Half Way Motel Essex

We’ve recently made a trip to three National Parks: Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier. The short description of this trip together with multiple photos was published on our website http://www.innaartwork.com/ (specifically in ...

... supplies in St Mary. However, the fun part was beginning when we started up the Going-to-the-Sun-Road which was built in 1932 and was set to close for the season the next day (in fact, due to snow the next day, we were one of the last to complete the run this year). The road offers great views to those that are unafraid of heights and the summit is at Logan Pass the continental divide at 2,025 metres (6,646 feet).

After a ...

... feel totally relaxed and lazy. A cheerful old gent named Chuck comes to visit our campfire and plays some old rock tunes on the guitar, with eyes hinting at a lifetime of good memories. Meeting interesting folks is part of what this trip is all about, and we are glad to meet him and share some stories.

But the truck is still not right...

Glacier National Park Day II 7-9-09

Jen and I decided to sleep in a little today, since we'd be spending another day in Glacier National. We thought maybe staying in bed until 8 am or so would be perfect, but of course we overslept and didn’t muster the strength to get up until about 10am.

Glacier is rather primitive, no electricity and no showers. They also recommend not using any colognes or perfumes as these scents can attract bears. Soooooo we were a ...

... but didn't get far before we encountered snow covering the trail. It turned out that most of the trail was covered with snow and it was uphill most of the way. Given the time of year, the snow wasn’t powdery and fresh but hard-packed and slippery at many spots. Luckily, we came prepared with hiking poles and, of course, hiking boots and layered clothing. Others on the trail started off with sandals and even heels! Many people we passed said ...

... were pegged as tourists by the produce man within ten seconds of entering.
- Peed in our first public restroom with a pocket door. Apparently some people who pass through fail to use the pocket door, so there is a sign that says, “There is a pocket door. Please use it.” We found this slightly disturbing. This was in a gas station that was also the general store and the post office. All in one.
- Arrived to ...

... are waterfalls tumbling down the mountainsides which run off the Sperry Glacier, and in the shallow lake are fallen trees, slowing becoming covered in deposits of silt. The Petrified Forest of the future? There was a ranger stationed on the shores of the lake, a student who had gained a seasonal internship to work in the park for the summer season. She was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and we spent some ...

... have been a nice place to spend another day or two resting up. our route for the day took us from whitefish through west glacier (where we entered the park the day before) and then diverted towards our last mountain pass until pennsylvania. our camping ground for the night was located about 8 miles from the top, so we did most of the climbing today and would just have a quick jaunt up for the next day. one oddity about the day's ride was a five mile ...

... wagon which is actual a slide and jungle gym. It was very fun. And nearby was a tall clock tower. After leaving Spokane I made a 5 hour drive northeast to West Glacier, Montana. I set up camp and tomorrow I will be ready to venture into Glacier National Park.

... It was a sight to see, to say the least. We returned a few hours later, with the journal fully updated to day 33, to learn that we had unfortunately missed S'mores!! Steve and Chris had once again made a huge fire, several marshmallows had caught on fire, and graham crackers had run out, so Nilla wafers were used as substitute. At 10:00, quiet time began and we then stretched out under the stars (bug less!!) to enjoy sleep. Journal Crew Link to today's photos