September 28
We had a fabulous breakfast of huckleberry pancakes at the Huckleberry Patch and then headed into the park to take a back, dirt and bumpy road to Bowman Lake. This is one of the parks least visited areas. The ride was rough but worth the trip as this spectacular lake nestled in the mountains was waiting for us.
We headed back to the park and North to the trail head for Avalanche Lake. The sign said it was a 2.5 mile walk...we figured, that's easy so off we went only to discover the climb was steep, covered by huge pines, rocks, streams and scary because a mountain lion was recently spotted AND a grizzly bear! At times I wanted to pull back but we were on a mission to see the lake. And we did it! And again, it was so worth it and the trip down was far easier than the trip up!
We will so miss the view of this mountain as we say goodbye and headed home this morning. As I type this last blog entry from our trip to Yellowstone, Alaska and Glacier, we are camped at Glaskow, MT very close to the Canadian border. We are high on a hill, over looking a valley that goes on forever and the winds are howling. Yesterday there was an earthquake nearby but tonight we had a fun dinner at the Cottonwood Inn and RV park. They had the BEST coconut cream pie which ends our trip on a very high note. What a great adventure we've had. We sure love retirement and RV'ing in our camper.
September26 and 27
We arrived at the KOA in West Glacier and it's a terrific park. Not too busy this time of year, but that's OK with us. They had a special, stay 2 nights and the third night is free. Well, we ended up staying 4 nights .... we just couldn't leave the park. This is our favorite park ever AND it is more beautiful than anything we saw in Alaska!
We think AK is overrated, but maybe it was because we were there so late in the season. None the less, we spent the first day visiting Apgar Village, having lunch at McDonald lodge and making the scary but magnificent drive on the Going to the Sun highway to Logan Pass. The pass was closed but we were able to get to the top with me leaning in all the way and gripping the door handle, as the narrow road took us to the pass. A harrowing 30 mile ride on a gorgeous day. What a road! The scenery was breathtaking...probably because I was holding my breath most of the trip up.
We saw a mom with 2 spotted fawns which was fun. Of course, I had to buy the last copy of
"The Night of the Grizzlies" which was a book that was read when we climbed Sperry Glacier and stayed overnight with the kids about 30 years ago. It's about two girls from Minnesota who were killed by grizzly bears. Scary huh?
We had texted with friend Faye, who was in desperate need of some Huckleberry Jam...so off we went the next day to find the best deal on jam. Everything in this area is huckleberry, from coffee to syrup to lip gloss.
We traveled off to explore Whitefish, MT on day two as it was dreary and raining. As we crossed over the main bridge in this small town, a black bear (about 350 #) crossed in front of us and headed downtown through the parking lot where people were sitting having coffee with their dogs and iPhones. Yikes! Talk about local wildlife. The police car that was trying to figure out what to do next, had traffic in termoil.
We took a quick side trip on the way home to the Hungary Horse Dam and were amazed as the damage done by fires around the reservoir.
Of course, we found the best deal on the jam at Costco when we were getting gas!
September 19, 2014
Here are a few of our observations and fun things we discovered from our first and probably last trip to Alaska:
We brought way to many clothes and had to buy a third suitcase for souvenirs
We had fabulous weather and fortunately, didn't need the rain suits we bought
We saw Mt McKinley --- a rare occurrence for visitors to Denali Park
We learned a ton about the gold rush, the tribes who lived in AK and life today in AK
So many young, college girls driving the luxury tour buses --- a great way to earn money for college
The emense amount of rock, lakes, braided rivers filled with 'glacier silt' and the number of glaciers
The friendliness of the people who live in this barren, rugged, cold and dark climate
The lack of wild animals...we thought we'd see more!
Seeing the salmon in the Ketchikan river who have returned to their birthplace after 3 - 4 years, laid their eggs and then died in a big pile
All of the wonderful people we met
We toured by ship, boat, trains, cars, buses and planes to see this vast 49th state.
September 25, 2014
So the stock market is tanking and yet we are surrounded by majesty and beauty as we camped once again on the Spokane River in Coeur D'Alene, ID and then headed this morning to Glacier Park. So much for something we have no control over....we are going to enjoy the moment and beauty.
The scenery is more beautiful and spectacular than Alaska to us and the cost far cheaper! We pulled into the campsite tonight at the KOA in West Glacier around 5 p.m. This campground will close on Sunday, so it's stay 2 nights and get the third night free...well, I guess we'll stay for 3 nights. This is by far our most favorite park ever. It's been 30+ years since we were here with the kids and climbed to Sperry Glacier for an overnight. Excited that tomorrow, we will take the car and do the 'going to the sun highway'. This is some of the best scenery in the world....we are having a love affair with this area.
We pulled over and had a fun lunch on the river today, our colds are finally getting better and life is really good. Sometimes, I think I could really become a full timer.
It 's so great to have our camper with all the comforts of home. We met a guy tonight who is a retired Navy JAG Commander and he's full-timing it touring all the national parks. He just flew his sis and nephew out for the weekend to tour the park. We've been invited for drinks tomorrow. Wonder if his JAG experience was anything like my old favorite JAG show???
Last night we rented a Redbox and saw my favorite, Kevin Costner in Draft Day. Really an eye opener to the dynamics of the NFL draft.
Fall in Glacier is great...no crowds, lots of open spaces at the campground, so no crowds, low rates and warm, sunny temps. Kalispell is a cute, old-West town, which we will explore more later, as we hunt for huckleberry everything...jelly, jam, malts, etc. Seems to be the thing here in this area. Flathead Lake is so beautiful with huge mountains surrounding the turquoise waters. It's definitely the area for the rich and famous. Wow, amazing houses nestled on mountain tops and sprawling lodges on the lakeshore.
It gets dark early as the sun sets behind the mountains so quickly. We did get a walk in around the park, to the K9 Kamp ground and met a few of the neighbors. We sure love this retirement and camping! Our rig is pulling great and fortunately we aren't having any issues, which makes the day go great.
September 23, 2014
Not sure where the time went....but we had so much fun with the Seattle kids. Sure wish they lived closer. Becky and Jared are great hosts and the kids are adorable, smart, wild and crazy and keep us all hopping. Of course they are brilliant, loving and the goodbye is just so hard. Spoken like a true grandparent huh? It was such a special birthday for me to be able to celebrate with the family here. Brody sang, "happy birthday", Becky and I had a girls day with lunch, pedi's and a wonderful catch up. Maycen made a special 'butterfly' for my garden and I had my first-ever homemade birthday cake that caused a "party in Maycen's tummy" when mixed with a glass of milk.
It was so great that the kids graciously kept Willie while we were on the cruise. We spent yesterday looking at new campers....just incase, but frankly, we love our camper and if we had a truck to pull it, the going would be better and easier. We'll be sad to leave the Army Travel Camp on American Lake...we've got a great spot but we'll be back! We are still trying to recover from this crazy cold/cough thing...could it be the Entrovirses? Seriously, nasty! Good thing we are done with ships and airplanes as we probably would be banned from boarding!
I spent the last two nights sleeping at Becky's house, so I could watch the kids for her since she had to work from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Jared is in Charlotte, NC, doing training for the franchise they are purchasing. Gil and Willie shared a power nap as we relaxed at the camper.
It's been such a special and treasured time, but now it's raining, so it's time to move on. We were going to go to Olympia Park to camp with Becky and kids, but rain is scheduled for the next few days and that doesn't make for good camping. We'll head instead towards Coeur d'Alene, ID and then North to Glacier Park. We've had a great stay here and been lucky to have lots of sun and warm temps. The pitter pat of rain on the camper roof makes for great sleeping! Already missing these kids.
September 18, 2014
After our second day in Denali park, we boarded a luxury coach and headed further into the Yukon towards Fairbanks. We had an amazing view of the mountain and were overwhelmed at the size of this magnificent mountain even though it was probably 120 miles away. Apparently, we are now part of a very small group of people who come to Alaska, who actually get to see the mountain.
We arrived at the Chena River and the Discovery Riverboat where we had a lovely, warm day on this paddle wheel cruising the narrow river and stopping along the way to watch a sled dog camp where dogs pulled an ATV. Boy do they love to run! You can almost hear them saying, "pick me, pick me".
We had a nummy family style beef stew lunch, roasted root veggies and a nummy salad with a not-so-needed dense brownie. This boat has been on the river for generations. We stopped along the way to listen to narratives about the life of the Athabaska tribe, as we watched salmon filleting, drying hides, hunting and techniques about making clothes.
We opted out of the -40 degree room...really? We live in Minnesota and -40 isn't worth it in September.
The last night of our trip and we have a 3 a.m. wake up call to catch our flight to Seattle. Maybe we'll see the Northern lights....no such luck! Will read 'The Women of the Yukon' on the plane.
September 17, 2014
We boarded a fancy type school bus that is used in the park to reduce emissions and congestion. There hasn't been any congestion since we were the last boat North and Denali park will close in two days. We had some funny lunches in a box and were thrilled when we saw a big grizzly bear on a far off hill and then saw a mom moose and her calf. It was a clear and sunny day...did I mention we have been so lucky with the weather?
Fortunately, we could sleep, even though we didn't have the rocking of the ship to put us to sleep. We requested a wake up call if the Northern lights were visible, but to our chagrin, no call. We toured a sled dog park, where a new pup was born about 2 months ago and watched a demonstration about how sled dogs are still used in the park. While the park is open all year, sled dogs, cross country skis and snowmobiles along with snow shoes are the only mode of transportation.
There were lots of clouds surrounding Mt. McKinley, so we were unable to have a good view:=(
September 16, 2014
We had a good night's sleep and are feeling much better. We boarded the double decker, domed McKinley Explorer to Denali Park. This so far, has been the very best part of the trip. It's an amazing train that offers delicious food and scenery beyond your imagination. Unfortunately, we have yet to see any big wildlife. Actually, we haven't seen much small stuff either. A coupla eagles and three snow geese were about it on the train.
We checked into the Denali Wilderness Lodge (also owned by the cruise lines) and were surprised in our packet to find $100 worth of food coupons. We had a fun dinner with our friends and rejoiced that we were feeling much better.
