Oh What a Beautiful Day!

This is why we camp: the view from the front door... back door...only door. :)

Several weeks ago, Dan promised me that we would go camping this weekend. (It was largely in compensation for the fact that I didn't get to go to camp for the trail ride last weekend. I offered to let him guest-blog his adventures, but he refused quite emphatically.) So on Friday, we headed out for the Boulder River. Unfortunately, with the holiday weekend, a lot of other people had the same idea. We drove 16 miles on the gravel road before we found an open campsite. 

See "She's Over the Top"

Same river with a lot less water

Once we were settled, we took the ATV's back the 16 miles to Natural Bridge. There we had enough cell service to let our friends know where we were camped, since they were meeting us to ride on Saturday. Of course we had to take some pictures while we were there. Then we rode back to camp and made dinner. 

As it started to get dark, Dan suggested that we go for a night ride. I've never done that, so I agreed. We rode to Box Canyon where there were no lights and no clouds in the sky. We sat for a while just staring up at the countless stars before we went back and went to bed. 

Saturday morning, my alarm woke me up to the sound of raindrops on the camper. (Much, much better than raindrops on the tent!) I figured, "So much for a group ride." But I underestimated our friends. Just as I was finishing my breakfast, everybody pulled up. On to Independence!

The rain made for great puddles, and we had a lot of fun blasting through them. But after a while, as it became obvious that this was NOT a passing shower, the rain became rather tiresome. But since we were already drenched, we rode all the way to the ghost town. As we stood overlooking the valley below Independence, Ronny burst into song: "Oh, what a beautiful morning; oh, what a beautiful day!" It was good for a laugh, but we'd had enough and returned to the camper, where I immediately put on the teakettle. Some hot cider and dry clothes brightened the spirits immensely. Wouldn't you know it ~ the sun came out as we were leaving. A rainbow made a nice ending for the day. 

Fall comes early in the mountains.

Three Lakes and a Little Bear

Kersey Lake

How can it be August already? Our summer is slipping away! Must. Play. OUTSIDE!! But how? We had to spend all day Friday in town, so we didn't have time to take the camper out. Dan's 4-wheeler is in Powell for a little TLC, so we couldn't ride either. Guess it's down to foot-power.

Lillis Lake with Pilot and Index Peaks

We took the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway down to Cooke City and the Clarks Fork Trailhead. Our destination was Lake Vernon, but in reality, this was a "lake hike" from start to finish. From the trailhead, the river just sort of "spread out." The three actual lakes - Kersey, Lillis, and Vernon - were separated by small sections of forest and a lot of marshy stretches. Unfortunately, that much standing water makes for happy, productive mosquitoes. We were swarmed!

When we reached Lake Vernon and sat down on the rocks to eat lunch, the skeeters magically disappeared. Whether it was the sunshine, the breeze, or divine intervention, it was a welcome relief! (Maybe the dragonflies flitting among the water lilies had eaten all the larvae.) Eventually, we returned to the trail and the mosquitoes. 

Lake Vernon

As we came out of the woods into one of the marshy little meadows, Dan stopped abruptly. BEAR! I was thinking "Camera," and while he was, too, he was also wondering, "Where's Mama Bear?" We spent several minutes standing back-to-back carefully scanning the edges of the meadow and the surrounding tree line for the slightest movement. Seeing nothing, we very cautiously crossed the bridge and entered the woods on the other side. Now we were not only looking back and all around, but also up. Black bears do climb trees, and the last thing we needed to do was to "tree" a cub and have him bawl for Mama! But there was no sign of him, so Dan decided that perhaps he was a juvenile, newly independent, who decided just to vacate. Though we stayed on "high alert" for the next quarter-mile, we finished the hike without incident. 

Seven and a half miles of hiking made us hungry, so we went on down into Cooke City, had dinner, and came home over the famous Beartooth Highway. We even got home before dark, for once. 

 

No More Soft Tacos

It has been said that tent campers in grizzly country are just soft tacos for the bears. We have avoided camping in some very beautiful areas such as Red Lodge and the Boulder River valley for just that reason. Well, we are soft tacos no more! We are now the proud owners of a 2015 19ft Jayco Jayflight camper. 

Our very own "private" riverfront property

Woodbine Falls

We bought the camper the weekend before our "city-girl" daughter came to visit, so this was our first chance to get it out. We got to Woodbine Campground just after noon on Friday, so we had several campsites from which to choose. We snagged one right on the river and set up camp. Then it was off on a hike to one of our favorite waterfalls. It was only a four-mile hike, so we were back in plenty of time to start dinner. After supper, we played a game of cribbage (I won - shock, shock!) and roasted marshmallows. 

I can't say that we were up early on Saturday morning: we slept way too well for that. But by 10:30, we were packed up and down the road to the Stillwater River Trailhead. We have been there several times, but had never made it as far as Souix Charley Lake. Now we have. It is three and a half miles to the lake, so we ate our lunch overlooking the tranquil (though not still) water. It's not really a lake, at least not to a Michigan girl. It's more of a wide spot in the river. But it is pretty, nonetheless. 

 Flood Creek

I had read about another waterfall around mile 5 on this hike, so we continued up the trail. There was a waterfall just after we left the lake, but it would have taken some serious bush-whacking to get to. We couldn't even get a picture through the trees. At mile 6, we came to the bridge over Flood Creek. It was a lovely little creek, but not a waterfall by any stretch of the imagination, so we turned back. 

We got back to the truck at about 5 pm. This is where we usually have an hour or more to drive home, then fix something for dinner. But not this time! It just so happened that I had brought about twice as much food for dinner Friday night than what we actually needed, so we cooked that, then left for home with tired feet and happy bellies. 

I just have a feeling that we will be going camping a lot more often now. Stay tuned...

Surely beats an air mattress on hard ground, especially a flat air mattress!

Stillwater River ~ not quite "still"!

"I'm Gonna Die!"

One more post before I have to go back to the real world...

On Thursday, we had one more ghost town in mind for Ashley. Independence is a "local" town about 30 miles up the road from Natural Bridge (see "She's Over the Top"). It has fascinated us for years, but we really had no way to get up there, as it is too far to hike and too rough a road for the pickup. Once we got the ATV's though, Dan and I have made the trip two or three times ("The More the Merrier"). Ashley has been far from enthusiastic about the 4-wheelers, but the desire to see Independence outweighed her fears. She gamely climbed on behind Daddy and held on for dear life. (Dan says he has bruises on his hips from her knees being dug in so deep!)

Despite Ashley's common refrain ~ "I'm gonna die!" ~ we made the trip without incident. We peeked into the buildings and worked our way up a little waterfall that was above the town. Then we went as far up the road as we could on the machines. Another guy in a Jeep had gotten stopped by the same snowbank, and Dan started chatting with him. I took the camera and wandered off. I kept expecting Dan and Ashley to catch up, but I wasn't particularly worried when they didn't. I meandered my way back to the road, figuring that now I would have to catch up to them. But I couldn't see them anywhere on the plateau. I kept walking, thinking that they had to be out in front of me... somewhere. Finally, I gave up and turned back. I wasn't concerned about getting lost - I could follow the road. However, this IS grizzly country, and I was hiking alone and unarmed. (Now I was the one thinking, "I'm gonna die!") One can imagine my relief upon seeing them up ahead waiting for me. 

Dan and Ashley spotted this showoff
while I was headed off on my own
little adventure on the plateau. 

By now, it was late afternoon, so we made our way back down the mountain and to the truck. As we were nearing Natural Bridge and pavement, the chances of seeing wildlife were getting slimmer all the time. Ashley had been disappointed that we had spent nearly a week in prime country for large mammals and had seen nothing bigger than deer. I was praying that we would see something special in those last few moments. That was when Ashley spotted a moose down in a tree-lined marsh. Dan stopped the truck and we walked back with the camera. This was special indeed ~ Mama Moose had twin calves with her! She watched us  watching her, but seemed totally unconcerned about our presence. We spent probably five to ten minutes just relishing the peaceful scene. It was a great ending to a good week with our girl. 

Magic moment...

Chasing Ghosts (Part 3 of 3)

Our daughter Ashley has always shared our interest in ghost towns, so when we mentioned the idea of stopping at Garnet on the way home from Glacier, she jumped at the opportunity. We regretfully said goodbye to the park and started our very scenic drive back in the general direction of I-90. We found the signs directing us to Garnet, which was a good thing since it wasn't very clear on either the map or the gps. The road turned to gravel within a couple miles of leaving the highway, but it wasn't too bad. Before long, we were in the parking lot. We quickly gobbled down snacks, then hit the trail. Soon we were standing on the ridge overlooking the 1890's mining town.  

We made our way down the hill, snagged an interpretive map, and began exploring. Due to inconspicuous preservation, the place retains the feel of a ghost town, yet it is safe to go into some of the buildings. We could, in fact, go all the way to the third floor of the hotel. (Some of the cabins are even available for rent!) After completing our tour of the town, we went back across the parking lot to the Sierra Mine Loop Trail. One has to admire the hard work that those men did - mostly by hand. 

While Coloma is not as well-preserved as Garnet, there were parts
of at least twenty buildings still standing. 

We had enough daylight left to back-track to another nearby ghost town - Coloma. This one is not preserved, so the buildings are in various stages of decay. Needless to say, we did not go into any of these buildings. However, without the preservation and marketing, Coloma is not as often visited as Garnet. Therefore, we had the place all to ourselves. It was peaceful and quiet in the late afternoon sun, and even without the artifacts and interpretive signs, it wasn't hard to imagine life in days gone by. 

Eventually, Dan pointed out the time, so we reluctantly got back in the truck to return to the 21rst century. The gravel road leading away from the the ghost towns had me concerned for a while, but there were frequent signs assuring us (ok, me) that we could indeed get back to the interstate. It was late when we finally got home, but it was worth it. I am already wondering when we can do it again!

Avalanche Lake (Part 2 of 3)

Me and my girl

Several of our fellow passengers on the Red Bus (see Part 1) had made the hike to Avalanche Lake. They told us that with the limited time we had, it was a "must do"! We slept in a little later than our early start on day 1, but soon enough we were back in the Park. We took the free shuttle (highly recommended) to the parking lot at the trail head and began the two and a half mile trek. The trail followed the roaring creek through the towering cedars. The lake, when we reached it, took away what little breath I had left! Waterfalls cascaded down from the remaining snowpack all around the cirque surrounding the lake. 

The cold water actually felt good on our hot, tired feet, and Ashley and I sat for quite a while on a rock out in the lake and soaked up the sun and the view. (Dan found someone on the shore willing to talk, so he was ok.) Eventually, we put our shoes back on and started back. We certainly didn't want to miss the last shuttle back to the parking lot where we left the truck!

Once again, we got dinner and headed back out to the North Fork. While we never saw anything bigger than a chipmunk, it was still a beautiful evening for a drive through gorgeous woods and meadows.

Unfortunately, two days is just not enough time to do the park justice, but we will definitely be planning a return visit! 

Ramblings from a Red Bus (Part 1 of 3)

Bird Woman Falls

This week, we made our first-ever trip to Glacier National Park. Knowing that the driver, whomever that might be, has to watch the road, not the scenery, we decided to invest in tickets to ride one of the historic Red Buses. It was worth every penny! Our driver, Gus, "made" the trip for us! He was informative and entertaining. He made all of the "planned" stops, as well as some stops that are not on every driver's itinerary. When traffic allowed, he stopped the bus so that we could stand up through the open roof and take pictures. (If you ever go, ASK FOR GUS!!!)

Jackson Glacier 

After eight hours on the bus, we grabbed dinner and set out to explore on our own. Ashley had read in the park newspaper that the North Fork has the highest concentration of bears, wolves, and moose in the park, so we wandered that way. Unfortunately, all we saw was deer. But it was a pretty evening for a drive. We ended up in the tiny town of Polebridge ~ tiny even by Montana standards. I was ready to call it a day, but it was only six more miles out to a lake, so we took a really bumpy, narrow road out to the Bowman Campground. It was getting dark, but there was still enough light for photos of the lake and surrounding mountains. On the way back out, we got just enough rain to create brilliant double rainbows. It was a fitting end to a very full day. 

Bowman Lake

A family of mountain goats

Triple Arches

This just might be my favorite picture out of the 500 we took!