BOZEMAN TO GARDINER, MT

9/21

     Wow! What a fun day today has been!! From Bozeman to Yellowstone should have taken us, oh, maybe two hours without stops. Can we ever do a trip without stops? Of course not!

BOZEMAN! I think I may change my town of choice for my next life to Bozeman. It's not far from Yellowstone, there is a good selection of restaurants and shops, a short drive will take you into some of the most beautiful country we have ever seen, and it has a phenomenal grocery store! I'm sure you're shaking your heads in disbelief. Folks, you've never been to Rosauer's, the grocery store to end them all. We just happened to be passing by the store when I remembered that we needed some stuff—not a lot, but who knew what Gardiner would have. When I walked in the front door I was simply stunned. The door opened into the hugest produce department I have ever seen in a grocery store-- bright, colorful , well-organized and full of a big variety of exceedingly fresh vegetables.

And a very friendly young man named Mike who told me all about the store and what a great place it was to work here.

Just after talking with Mike, Bill walked in the door, and the look on his face was priceless-- absolutely goggle-eyed! Our little trip to the store turned out to be at least an hour, as we wandered into the various departments. Organic produce and food, a pharmacy, natural foods, herbals, vitamins, etc. Not just a few shelves, but whole departments. Great beer and wine selection, prepared foods, salads, bakery.

 You name it, they had it, but the ambiance was also wonderful. I must have had 4 people ask if they could help me; everyone smiled; customers were friendly and chatty; checkout folks helpful and fun.

Out of Bozeman we took a back road that led up the mountain and eventually turned into a good gravel road. We saw homes of all sorts, some McMansion-types and some ranch types, old and new. There appears to be a good bit of money out here, and many of the large homes were built way up into the hills. We stopped for long along the road-- very little traffic-- and had lunch. Pulled out the chairs and ate our sandwiches looking into the meadows and hills.

The land was for sale, we don't know how much of it or for how much, but we found the house of our dreams, nestled into the brush!!

    Not far from Yellowstone we stopped at a rest stop to play ball with Xian. Soon thereafter an Anerica Asia Tour bus drew in and disgorged a slew of Asian folks, who instantly zeroed in on Xian and his activity.

 

Cameras clicked, people giggled, asked questions, took pictures of each other by the river and had their pictures taken with the “wolf” who complied like the star that he is. I chatted with the tour guide-- Chris from Vietnam-- who gave me a lot of info about their company and tours to China. As the group started slowly toward the bus, Xian investigated the bus and decided to get on!! ( He much prefers bigger rigs!) We ushered him quickly out, as some of the people who didn't get off the bus weren't quite sure how they felt about him. Finally we got in the pickup and waved goodbye to the group. A short way down the road I mentioned the info Chris had given me, but that I hadn't gotten any particulars on him or the tour. In an instant, we are turned around headed for the rest stop. Before we could get there, along the road came the bus.

You got it-- Bill stopped the truck, leaped out and flagged down the bus. Much more laughter from the bus as Chris wrote down the appropriate information, and Bill gave him a big hug.

Ah, that husband of mine-- never a dull moment!     

    Once in Gardiner, where the north entrance of Yellowstone is located, we booked into Rocky Mountain RV park-- we were lucky to get a spot. The weather has been great, and we are definitely not the only people traveling. The family of home-schooled kids is also in this campground.

GOING FOR YELLOWSTONE

9/20

It was with regret that we said goodbye to Jeanne and Gil and Glacier N.P. It didn't take too long for the mountains to fade away and to become a wonderful memory. And of course we'd love to come back.

Going

Almost gone

                                                                     All gone!!!              

During the day we made some stops to give Xian a break as much as for us. One of our stops put us next to ranch land populated by horses. A fair distance from Xian and me, behind a barbed wire fence, a couple of horses stood giving us the once-over. They must have decided we were OK, for they casually ambled towards us and stopped, putting their heads over the fence. Of course, our boy was singing out in great voice, but he quite doing that when one of the horses put her nose down to sniff him, as if to say “Nothing to worry about.” Soon they were nose-to-nose, becoming friends. Both horses gave Xian the big sniff! And both horses loved having their necks rubbed- very social creatures. Bill has some neat photos of this, and I'll post them later.

   Montana is amazing. Now we were out of the glacial country into the volcanic. Such changes in weather and land!! The sun has shown its face, and we're now in country that looks like it belongs to dragons! This country brings to mind the Chris Paolini series about Eragon the dragon.

   We were glad to stop for the night in Bozeman, MT. We hadn't gotten as far as we thought we might, but it was nice to have some time to relax. Yellowstone wasn't far now, and we could have an easy day tomorrow.

LAST DAY AT GLACIER

 9/19

                          Ground squirrel denizen of the park.

   They say you should never ask for a weather forecast in Glacier N.P. and surrounds, unless of course you are a flatlander! The weather here can change from hour to hour. Today was sun, clouds, more sun, more clouds and finally rain. We've had everything from snow to wind, to rain, to snow and back again. Also never ask a Byers to commit on how many days they'll stay anywhere. We've stayed an extra day, just couldn't leave this beautiful place. Plus we had made dinner plans with our new friends, the Freys, so it was a catch -up and blog day. I was going to do laundry, but......

  Time for dinner arrived and Gil came to announce that he and Jeanne were taking us to dinner at the Many Glacier Lodge. Well, who were we to pass up such a generous offer? Off we went with Gil driving-- took us about a half hour or so to get to the lodge, and by that time the rain was coming down in sheets. After Gil parked, Jeanne and I oogled the boys in their leiderhosen and then we found our way into the enormous dining room, complete with very high ceilings hung with banners/flags of different countries. Very European ski lodge dining room. Not too many people were in the dining room when we got there. Our waitress led us to a table by the windows. We had just settled down when Gill remarked that he was getting wet. Rain was coming in from the top of the high window and splashing down upon the sill and also on Gil! The waitress moved us down a few windows...same thing. On the third seating by the window where the water was actually pooling on the sill, Bill asked “Is there any reason you don't want us to sit in the center where there is no rain?” Waitress replied “But I thought you wanted to sit by the window.” We had no preference as long as we didn't get wet.........

   Long and short of it, dinner was lovely. A very nice bruschetta as appetizer; trout and medallions of beef and risotto for the main and no room for dessert. Much white wine was consumed and many laughs and stories exchanged. Gil and Jeanne are wonderful folks, and we're looking forward to seeing them again in Williamsburg, VA where they live. Jeanne is a retired Spanish teacher, and Gil is on the cusp of retiring from his dental practice. They have a great relationship, and are such fun to be with. As it happened, we literally closed the dining room down. For the winter. It was their last night, and many hoots and shouts emanated from the kitchen!! Off to new adventures for the kids.

   On the way back-- and I swear this was not the wine- we saw a mountain lion in hot pursuit of either a dog or a coyote. As the pursuer stalled a bit in the road and our headlights, we hoped that the pursue-ee got away! Shortly thereafter we all pursued our way to bed in our respective campers...............

  to dream about our time in Glacier N.P.

GOING-TO-THE-SUN ROAD

9/18

     Praise be! Today Going-to-the-Sun Road is open!! Here on the east side of the park, the day is warmer and brighter than yesterday. Our plans are to go on to Yellowstone tomorrow, so we have no time to lose. So off we go, with a lot of other people as well, who were usually filling up the pull-outs to take pictures at the same time as we.  Not a phenomenom we have encountered much on this trip. ( Sure glad we didn't come in the summer! ) We stopped to take some photos of places we had been yesterday when it was gray-- the sky today was a vivid blue. ( for awhile.)

When we got up to Jackson Glacier, it was shrouded in clouds and not visible at all, so we were glad we had taken our photos yesterday.

    By the time we had gotten to the top of the mountain where road work was being done, the clouds that had been hanging around began thicken,and soon it was raining.

Nonetheless, the clouds frequently would thin and pull apart in places so that we could see the huge green bowl of the glacial cirque, the steep drop-offs from the narrow road's edge, the winding river below and the long, long waterfalls on the other side.

 This road can be a hold-your-breath journey, as in some places, there is no guard rail. However, we definitely could see the recovery dollars at work here; masons putting up low stone walls as a barrier on the cliff edge, and workers widening and repairing the road in places. It's been a huge undertaking that's been going on all summer. Major work is done from 9 PM-7 AM, and there would then be delays of about 5 hours, should one choose to go over the road at that time.( But, who would?)

   The journey to Apgar Village, almost at the end, took about 2 ½ hours, from the time we entered the park at St. Mary's.  Coming off the road, the lower mountains are textured with various shades of greens, golds and oranges from the aspens, while the pointed Engleman spruce, lodge pole pine and Douglas fir (which stand straight and very tall ) contribute a cool deep green. In Apgar Village we stopped in at Eddie's and had a huge buffalo burger, half of which we brought home for supper-- some good!! The trip back took us only about 1 ½ hours this time, and by late afternoon, the clouds had pretty much shrouded all the views. The line of cars going back was sparse, and we could go along at a greater rate of speed ( 40!!) until we got back to the east side where the weather was much better. We like it here- it's seems much more open than the west side. The west side gets much more moisture than the east, encouraging this forest growth. On the east side there are desiccating winds ( we can attest to that!) and the land is more open.

   Before coming back to the camper we stopped in to have a glass ( or three!!) with some folks I had met in the morning, Gil and Jeanne, and their dog Oliver Twist ( part hound and a Dickens of a dog!) The Freys have a Casita, an 18 ft camper that is outfitted quite nicely with all the amenities. It's room enough for two people to sit on the queen size bed and two people in the padded chairs in the dinette. And that's plenty of room for 4 people to sit and sip wine and chat. Cozy and intimate. Oliver is usually in the camper with them as well. Bill's head touches the ceiling of the camper, but Gil and Jeanne are not as tall as we are.

If you think that sounds  crowded-- and it's not for them- imagine the camper that moved in beside us yesterday. (blocking off our view of the lake) This is a 26 foot long camper with no slide-outs. It contains 5 children ranging in ages from 2-11 or so. And of course, Mom and Dad.  From Northfield, MA, they're on a 3-week journey to national parks and other sights. The kids are being home-schooled, and what a great opportunity for them all, to have a traveling classroom and access first-hand to this awesome country.!( Still in all, I think I would call it crowded-- but they do not.) At night you can hear the shrieks of laughter coming from inside- we think they're having a grand time! We may be older, but we are having a grand time, too!

    Xian has had a difficult time, though. It may be a schedule disruption coupled with his dislike of traveling like this. On some days he frantically barks every time we stop, whether we get out of the truck or not, and he needs to go out sometimes three times a night. Bill has much more patience than I do. But, we would not think of leaving him at home, so that's just the way it is. We try to wear him out as much as possible with the ball. MANY people travel with their dogs, as you might have guessed!.

DAY OF SURPRISES

 9/17

Surprise! Surprise! The forecast had been predicting snow, but only in the upper elevations. However, we woke up to several inches of the white stuff with more coming coming down fairly heavily. Going-to-the-sun road was closed about 13 miles up much to our disappointment. Since the road would close for the winter in two days, we were a bit anxious about whether we'd get to the other side at all..Our answer to that dilemma was to have breakfast at Johnson's ( French toast about an inch and a half thick out of their home made bread....) and then decide.

Our next-door-neighbors, Pam and Bill, have been traveling in a camper Pam bid for and won on Ebay! They're quite enthusiastic about camping and have been to Glacier numerous times, so they have been advising us on what to see. They travel with Cody, a spirited Shetland sheepdog-- who can resist such a face?! Pam and Bill came for chat last night in our camper, and today before leaving, Pam gifted us with some delicious taco soup-- nice and warm and spicy!

Pam and Bill advised going to Many Glacier and seeing the old lodge built in 1912, so that's what we decided to do. The snow had stopped by then , but the Going- to- the- Sun Road was still closed, and the day was still rather gray and gloomy. Glacier puts on a fine show in the snow, however. The rock faces take on greater contrast and texture, the clouds float above and below us, and the mountains take on a mystery I doubt they would have on a sunny day.

 

The Many Glacier Lodge sits on huge Swiftcurrent Lake surrounded by mammoth mountains, and its character is old European.












We met Jeff Walker painting from the window-- a piece he had begun outside before it got so cold and damp. ( He had been an art teacher for while, too, but for most of his life has been making his living from painting. )

 Lots of people were sitting around the great free-standing fireplace, reading, knitting chatting while a violinist played quietly over in the corner.We were still full from our huge breakfast, so we returned to the car and started down the mountain.
 

The day had gotten a bit brighter by that time, and it wasn't long before we came onto a "bear jam"-- many cars pulled to the side of the road, people lined up with cameras all pointing at the same spot. Sure enough, across the river, a big grizzly was foraging for berries.

 He'd investigate some bushes and then stand up to pull off the berries, loping off quickly to find the next cache. On his bottom was stuck a yellow leaf, that looked from a distance like a light-colored tail! There was no doubt about the fact that he knew were all looking at him-- "Jeez, you humans could give me a break. Can't you see I'm busy? I gotta get ready for winter, when all you have to do is go back to your restaurants and kitchens!" His foraging took him along the river bank with his band of fans following him on the other side, clicking, whirring and snapping their cameras until he disappeared amongst the brush.

And that, folks, was our BIG excitement of the day!! After coming off Many Glacier Road, we went up Going-to-the Sun Road once again to stop at some of the geologic exhibits and taking a short hike in Sun Rift Gorge, where a tremendous water fall empties into an active stream. It's rather fun to travel with one's own geologist, as Bill can answer all of the questions I have about rocks, textures, ripple marks and how they were made. He is the Ultimate Glacier freak, ( I'm calling him Glacial Erratic) so I can get all the knowledge I need about those. But please don't ask me to explain it all here!!! ( or ever!) The layering of the sedimentary rocks that prevail here, the U-shaped valleys, the sheer height of the basins, the austere ruggedness of the mountains, the many waterfalls-- all are stunning, and that's what I need to tell you! A piece of heaven. Oh, and don't ask me to name any mountains, either-- there are just too many of them!

(Some not-so-X-rated photos of cute butts.)

    Just a bit further, and near to the "Road is Closed" sign, we stopped to see Jackson Glacier, one of the only ones you can see without taking a hike or a tour. In 1850 Glacier had 350 glaciers, and today there are only 30 In spite of its diminishing size, Jackson is still pretty impressive!!

EASY DOES IT

 

Flat Top Mountain- we can see it from our camper!!

 9/16

Today was a slow day, having dawned gloomy, and we finally got going after lunch. ( Couldn't resist having more beef soup at Johnson's- it's really the only soup they make!) We stopped at the Visitor's Center at the St Mary entrance to the park, and then decided to go a short way up the Going-to-the Sun Highway. Of course, we must pull in at every photo op. When I got out at our first stop, a family was taking pictures of each other. They asked if I would take a photo of all of them, which I did, and then we all got to chatting. It was one of those instant bonds that happen with people. Kevin and Leslie Saba and their gorgeous twins, Brooke and Ashley are from Waterville, NH. ( Two other siblings were not along on this trip.) As we spent time talking, I told Kevin that I am a potter, so he began asking me questions. Had I ever done gas-firing, etc, He told me about a small private school in NH that had just had a gas kiln installed a few years ago, and it turns out that this school is Holderness, Bill's alma mater! In fact, Bill was in on helping to get a gas kiln into the art dept there. Ashley and Brooke graduated from Holderness in 2005, Bill in 1955!! Bill even had a grungy Holderness canvas bag in the truck, which he brought out for the photo. It's such fun when things like this happen, and we were sorry that the Sabas weren't hanging out longer in Glacier. We're looking forward to keeping in touch and seeing them again in the new year.

Brooke, Bill and Ashley

    After leaving the Sabas, we spent a bit more time taking pictures. It seems like I cannot take get enough of this wonderful place, and I take photos of everything. Fortunately, for you, I will delete all but the best!

                                              St Mary Lake-- 9.9 miles long!!!

LEWISTOWN, MT TO ST. MARY'S AT GLACIER

9/15

We're on the road again, with Glacier really in reach! Our travels to this little camping spot have were uneventful, but pleasant. And, by gosh, this campground- dubbed a Rest Stop"- is also a free campground courtesy of the Kiwanis of Lewistown, Montana. Now, here is a town we could live in-- in my next life I will plan for it! After breakfast, we went in search of some auto items, and this took us into the town with its wide and endless Main Street, lined with interesting businesses- the first of it's kind we've seen in a long time. People driving by waved to us, people on the street wanted to chat, and we're always up for that! A sign for Big Spring Market took us to a food coop/bakery/ wine seller. For coffee, they directed us to the Rising Trout Cafe on Main St.owned by the same person, who turned out to be Leaf Star Arnotti, also an artist. Leaf's cafe is a small haven-- free WiFi, small bookstore, and CD collection, not to mention excellent coffee and baked goods from her Big Spring Market bakery. Leaf's mural of trout is stunning, and there is a wonderful ambiance in her cafe. So we lingered awhile, since we didn't have a huge drive to our destination.

We really love the openness of the country out here. Somehow it seems quite liberating to be able to see for miles and miles. At times it's been field after field of hay bales dotting the landscape; some are rolled and left to dry by themselves while some form sculptures with the stacked bales. Sometimes it's a barren field populated only by an abandoned building or two. Why were they abandoned and who lived here once upon a time?

    Coming to Glacier from the south, we began to have glimpses of what we will be seeing soon.

That little speck you can see on the left side of the road? That is a recumbent biker, and the hill she was about to maneuver was VERY steep!

Finally we arrived, late in the afternoon, to St Mary's where Johnson's ( world famous even!) campground / cafe/ motel and gave us a prime site with a view of St. Mary Lake from our doorway. We set up and then Johnson's Cafe welcomed us warmly with its log walls and checkered tablecloths, and friendly waiters. We were glad to eat the delicious family-style food, with a specialty beef noodle soup just like our moms would have made.