Two Medicine

We were fortunate to secure a premier campsite for four days and nights at Two Medicine Campground in Glacier National Park. It afforded gorgeous views from 3 sides. To our west, we saw Mt. Sinopah towering above Two Medicine Lake.

We spotted a bear meandering the mountainsides to our north each evening. He was at a safe distance…we used binoculars to watch him hunt for berries. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights we were in awe as the full moon rose from behind the mountains to our south.

And of course, there was lots of walking…

The trailhead to one of Bill’s favorite hikes was not far from our campsite, and even though it was one of those “strenuous” trails, I agreed to go with him. The hike is called “Scenic Point”, and depending on what sign/book you read, it is either 3.1 miles up the mountain, or 3.8. I go with the 3.8, as it seemed like we would never get there! The elevation increase was 2350’, so it was challenging (for me), but the vistas were amazing. I particularly like the wildflowers that rivaled anything one can see at Longwood Gardens. I even liked the dead trees!

It was very cold and windy at the top, so we donned our jackets and sweatpants there. Look at this view…

Today we will enter Canada, where we believe Internet access and phone service will become even more challenging. No matter what, though, we will find a way to wish our precious daughter a happy birthday tomorrow!

Glacier National Park

We made it to Glacier National Park on Monday afternoon and were suitably awed by the glorious mountains surrounding us! Unfortunately, the campground where we wanted to stay was full. No matter…Bill found a dirt road outside the park and pulled off next to a stream.

One of the nice things about our motorhome is that we need no hook-ups. Our water is heated by propane, so our shower is always ready. We keep a well-stocked refrigerator, and our propane stove is used to make dinner or to heat up water for making coffee in our French press. Usually the only time we need electricity is when I want to blow-dry my hair, and I simply turn on the generator for that.

So here we were, by ourselves in another free campsite. Well, almost by ourselves..there were a few people cooling themselves off in the stream. It was a really hot day…mid 90’s…and no one around here has air conditioning. The nights, even on very hot days, drop down to the 40’s or 50’s. The “warm season” only lasts a few weeks, so installing air conditioning wouldn’t make sense.

I began making a meat sauce for our spaghetti dinner using the last of our 2011 frozen tomatoes (Claire and Brenden are harvesting and freezing the 2012 crop while we’re away. Thank you, dears!). Bill ventured outside to talk to a Native American/Indian (not sure which term is PC) family who was wading in the stream. Before they left the lady picked me a small bouquet of wildflowers called Indian Paintbrush, and the gentleman picked us some serviceberries. He did warn us that bears like serviceberries too. Great.

Tuesday we secured a campsite at Two Medicine Campgrounds inside Glacier National Park. We will stay here until Saturday. There is no Internet access at the campgrounds, though, and we drove to the Glacier Park Lodge so I could catch up with things. The national park inns are stunning, so even if you’re not the camping kind, look into staying at one of the inns/lodges if you'd like to experience these spectacular venues.

And, yes, we’re still hiking. Bill and I hiked around 5 miles yesterday to see Aster Falls. That wasn’t enough for him, though, and up a mountain he went later in the afternoon. These mountains feed his soul…he is certainly in his element…and I am happy to share this time with him.

Montana!

Last evening we found a beautiful place to camp, Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area. Not only was it beautiful, but we were the only ones there...and it was free to boot! Bill does have a way of finding these gems. In the distance we could see the mountains of Glacier National Park, which is where we are headed next. Here's a photo of the sunset we enjoyed:

Before stopping for the night, we decided to visit the Montana State Fair, thinking it would be spectacular. We were very unimpressed. Maryland's fair is much larger, and has much more to see and do. Bill reminded me that the entire state of Montana has less than a million people. Oh well, at least we experienced some suitably greasy fair food. Bill had the usual sausage sandwich, and I had a Viking...a large deep fried meatball. I have to admit, it was very yummy! So my day started with a German schnecken for breakfast, and ended with a Norwegian Viking for dinner. It's a good thing I'm hiking most days!

Back Online II

I have to admit, it has been a bit disconcerting not to be able to connect to the Internet the past few days. We could text a bit, and for some reason, I could always play Words with Friends, but I could not get online to update this blog or read my email.

We just left Yellowstone yesterday, after spending 6 days there. Again, I can't express enough how beautiful and diverse the nature is in this park! A few days ago we walked along the Upper Geyser Basin, which is near Old Faithful; I had forgotten how many geysers Yellowstone actually has. One of our favorites is called Punch Bowl Geyser.

Bill and I were thrilled when, looking at Black Sand Pool Geyser, we heard a "thump, thump, thump" under the ground. Seconds later, the geyser erupted!

And, of course, we never tire of seeing Old Faithful erupt! We watched it the other evening from the deck of the Old Faithful Inn, a spectacle in itself.

As we made our way out of the park, a couple more wildlife photo ops occurred.

Beartooth Highway, which reaches an elevation of 10, 947 feet, took us out of Wyoming and into Montana. Quite the views!

Last night we stayed in Red Lodge, Montana, and had dinner and some beers at Foster & Logan's Pub. It was our first opportunity to watch the Olympics...men's gymnastics was awesome. We also saw Michael Phelps come in fourth...what's up with that???

This morning I walked along the main street in search of some coffee and came upon a quaint bakery, oddly enough called City Bakery. Along with a very large coffee, I indulged in my first schnecken, a delicious, buttery pastry.

Today we will make our way through Montana enroute to Glacier National Park. We are in no hurry, though, so we will stop when we want...and, of course, when we see a quilt shop:)

Yellowstone National Park

If you have never visited Yellowstone, you really must plan to do so. It has it all: waterfalls, lakes, wildlife, hot springs, geysers, mountains, wildflowers, mud volcanoes, fumaroles, rivers...and hiking and walking trails to see everything! My photos won't do it justice, but here are a few of the falls:

And some amazing colors of a hot spring:

And, finally, the least stressful traffic jam we've ever been in...

During the last 5 days, we have hiked 28.85 miles! I've described these hikes/walks on a separate page on this blog, if you're interested. Today I sent Bill on  his way to take a hike alone, so I can do laundry, work on my blog, and rest my weary legs! When he returns we'll do some easy walks around Old Faithful and continue to enjoy all that Yellowstone has to offer.

Back Online

Blogging is very difficult to do without an Internet connection! I have a lot of catching up to do...

My stay in Salt Lake City was fabulous. The area in which I stayed, Temple Square, was very safe, clean, and pedestrian-friendly. I spent the day Friday at the Family History Library, which is run by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is the largest library of its kind in the world. The guides and volunteers there were very helpful and my research led me to some new information about my family. There on the shelves, was a book entitled, The Descendants of Abel Huse of Newbury, (of which I am one!) The book was published before my mother was born, so her name is not in it, but my grandmother's name is! Abel Huse came to the Massachusetts colony from England in the early 1600's. I also discovered a little known fact about my father's family...his father, my Grandfather Sobieski, was born in Poland! Everyone assumed he was born in Baltimore, but I found a passenger list that confirms he came to America when he was one year old. There is still much to discover about my ancestors, and I will definitely continue my genealogy studies in the future.

Bill arrived in Salt Lake City mid-afternoon, and from there we headed north to Preston, Idaho to visit a quilt shop (isn't he a good guy?) We found a quiet (and free!) place to camp along the Idaho/Wyoming border.

Our next stop was Grand Teton National Park. What a beautiful area! Bill and I decided to take a hike to Amphitheatre Lake, a hike we took 30 years ago. I have to admit, I had a bit of trepidation as I read the description in the park brochure: “STRENUOUS; 10.1 miles roundtrip; ascent 3150’; bears seen frequently on this trail”. Bill assured me I was fit enough to take this hike, and that we would not see any bears. My legs did fine, but my breathing was labored for much of the walk up to the lake, ( I am blaming it on the altitude; we started at 6548’ and ended at 9698’). Although Bill didn’t need to, we rested often on our way up, and I was really happy to finally see that lake, where we sat and ate our lunch.

 I wasn’t tired yet, so I knew the trip down would be much easier. And easier it was until…

It started to rain about two miles into our descent…and we had forgotten to pack our rain gear. It was a gentle rain, and I didn’t mind being wet. About three miles down, we saw that the hikers in front of us had stopped. Quietly they informed us there was a black bear munching on some berries near the trail. Yep, there it was, the bear Bill told me I wouldn’t see, as big as life!

Eventually, there were about 15 of us hikers gathered as we watched the bear cross the trail and then cross back again, never going very far away. Finally, a gentleman with a can of bear spray calmly walked down the trail, passing by the bear. The bear paid him no mind, so the rest of us traveled as a group and did the same. Well, I looked calm, but I didn’t feel calm as I saw the massive beast in my peripheral vision!

Then, of course, it started to rain harder. By the time we were back to the RV, we were soaked. But we took hot showers right there, put on our dry clothes, and began the cocktail hour!

I’m glad my body that is 30 years older than the first time I hiked that trail, could still get up the mountain, even though it probably took me twice as long. It was certainly a hike to remember!

Westward Ho!

Bill DeRose’s wanderlust is legendary. Almost every summer since he graduated from high school, Bill has either hitchhiked or driven his way to the Rocky Mountains. At the time I met Bill, I had very little travel experience save for the annual trips to Ocean City, Maryland. When he invited me to accompany him out West the summer of 1980, I was filled with excitement and anticipation. Since I had a graduate class to finish first, I flew out to meet him in Texas in mid-July. At that time Bill owned the “Luxury Camper”, a used VW pop-up camper with no running water or AC. I’ll never forget my first night of camping. It was in a primitive campground in Big Bend National Park, and it had to be 110°. I didn’t realize what “primitive” meant, but quickly found out when it was time to “bathe”. Bill handed me a milk jug filled with water. “What do I do with that?” I asked. “Pour half of it over you, soap up, and use the other half to rinse off,” he answered.

I learned many other creative ways to bathe that summer, such as sneaking into the showers at Yellowstone Lodge, swimmimg in a lake, or using coin-operated bath facilities (it’s important not to run out of quarters before you’ve rinsed off). What can I say… I was in love…and the beauty of the West and the fun we were having made it all worthwhile.

There were subsequent trips out West together, the last few with children…enough said. Summer work, the kids’ activities, and my various avocations ended our family trips, but Bill could always find a buddy to travel with him.

But now, I’m retired!!!! And the kids are grown!!! Westward Ho!!

This summer’s plans start in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am flying there today and will visit the Family History Library tomorrow to do some genealogy research. Bill is currently in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and he will pick me up in SLC tomorrow evening. I am very grateful I didn’t have to make the long drive across the Midwest!Our goals for this trip are to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in Wyoming; Glacier National Park in Montana; and Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. These were some of my favorite places on previous excursions, and I can’t wait to experience them without children and with our own bathroom!