The Lakes are Calling! (Polson, Montana Post)

This morning, we left the area of Glacier National Park, and headed back to the main highway.  We were all sad to leave, but we knew it was time to move on...sorta...  

It was a beautiful, calm, clear day on the road toward Browning.  

The trains (this one is a double decker) seem to go on forever! 

We drove down Marias Pass, which marks the continental divide.  We also visited a spot on the goat's trails in the spring, and saw a mountain goat and her baby walking along a ridge.  The spot is home o a natural salt lick for the goats.   Driving past the entrance for West Glacier and the western side of the park, we decided that Glacier was "calling us back", so we turned around and headed into the park.  We packed a picnic lunch of sorts and enjoyed the serene beauty of Lake McDonald.  It was quite pleasant, except for the flies.  There were so many of them flying around and landing everywhere.

My view while eating lunch!

The water was a pretty blue and was very clear.  

Is the water cold yet, Karen?

One of my favorite pictures for the day.  

Giant Cedar tree near the Lake McDonald lodge.  

Fire Master Rick near the fireplace in the lodge.  

The amazing ceiling and lights in the lodge.   

After visiting the lodge, we reluctantly said good-bye to Glacier and to make our way to the Bison Range to settle "The Great Buffalo/Bison Dispute."

Earlier, the Pressure Pro tire pressure monitor warned us of low tire pressure.  (Thanks, Gerry and Margie; it has saved us twice!)  We stopped at the Les Schwab Tire Center, to fix the issue - a screw in our tire.

Harvey thanks the Les Schwab Tire Center, and Gerry and Margie! 

As we were driving, we passed the gargantuan Flathead Lake.  It is about 36 miles in length.  Beautiful mountains form a stunning backdrop.

Can you spot the mushroom?

After our detour to the tire center, we realized that we would be arriving at the campground much to late to cook dinner.  We stopped at Richwine's Burgerville.  It only was a drive-thru window, and Harvey couldn't fit, so I knocked something off my bucket list...walk through the drive-thru window.

We ate cheeseburgers, fries, and onion rings with huckleberry shakes to drink.  Yum!

The Big Blue Sky and Glacier National Park (Saint Mary, Montana Just Outside of Glacier Post)

Today, I had a lot of fun manipulating the sky to give different effects to my photos.  We also reached Glacier National Park, the place I was looking forward to seeing most on this trip!  Not to mention we have crossed the Continental Divide.  Water on the East side flows to the Atlantic, and water on the West side flows to the Pacific.  

For dinner tonight, we ate at the Many Glacier Lodge.  The food was delicious!  The architecture of the building was amazing!  It had logs forming like a timber-frame, and had some of the largest fireplaces imaginable.  I found the atmosphere quite cozy!

Reflection on a lake

We stopped to let Timber run, and I caught this action-shot mid-leap.  Timber is smiling, and it is the perfect picture of doggie happiness.  

One of the dead trees had pinecones left on it, so I shot upwards at the pinecones from the ground, giving them the pretty blue sky and fluffy white clouds as a background.  

Finally, we reached Glacier National Park!  The Park was established in 1910.  (I will give more history tomorrow; its late, I am tired, and will have a busy day tomorrow.)

My Dad took this picture, and I liked it better than any of mine, so I will put this in the spotlight instead! :)

A MOOSE!  This was the second moose we saw today, but my picture of the first moose didn't come out.  

We took a detour toward the Canadian border and boy did it pay off!  

It became a faint double rainbow!

And eventually, you could see the whole arch.  Faintly, but it was there!

A deer in the field.

The setting sun's reflection over Saint Mary's Lake

The sunset as seen out our RV's door!


Good news!  I discovered how to turn off the prove you are a robot thing on the comments!  I trust none of your are robots...

Tomorrow, we are heading back to Glacier, so look for my next post with the history of the park, and more pictures!

A Tale of Broken iPods, Buffalo Wings, and Niagara Falls (Buffalo, NY post)

Karen broke her iPod about a week ago by dropping it on the pavement, so today we found ourselves in the Buffalo Apple Store receiving a replacement.  It was quick and by the time we finished near lunchtime.  If it didn't break and if we didn't stop, we wouldn't have visited Niagara Falls on this trip.  Good things really do come out of unfortunate events.


For lunch, we had Buffalo Wings at the birthplace of Buffalo Wings, Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar on Main Street in Buffalo.

Then, we reached Niagara Falls.  We embarked on the Cave of the Wind walk.  It was awe-inspiring to walk so close to Niagara Falls and feel the water as it cascades down the rocks and spray the observation platforms.  As I was walking, I realized that Niagara Falls was truly one of God's miracles.
Imagine, 75,000 gallons per second cascade down American Falls.  These pictures really don't give credit to the beauty and majesty of Niagara Falls, but here they are.

This is the Observation Platform for the Cave of the Wind Walk.  

Rainbow Bridge (the bridge linking the US and Canada), the Observation Tower, and American Falls.

American Falls in the foreground and off on the right side in the background, Horseshoe Falls.  

Out of all of the many pictures I took today, this next one must be my favorite!