I peeked out between the curtains before dawn this morning. I was a little anxious about the weather. My own 2 eyes validated the anxiety. The teepees that had been bathed in sunshine last evening were now enshrouded in the mist of a thick fog. Fog is not the best news for travel on the Going to the Sun Road.
We took our time getting ready in the hopes that the sun would burn off the fog and clouds by the time we got to Glacier in a couple of hours. We also had to go to a local joint to pay for breakfast. Paying for breakfast? Hampton Inn customers don’t have to do that. Unfortunately, we weren’t at the Hampton anymore. So we went to a local place with a good reputation and ordered huckleberry stuffed French toast. It sounded so good. Then we saw it arrive and it was deep-fried! Cut away the crusts and it was OK, but a real disappointment.
Then, off we go to most-anticipated day of the trip. On our way to the hotel yesterday, we learned that the most direct road was under major reconstruction. It was not a comfortable ride and went on for 11 miles. We chose to go a longer route away from the mountains. The fog was terrible most of the way. Remember the range cattle I mentioned yesterday. They were still out there ... in the fog.
The clouds finally lifted – a little - as we neared the park entrance.
The entrance road followed a river into the mountains and the views of the river were good but the mountains were not to be seen. As we climbed the mountain, we were in the clouds. Visibility was limited to maybe 100-150 feet. OK to drive, slowly, but not so great for viewing the sights. When we reached the high point of the traverse through the park – Logan’s Pass, the fog was extremely thick. Not that it mattered much because the parking lot was full. I have no clue what these people were doing in the fog … but I wanted to join them and I couldn’t.
Almost immediately after starting the descent down the other side the fog and skies cleared. We were aware that the weather could differ on each side of the mountains but the stark change was dramatic. We stopped at a pullout and I stood there for 15 minutes watching the clouds blow between mountain peaks from the east (the direction from which we came) and rise or dissipate. It was fun to watch the dancing of the clouds.
We continued the descent, stopping at many pullouts along the way. I took pictures of waterfalls, none of which were particularly outstanding. But the summer is the dry time here and the water source for the waterfalls is melting glaciers. That doesn’t mean the views weren’t awesome. The valleys and mountains were amazing.
Bird Woman Falls |
Haystack Falls |
After the hike, we continued down the valley (while noting places to stop on the return) to have lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge, a historic National Park hotel. We decided to go heavier on lunch and lighter on dinner since the rest of our hikes were not in the cards. The lake was pretty but the backdrop was less so due to a recent-years fire across the lake.
Lake McDonald |
We started back across the mountains stopping frequently to take photos of the streams and mountains. We often searched the high mountains looking for mountain goats and low areas looking for bears. Susan used her eagle eyes and binoculars and I used my Mr. Magoo eyes and zoom lens. All to no avail. Not that it mattered. I often used an animal search as a pretext for simply admiring God’s handiwork.
McDonald Creek |
Sacred Dancing Cascade |
There is an axiom when in the national parks – when cars are stopped in the road, there is something to look at. That something is more often than not an animal. We came to a sudden stop as we neared the top. There was a left turn and all I could see was about 6 cars lined up with an unknown number around the turn. We inched along for about 10 minutes until we reached the turn. Then I spied the cause. It was a grizzly bear sitting on a ledge about 8-12 feet above the road and 15 feet from the road. It was preening and generally showing off for the crowd, or so it seemed. I had no idea how long it had been there or how long it would stay so we started taking pictures when we could see over the cars. We finally reached it and it arose to leave. Susan had been studying bear behavior just as a good girl scout would. The bear started licking its lips and she knew that meant it was irritated. So we got good photos of our first grizzly encounter. We all survived and moved on. At least I assume the bear did also.
I swear he is grinning at us. Or maybe he thought someone looked appetizing. Either way, I didn't want to mess around with those claws.
Little did we know that was only the start of our exciting trip across the top. We soon reached Logan’s Pass where, to no one’s surprise, the parking lot was half empty. We turned in, drove around to look for mountain goats, ascertained that the clouds were too thick, and left. Within yards of the exit, a driver was stopped heading toward us. He pointed to his side of the road and we saw a flock of bighorn sheep through the fog.
The clouds/fog were now beginning to get even denser than before. I was now the lead car and couldn’t see more than 20 feet. The only thing worse for Susan than seeing the thin air of the drop off was not seeing the drop off. It was an exciting and slow 10 mile descent. This video was taken just before Logan's Pass. It got worse.
We made it to the bottom and another group of cars were stopped. As I passed, I saw another bear. I turned the car around, we got to the bear, grabbed some photos and found a quick turnaround spot. The bear wasn’t close enough to determine its type but the later computer enhancement makes us believe it was a black bear.
It was time to get back to the hotel. We returned using the same longer route through the depressing Indian villages and encountered similar fog as the morning. It seemed there was no improvement east of the mountains all day. Before going to the hotel, we stopped at the local bakery and bought 2 slices of huck pie for dessert. Then we went to the hotel and had soup for dinner followed by the huck pie. We retired to the historic huge lobby for the evening. Susan sat in front of the roaring fire and I went to a cooler spot to write. Despite the disappointment of the weather, it was a pretty good day. We’ve (actually more I than we) already talked about coming back when we visit the Canadian parks just north of here in Banff and Whistler.
Susan’s quote of the day: “We're not going back up there!" This was elicited after we reached bottom of the mountain and beyond the fog immediately when I said I was going to turn around to get pictures of the black bear. It took some reassuring to convince her that a turnaround was nearby.
The highlights - Grizzly bear.
The regrets - None. Can't do anything about the weather.
Today's total miles - 166
Today's miles from start to destination - 0
Today's miles on side trips - 166
Today's miles driven by Paul - 166
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 5 1/2
Total Miles Hiked - 1.0
Cumulative total miles - 2,965
Cumulative miles from start to destination - 2,466
Cumulative miles on side trips - 499
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 2,600
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 365
Cumulative hours in car - 53 1/2
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 9.5
Cumulative miles on side trips - 499
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 2,600
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 365
Cumulative hours in car - 53 1/2
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 9.5
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