Got a chance to do some sailing yesterday, which was great. A friend of our hosts offered his Catalina for the afternoon. Drove up to Lake Flathead which is about an hour north of Missoula. It’s the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi. Winds were light, but enough to push 5 of us across the lake and back. Some great views of the Mission Mountains to the southeast. Stories of a lake monster were told, but no sightings during our trip.
Arrived in Missoula on Monday afternoon. Had been in touch over the last month with relatives of our friend’s from Jacksonville. Bequia and Aldo live in Missoula and graciously offered to host us here for a few days. They are fellow sailors and outdoors enthusiasts, so looking forward to our visit.
On our way into Missoula we stopped a couple times along the Blackfoot River to try some fishing. This is the river featured in the movie “a river runs through it”. No luck fishing, but did succeed in harvesting some crawfish. Similar method to capture that we use on the Florida lobsters during our annual Keys trips, so good practice for that trip in September.
Our bounty!
View of Missoula during our neighborhood walk on Tuesday morning
Running some errands in the mini-truck
Enjoyed a quiet evening camped near the lake. Off for some exercise this morning, then continuing on towards Missoula. Likely fish along the Blackfoot River today.
Arrived at the park on Wednesday afternoon. Found a nice corner campsite at the Apgar campground, which is at the southwest end of the park. A quick walk to the end of Lake Macdonald. Setup the trailer, then drove over to do some laundry in West Glacier. Ahh.. clean clothes! In the mid 90s that afternoon, so a dip in the lake was a perfect activity. Might be the clearest water I have ever seen. Reminds me of the water clarity in the Bahamas. Afterwards, took a short bike to the village, checking out the visitor center and a couple shops. Relaxed by the fire and cooked up some bison burgers for dinner. Tried to play canasta at the picnic table, but the winds which had been calm all day decided to gust about 5 minutes into our game.
Big day of hiking planned for Thursday. Up early at 630, trying to catch the first shuttle up to Logan Pass at 730. They have free shuttles running across the 60-mile main road, aptly named “Going to the Sun Road”. Bunch of other visitors had the same idea and these shuttles only held 8-10 people each. Finally got on a shuttle at 830. Best way to get around this park, since you can sit back, relax and really enjoy the amazing scenery on this spectacular drive. Spoke with a ranger up at Logan Pass, helping explain to us about possible one-way day hikes. First option.. 20 miler, second option Highline, and third being Siyeh Pass. Not provisioned for a 20 mile hike and High line seemed to have the most traffic, so we decided to try Siyeh. Another quick shuttle ride eastward and we were underway on a 10.5 mile hike. Great mix of scenery along the way, no bears to be seen, but a few mountain goats. Enjoyed our lunch at the pass. Met a guy who lived in the Keys for 20 years before migrating to Montana in the mid 90s. I figured him for a fisherman, specializing in square groupers. Wasn’t everyone into that in the Keys in the 70s and 80s?
Ran out of water with about 3 miles to go on the hike. Quite parched by the end. Mental note to pack more water. Took a shuttle further east to the Rising Sun to attain drinkable liquids. Felt like a 2 hour bus ride with our thirst and construction delays. Carried around my fishing gear all day, but no fishing available on the trail, so I tried St Mary Lake for about 30 minutes. No luck before we had to walk back to the shuttle stop to catch a ride back home. Met some folks from Tallahassee, sharing stories about Florida and places visited on our travels. Back to the trailer about 9pm.. long day!! Cooked up a tasty veggie pasta dish before going to bed to rest our tired bodies.
Great weather continued again on Friday. Up at my normal time, so I drove down towards the middle fork of the Flathead River. Try my luck at some fishing while the ladies slept in. Caught a decent trout, but lost it and the lure while trying to snap a photo. Picked up a couple new lures at the store nearby before heading back to the trailer. Cindy cooked some breakfast for us and we decided to drive north to check out some fishing spots with short hikes. First stop was the north fork of the flathead river. Hiked and waded downstream about a half mile with a few hits but no catches. Beautiful scenery and refreshing water on a warm afternoon. Next stop was the Polebridge Mercantile. Folks mentioned the pastries here were a delight, which we confirmed with a raspberry turnover and hucklberry, beer, cinammon raisin bread. Further north down a rough gravel road to Bowman Lake. Another scenic lake with mountains and ultra-clear water. Wishing we had our kayaks with us now… No luck fishing from the shore here. Picked some firewood out of the forest on the way home, then stopped at Eddie’s for dinner. Both enjoyed the broasted chicken entrees. Hadn’t eaten chicken for over a year. While it was good, still not enough to make us give up our pescatarian diets. Back to the trailer for a quick pit stop, then a drive back up to Logan Pass. We picked up tickets earlier for a Night Sky Show. It’s an annual event hosted at the park where amateur and professional astronomers bring their telescopes and share their knowledge. Cool to see the sunset from this area, a large herd of bighorn sheep and then some breathtaking images looking into the scopes. Highlight was seeing Saturn’s rings. Didn’t get dark until around 11 and we drove back down at midnight as the moon was starting to rise, brightening the sky. Spooky driving back down the road, only seeing taillights cruising above and below in total darkness. Into bed around 2am..
No ax? No problem!
Star party gathering at Logan Pass
After a long day on Friday, we decided to take it easy on Saturday. Started at noon with a bike ride from our campsite to the middle fork of the flathead river. Couldn’t ride as far as I had hoped, but did make it to the old river bridge. It used to be the main entrance to the park, but was replaced with a newer bridge further downstream. Spent most of the day hanging around that area. After Cindy’s daredevil bridge jump, we enjoyed lunch and hiked a bit upstream. Caught a few fish in the early afternoon, just up from the bridge. Turned out to be a popular spot for fishing. Guess I am learning how to read the good spots in rivers. Just a great day to be near the river. Back at the campsite around 5pm, dinner around 8pm, then a movie and nighty night.
After a few really active days, time for a PBR-assisted nap
We really, really enjoyed Glacier National Park. One of our favorites so far on this road trip. Tons of stuff to see and do with a laid back atmosphere.
Enjoyed a scenic drive on Monday afternoon along Lake Pend Oreille on our way out of Idaho and into Montana. Checked a couple sources before departing Idaho about possible camping spots along our path towards Glacier Park. Decided on a free spot near the Libby Dam. The Army Corps of Engineers runs the dam and maintains a few recreation areas on the lake and river. Picked out a nice spot along the river and took it easy the rest of the night. Back in Mountain timezone now, so sunset isn’t til around 10pm and isn’t fully dark until 11 or so.
She has found a new spot for napping, wedged in between the wall and mattress.
Libby is the town of eagles, but we only saw these monstrous roadside specimens.
Swooping down to pick up a car I suppose
Hard to find free riverside sites like this
Woke up on Tuesday and decided on a late morning run up to see the dam. They host a free tour a few times a day, and we had plenty of time to make the noon tour. Well.. I should have checked the road map a bit better, cause we thought about a 2 mile run one-way to the visitor center, but the windy roads would have been more like 3.5 miles. So, by the time we climbed the first portion of the road and reached the dam, we saw that it would be another mile climb or so and we wouldn’t make it before the tour started. Decided to take a different road back to the campsite, which made the trip quite a bit longer, figure about 6 miles or so. Cindy loves it when i take us on a “2 mile trip just up the road”, which then turns into a quarter or half marathon.
Quick pit-stop for a picture on the run back home
Really warm out after our run, so 64 degree river water is perfect!
Prepping for a dunk, but water is chillier than expected..
1,2,3… Go!
Core body temp has been reduced very quickly!
Enjoyed some lunch, a cold beer and an afternoon movie to relax a bit. Drove back up to the dam for the 4pm tour. A nice tour hosted by a couple students working for the summer at the dam. Just the two of us on the tour as well. Another impressive example of human invention. Cool to see the architecture from this era of the mid 60s.
A straight line dam design, as compared to other more famous dams with curved designs. Enough concrete in the dam to pour a 2-lane highway from here to Washington DC.
Got back around 6pm from the tour and quick drive along the lake. Decision whether to stay another night at the same spot or move on closer to Glacier. We decided to pick and move further east, since we still had about 4 hours of daylight. From earlier research, I had a spot marked near the Thompson Lakes area. Pulled into the state park and got some info and a map from the friendly campground host. He pointed us towards some primitive lakeside spots for only $12/night.
Another fantastic waterfront sunset with a campfire
Up early on Wednesday morning since we had to fuel up, stock up on groceries and do laundry. Hit up a Walmart and gas station in Kallispell, then kept on towards Glacier to lock in a campsite before doing laundry.
Planning on spending 3-4 nights here at Glacier!
Campsite at the state park on the south end of lake pend oreille was great! Ended up staying two nights so we could enjoy a full day in the area on Sunday. We went for a run down to the lake, enjoying some nice views on the lakefront trail. Ended with a cooldown swim at the beach. Back to the trailer and called a nearby resort about boat rentals. In luck with some available for a reasonable half-day rate. Packed up the cooler with sammies, snacks and brews and drove to the resort just a few miles away in Bayview. Cool little town with most of the folks living in floating houses. Friendly owner at the resort, loaded us up and sent us off with some fishing spot recommendations. Trustworthy folks up here, sending us off on his boat with no money down or credit card.
Now that's waterfront living
I'm on a boat!!
Slow trolling, but no success
Ducky visitors
Some luck on casting, catching a smallmouth bass
We really enjoyed the day! Back to the trailer around 7pm, quite tired from exercise in the morning and boating all afternoon. Cooked some dinner, then fell asleep to a movie we’ve seen about 1000 times, “the big lebowski”.
Took advantage of the campground showers and dump station on Monday morning. Drove north into Sandpoint, ID. Much cooler vibe here than coeur d alene. Enjoyed some delicious mexican food and ice cream, then a stroll thru downtown to the beach.
Ceviche tostada
5 pound taco salad
Couldn't pass up the offer for a free bowl of soup with this hat purchase
Rand mcnally atlas voted this the most scenic town in america
Really enjoyed our time around lake pend oreille! Heading further east this afternoon, likely camping in Montana as we approach Glacier Park.
Continued our migration east thru Washington on Friday. Contemplated stopping for the night near Coulee Dam or Kettle Falls. Cindy chose kettle falls. Looked better on the map with more forests and camping options. A scenic drive thru northern Washington. Stopped for some tasty fresh produce at a farm stand near Omak. Weather continues to be warm and dry, approaching too hot in the lower elevations. Still amazed at the weather here, expected damp or rainy and I think it only rained for half of one day since we pulled into the northwest.
Looked up a free national forest campground near kettle falls. Place is named trout lake campground and noted only tent spots. We have learned to not trust write ups though. When it says no RVs, usually means no enormous fifth wheels or class A’s. And when we often see “campground full” signs it usually means mostly full. Continue to have amazing luck rolling along with no reservations. About a 5 mile gravel switchbacked road, but found a sweet spot at trout lake, with some maneuvering of the trailer to get it level. Hiked around in the early evening, but no luck finding a shore accessible spot to fish due to the steep banks.
Saturday morning we continued our eastward path, down thru kettle falls, other small farm towns, around Spokane and into Idaho for our second time. Side note comment about their pronunciation here because it seems whack. Guess they are just trying to be unique or something. 2 examples: Willamette is pronounced like “will-am-it” and Spokane is pronounced like “Spo-can”. Never was much of an English grammar expert, but that doesn’t seem correct.
Shortly therafter we arrived in Couer d Alene, ID. Had heard great things about this town. Sometimes with big expectations come letdowns, such as this visit. Tough to find reasonable camping (minimal availability and $50 for a campsite seems insane), a vibe similar to a Florida spring break and views seen before in many prior locations. So.. not sure of the draw here for folks, but decided to move on after exploring the beach area and town. Did have some tasty brews and delicious garlic bread covered with onions and Gorgonzola cheese at a cool gastropub called Moon Time.
One-eyed scallywag
Really?!? Plenty of street parking available and they decide to block in the truck with a trailer
A few quick searches online and found a highly rated state park about 30 minutes north. A “campground full” sign greeted us at the road, which we promptly disregarded as usual. Picked up an overflow site for half the normal site price and supposedly better views than the normal sites! Hoping that Sandpoint turns out better for us..
Spent a couple nights at the campgrounds within North Cascades National Park. Definitely correct when they call them the American Alps, as they are somehow more towering and steep-looking than other mountain ranges we have seen.
Wednesday we changed campgrounds around mid-day, then took a short drive to check out some overlooks nearby, then a 4 mile hike over to see Ross Lake Resort.
Reminds us of Banff with the turquoise water
Thrift-store $1 shirt doesn't quite fit this guy's super torso
Ross lake resort is a floating neighborhood
Stand off on the trail
Thursday we packed up and drove to winthrop. Stopping along the way at some impressive overlooks. Looked up some dispersed camping locations along the Chewuch River. Stopped for lunch at 20 East Pizza, had a great pie with red peppers, leeks and artichokes. Enough leftover for breakfast on Friday. Found a sweet spot along the river in a shaded grove of pines. Caught a fish, which wouldn’t have survived, so we gutted it for eating tomorrow. Cindy jumped in the river around sunset for a chilly dunk. Started a fire and enjoyed some smores before bedtime. Moon getting almost full now, so it made some cool shadows over the river and lighting up the rock shore.
Ya, same outfit from yesterday on this guy
Up early on Friday to get in a jogging session (silent J so it’s pronounced yogging). Felt great to run in the early morning coolness. Quite a bit hotter here than up in the mountains. About a 30 minute run then a half nakey dunk in the river to cool down and rinse.
Up early again on Tuesday, as we had some mileage to cover and a few sights to see. Utilized the dump station at sol duc before driving over to Lake Crescent to enjoy coffee and breakfast with a view.
Afterwards we drove east along the 101 towards Port Townsend. Arrived around lunchtime and had a few spots picked out to visit. First stop was a farm stand for some fresh veggies. Noticed a taco truck on the corner, so we enjoyed a lunch first. We split a bean burrito and fish burrito, with enough leftover for another serving tomorrow. Satiated, we walked to the farm stand. Not a lot to choose from, but picked up some nice looking salad mix and mini potatoes. It’s a honesty box, where you pay on your own. Hadn’t seen one of those since we were in New Zealand.
Next stop was a parking lot near the waterfront, where we could unload the bikes to explore downtown area further. Lots of little shops in the waterfront area utilizing the buildings with cool, old architecture. Meandered down to the point to see Puget Sound and the San Juan islands. Checked that the water was still frigid and watched some passing sailboats.
Mount Baker in the background
Clouds had moved in a bit, making it muggy and warm but never rained on us. Walked then biked back towards the trailer. Stopping along the way at a local co-op grocery store. Final stop was at a seafood market, but noticed a brewery across the street. Hard to pass up a cold one on a warm afternoon. Bartender also recommended the same seafood market, which we visited after our brews. Nice store and we picked up a bunch of local delights: bacon, smoked oysters, grass-fed ground beef and the best looking piece of sockeye salmon which I have ever gazed upon.
12 beers in the full flight sampler
Got to be around 4:30, so we rode back to the trailer to store our foodstuffs and pack up the bikes. Had booked us on the 5:15 ferry across the sound to Whidbey Island. Decided it would be more economical and a lot more fun to travel that way, rather than driving down to Seattle, then back up to cascades park. About 40 boats stacked up in one area, assume they were onto some salmon in that spot.
Front row seating for the ferry ride!
Land Ho!
Arrived on the island about 6pm, still having another couple hours of driving to get into the cascades park. Said our goodbyes to the ocean, which we won’t see again for a couple months..
Finally ran into some rain on the way into the mountains. First rain we have seen in a few weeks. Pulled into the Newhalem campground around 9pm. Plenty of spots to be had and found an easy pull-thru that was nicely level. Enjoyed a most delicious dinner of a salad, smoked oysters with crackers and the main course of salmon and potatoes. We both agreed it was likely the best salmon we ever had. Excited to check out the park the next 2 days…
Up early today after our less than stellar camping location last night. Drove up towards the Sol Duc area of the Olympic Park. Recommended to see the the falls nearby. We hadn’t hiked since last week, so decided on a lengthy one today. First idea on a loop hike wasn’t going to work due to the distance and snow cover on the trail. Second option was a bit shorter and reports showed minimal snow cover.
Couple fawns crossing the road this morning
Started at the Sol Duc trailhead after passing thru the park gate. Most of the rangers have been impressed with our travelling cat. Today’s ranger even came out of the booth to pet Jalapeno, but she wasn’t having any of that. Using up the last month on the annual park pass we have. Really saved us some cash, cause these national parks are around $20 per vehicle. The pass is a great deal if you are planning to see more than a few parks in a year, being only $80 for most folks and seniors get a lifetime pass for only $10, which includes half off camping. AARP lobbying at it’s finest…
Headed off on the trail around 10am, packed up with snacks, lunch and fishing gear. Some rocky terrain for most of the hike, including about 2000 feet of elevation gain. Ran into some remnants of snow.
Took the loop towards deer lake
Sol duc falls rainbow
Appears this tree grew a butt
Made it to deer lake!
Not sure how they pick the person to haul this stuff back down
Beautiful scenery for fishing
Caught 3 of these mini trouts
Hard to pass up a forest lazyboy to enjoy lunch
Mount Olympus about 20 miles away
Great views along the ridge line
Ended our loop hike around 6pm, covering about 14 miles.
Chris, Cindy, Charlie and Cecily’s Adventure Blog 