Ending our 2011 Road Trip

Sinopah boat ride on Two Medicine Lake

Lucy enjoying the boat ride

Glacier sure was beautiful!

Enjoying our last night in Montana

Sunset as we arrived at a campsite on the Lostine River

Lucy loves those goggles

Lucy also loves the tent, and her puppy

Action shot on the Lostine River, NE Oregon

My honey

What a girl!

Again, what a girl!

Almost home...the Columbia River Gorge and Mt Adams in the distance

As with any vacation, our road trip to Montana had to come to an end. As a final Glacier adventure we took a boat ride on Two Medicine Lake in the 1926 boat Sinopah. The ride was fun, and we learned a lot more about the park, both geologically and historically.  Glacier National Park has been a highlight on the list of places I have been. The sheer immensity of the place makes you feel small, but full of life all at once.  It is an inspiring place to be. Sadly, we had to leave. Our last night in Montana was spent in Whitefish, a mountain resort town that would be great in the winter!  We walked to the downtown area and had a fabulous dinner at the Craggy Range Bar and Grill. I still dream about the rib-eye steak I had there. We then went to a brewery and had the game room to ourselves. Lucy loved the table shuffleboard, and Marc, Bob and I enjoyed a few beers.  It reminded us of when we lived in the Arcata area, a small town with an outdoor vibe. When life was so simple and carefree!!! 

Before returning to Portland, we took one last pit stop in Northeastern Oregon, camping for two nights on the Lostine River. Again, beautiful.  It was especially relaxing, staying in the same place and just enjoying each other.  Marc got some fishing in (he was eluded by a large trout that jumped several times right in front of him, all day long). Lucy played in the water, throwing rocks, exploring and just plain being cute. She sure loves to camp.  I caught up on some reading, lost in the series "A Song of Ice and Fire", which I am still deeply entrenched in almost five months later. It's awesome. I was glad we had a bit of time to take a deep breath as a family and reflect on our journey.  We are blessed that we were able to take the time for this trip, and had the resources to make it happen.  I hope that as Lucy grows and time goes by we are able to continue this tradition, exploring the US and making memories together!

Glacier National Park Part 2

Hiking out to Avalanche Lake

A highlight of Glacier is the abundance of crystal clear water.

Happy Family!

Lucy Kat on the Cedar Trail.

Dinner in East Glacier

I'm lucky to have such a great Father in Law

Peaks overlooking Two Medicine Lake

Nice evening playtime

Running Eagle Falls

Lucy said "I do it myself" brave girl!

Hiking to Upper Two Medicine Lake

The glaciers carved these deep, round-bottomed canyons all throughout the park.

At the end of a ten mile hike, feeling of accomplishment.

That's my girl!

After a couple of nights in West Glacier, we headed to East Glacier. Glacier NP is so huge that four days there only let us barely scratch the surface. Sure, we got to drive the amazing Going To The Sun Road, and hike to some beautiful spots, but we left so much of the park unexplored that you could easily spend two weeks there and not get bored. The wildflowers were blooming everywhere, and we saw so much wildlife (but no bears, even though Lucy wanted to see one).  East Glacier is on the Indian Reservation and is much less populated. We went on a ten mile hike and hardly saw anyone! It was in an area frequented by bears which was a bit spooky. Hiking through fields of huckleberries (Lucy loved them!) and cow parsnips, both yummy Grizzly food...I was in charge of heading up our group, and though I often felt silly belting out all of the old camp songs I know, and making up new ones...some silly singing is better then surprising a bear, which happened to a runner elsewhere in the park during the same week. Despite sharing the space with bears, I highly recommend taking the time to visit GNP!