Do any of you remember Sheriff John and his song…. “Put another candle on your birthday cake, your birthday cake, your birthday cake, put another candle on your birthday cake, your another year old today….Happy Birthday to you, you’re another year old today”. Well, you had to grow up in Southern California in the 60s to remember him.
We are celebrating the 100th birthday of the National Parks by heading to Glacier then Yellowstone and points south. Actually, Glacier National Park is (let’s see…. 2,016 – 1,910= …) 106 years old since it was founded in 1910. But enough math…..
Our first order of business was a stopover in Waits Lake Washington to meet up with my Brother/Sister. We are caravanning together east to Glacier and then south to Yellowstone. There we will part ways as they head home to prepare for winter and we will continue south along the Caribou Tarhgee National Forest and finally west through Idaho and eastern Oregon then back home to the Seattle area. I estimated around 3,000 miles and 21-26 days. We had originally planned to visit the Grand Tetons but recent fires have altered our course. We will visit it another time.
After a short stay at Waits Lake, we headed east to Highway 2 through Bonners Ferry Idaho and over to Montana. Our first stop was a campground by the Kootenai River – strangely called the Kootenai River Campground. It was a nice overnight stop but noisy from the highway traffic and trains. We hiked down to the river and spent the rest of the evening sitting by our campfire and sharing stories. A great way to start the trip relaxed.
Kootenai River
First Night at the Kootenai River Campground – One Airstream, One Nash and a lots of fun
The next morning, around 9:00, we saw our first black bear just outside of Troy along the roadside. This trip is starting out right, terrific views, wildlife and decent weather. Further down the road we came upon a huge moose wandering along the road towards the lake.
We arrived at Glacier Campground in West Glacier around 1:00. We quickly made camp and headed out to the park and grab us some maps and info.
Glacier was beautiful, even in drippy skies. A hike to rock point on Lake McDonald helped to loosen up our knees. The lake was fantastic and views went on and on.
We were excited to book a tour on the Park’s Red Bus going to the pass, or “going to the sun” and I am glad I didn’t drive. As I would have been tight knuckled on the steering wheel and unable to see the tremendous views. Although, the summit was cold and blowing snow at around 40mph. A great trip….highly recommend it.
