watching and day hiking. 

This has been an interesting trip from Durango, Colorado to Glacier National Park. We have experienced fires in Colorado, snow in the high country, high winds and hail in Yellowstone, crowds in the National Parks, plus there were postings everywhere warning visitors of the Norovirus that was affecting visitors in both of these parks.  Norovirus News 

Bison, Bison everywhere!

Yellowstone Falls

We camped over the 4th of July at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone.
It was packed with people and the elk with their young enjoyed the town too.

The highlight of our stay in Yellowstone was soaking in the Boiling River. 
The hot and cold water mix along the river's edge and it was the best!!

We are so happy to have reached Glacier National Park. We both love this place. If I hadn't had this beautiful place to look forward to we would have been on our way home by now. Dick will for sure get his hiking fix over the next few weeks and me some much needed alone time. We're both ready!!