August 7 - Des Moines, IA to Wauseon, OH

Since we didn't stop to see anything along the way, we decided to give you our reflections on the trip.

1. It was nice to be gone long enough and without cell and email service to not be able to tell what day of the week each day was.
2. Glacier National Park was everything we had read and heard about but  so much more. That might have been because we hiked the trails and got into the haeart of the park. We also saw a lot of wildlife while we hiked and talked to a lot of interesting people.

3. We highly recommend staying at Mini Golden Inns in Hungry Horse, MT. Rick, the owner has a neat sense of humor that comes out every so often. The rooms was extremely clean and was only 9 miles from the West entrance to Glacier. That was very convenient because we visited the park very often in our 5 days there. We could take off for the park in the morning, come back in the afternoon and then go back into the park for the evening.
4. We also recommend eating at the Glacier Grill, a couple miles east of Hungry HOrse on the way to Glacier. Lots of different types of food.
5. Our Yellowstone experience was so different than Glacier because we rode more than hiked. We were only at Yellowstone for 2 days so we didn't have the luxury of the time to hike. We wanted to ride the whole park because the last time we were in Yellowstone, we didn't see the Northeast corner because it was closed.

6. Pahaska Tepee is also a place we recommend you spend some time at. It's just a couple of miles east of the East Entrance to Yellowstone. However, it was still about 30 miles ride just to get to the 1st intersection in Yellowstone called Fishing Bridge. The roads were great riding roads, lots of curves. Pahaska Tepee was also a restaurant with good food (remember that HUGE pancake?).
7. We've driven Yellowstone and now riden Yellowstone. Riding is definitely our first choice, especially with the great weather we had.
8. Enjoyed having some extra time on the way home to stop at some of the sites like the Buffalo Bill Cody Heritage Center, Ft. Larimie, and Pararie Town. Broke up the drive back.
9. Neither of us had driven west on I80. Nebraska had more trees and rolling land than we thought. Iowa wasn't all corn like we had heard and we also liked that we didn't have to fight the traffic in Chicago.
10. Since we trailered our bikes, we took along some audiobooks that helped pass the time as we rolled along the highway.

Well, that's it for this trip. Can't wait for the next one.

August 6 - Lexington, NE to De Moines, IA

Continued our trip on the Oregon Trail. We stopped at the historic Ft. Kearny in Nebraska. By 1949, 4,000 wagons had passed the fort mostly on their way to California. This was an example of a blacksmith house with a sod roof.

Next we stopped at the Stuhr Museum of the Prarie Pioneer in Grand Island, Nebraska. This is a restored 1870-1890 railroad town that portrayed Nebraska early settlements. Of course, Peg had to shop in the millinary shop (hats).

It was really interesting to step back in history and experience what life was like on Nebraska plains.

But if we are ever going to get home again, we needed to get back on the road. Drove past a "farm" of windmills along i80 and made it to Des Moines, IA. Tomorrow, we're on to Illinois, Indiana and maybe Ohio.

August 5 - Douglas, WY to Lexington, NE

I'm going to see if I can post from my phone again. Left Douglas, WY. Stopped in Guernsey to view a piece of the past...the Oregon Trail.  We saw the ruts where the settler's wagons drove heading for the West. These ruts were 5' deep through sandstone. We also saw the Register Cliffs where settlers carved their names and dates as they went on their way west.

Next we stopped at Fort Larmie. the military post, was founded in 1849 when the army purchased the old Fort John for $4000, and began to build a military outpost along the Oregon Trail. For many years, the Plains Indians and the travelers along the Oregon Trail had coexisted peacefuly. As the numbers of emigrants increased, however, tensions between the two cultures began to develop. To help insure the safety of the travelers, Congress approved the establishment of forts along the Oregon Trail and a special regiment of Mounted Riflemen to man them. Fort Laramie was the second of these forts to be established. We walked around the many buildings that have been restored and some that are in ruin. At one time there were over 700 military men along with some wives and laundresses.

We recommend that when you plan to be in Wyoming you save time to visit both of these sites. We really enjoyed reading about the past and seeing some of the evidence.

After that stop we continued on our way and stopped in Lexington, NE for the night. As we were coming back from dinner, I took this beautiful western sunset.

August 4 - Left Yellowstone, Headed for Douglas Wyoming

Here are the pics I added August 5 because we have fast Internet ... woohoo!

Well, we’re on the way home so there’s not a lot to tell you. Except that we stopped at Buffalo Bill Cody’s Heritage Center in Cody, WY. If you’re out near Cody, we recommend that you stop. It’s a very well done educational center. Lots of information about the Plains Indians and Yellowstone. Also had 2,700 guns (all kinds and sizes).

As we were leaving, we stopped by the chuckwagon and sampled some pinto beans and bacon and sourdough bisquits that were cooked over the fire.

Here's a statute called "Code of the West." Who knows what that code is?

On our way again, our drive took us through Big Horn River canyon – a beautiful drive down through a long canyon and through 3 tunnels. Here’s the route we took in case you’re going this way: From Cody, take 120 to Thermopolis (stop at Hot Spring State Park for a swim), then Route 20 down to Shoshoni (along the Big Horn River).

We stayed overnight at Douglas, WY, southeast of Casper. I was hoping I would have Internet but I don’t so that’s why this post is late. However, we do have a big screen TV so that’s what we’re doing for fun tonight. Internet sucks so no pictures till I have a faster connection.

Tomorrow we’ll head through Nebraska.

August 3 - Ride to Old Faithful

Temperature said it was 31 degrees early this morning. We waited until 9:30 to start out and it had warmed up some (at least I didn’t have to have all my layers on). We headed for Old Faithful. Took us about 2 hours riding time to reach Old Faithful. Just as we arrived, she was just about ready to erupt. We found a place among the many to sit and watch. It was awesome to watch it erupt. Then we walked along the 2 mile boardwalk and saw lots more geysers and pools. Here's a shot of Bill and I near the Spasmodic Geyser.

On the way back from Old Faithful, we stopped at Cascade Falls and got this shot.

We crossed the Continental Divide on our way to and from Old Faithful.  

Then as we continued, we got caught in a traffic jam … a bull elk was lounging along the road and had vehicles stopped for about a mile back. At the next stop, Thumb Bay, we saw more elk … a mamma and two calves. They had a boardwalk that we walked around to see hot springs and geysers.

Then back to the cabin to pack up the bikes. We’re heading to Cody and Gray Bull tomorrow.

August 2 - Yellowstone Northeast and Northwest Corners

Lesson learned: DON’T open both windows when you’re in Yellowstone. We woke up to frost bitten noses … well, not really but it was COLD!! Had breakfast … can you tell what this is? It’s a short stack of pancakes for one! Remember, we’re staying at Buffalo Bill Cody’s lodge. Well, this is the modern Buffalo Bill Shuffy!!

Put on lots of clothes and took off for the Northeast Corner of Yellowstone. Absolutely beautiful morning … clear, crisp and deep blue skies.

Had to get through the buffalo alley where they all lie in wait for people to ogle over them.

First stop was to see the upper falls in Yellowstone River. BIll has a great shot of that and will put in later.

Took the northeast corner road. This road was closed on our last trip to Yellowstone so we wanted to make sure we got there this time. Here’s a pic of Barronette Peak that Bill took (again, have to wait for Bill to upload this one)

Next, decided to go over to the northewest corner to see Mammoth Springs. Mammoth is a large hill of travertine that has been created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flows into Mammoth each day in a solution).

On the way back from Mammoth, we saw a moose cow in a meadow. She was full grown but now nearly as large a that bull moose we saw in Glacier. Also saw a bull elk taking it easy. He was a 6x7

Rode down to the north rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The colors on the stone were beautiful shades of white to orange-red. Saw the lower falls and looked down into the canyon from a couple other overlooks.

It was time to head back to Pahaska. It takes about 45 minutes (depending on the buffalo) to get back down off the mountain. On the way down, we saw the next RV we’re going to buy. It was pulled by a Trike. What do you think?

Back home to Pahaska for a meal of baby-back ribs. On to Old Faithful tomorrow.

August 1 - Left Glacier and headed for Yellowstone

Had an uneventful drive through western Montana. We know that our GPS is a female because I swear she changed her mind from the time we left til we got into southern Montana to I90. She took us down through some beaufitful country, all non-interstate. We hit West Yellowstone about 4r pm and rode through the park. There was construction on the west end (which means gravel) for 3 miles so Peg is NOT going on that road (I don't care if Brenda does think the practice will do me good!!).

In the park, we saw Earthquake Lake. In 1959 an there was an earthquake that caused a landslide and dammed up the mountain stream. By the next morning, the lake had formed where there wasn't one before.

As we got close to Fishing Bridge, we saw about 1,000 buffalo. Had one walk beside our truck for a little while and then had one we had to follow down the road for a bit. I'll only bore you with two of the MANY pictures I took of the buff. We're anxious to ride tomorrow to see what else we see. Plus, Peg will be on her bike so she won't be able to take as many pics!

Got to the Pahaska Lodge and Tepee about 5:30. Pahaska means Man With Long Hair. It’s the place that Buffalo Bill Cody built after he got famous for his wild west shows. He built it as hunting lodge to entertain his guests. We ate buffalo quesadillas. Kristen, didn’t I buy you a quesadilla maker?? I’m going to expect you to make me some buffalo ones when we get home.

We have a cabin on top of a hill about 3 miles from the east gate of Yellowstone. Here’s the sunset we saw from our deck while having a brew or two. Check back tomorrow for a picture of the cabin.


BTW – we don’t have any cellphone reception at the lodge. We’ll have to go into Yellowstone to be able to check our voicemail. You can leave us a comment on the blog. We can check that when we get to the lodge later tomorrow night. Although, reception is really slow. I"m VERY spoiled with PA's high speed!!

July 31 - Last day in Glacier

Even though it was cloudy and 30% chance of rain, we decided to try hiking just one more time in Glacier. We hiked the McDonald Creek Trail. It wound around the creek, saw more waterfalls and lots of rocks. It did rain but we had our rain jackets on and I didn’t melt. By noon, there was blue sky.

Packed our lunch again so we ate at the Lake McDonald Lodge. Then started off on Sperry Trail which went straight up the side of a mountain. It was a 5 mile hike which we only did 1.5. Decided that we had huffed and puffed enough so we came back down the mountain.

Jumped on the bikes and took off for Kalispell, a town about 35 south of Glacier. Here’s a picture of one of the building in historic downtown. It's the county seat and the largest city in Northwest Montana.

Took this picture for Shan and Linda. When we were in Seattle for a girl's trip, they had little coffee houses all over the place. Same here in the Glacier area. Is it a Northwest thing to do?

Called Andrea and she asked me to bring back some stones from Glacier. Peg had some for a project she wanted to do, but didn't have enough. So, we headed back to Glacier for one last time to get some stones from the shore of Lake McDonald. The lake was created by a glacier and is about 10 miles long and over 500 feet deep. Peg didn't have her camera so this is one I took from the lower end of McDonald Lake.

This is our last night in Hungry Horse so had some packing of clothes and bikes to do. Tomorrow we’re off for Yellowstone to see the sights there. Talk to you tomorrow night.

July 30 - Waterton International Peace Park, Alberta, CA

Got an early start today since we were going to Waterton International Peace Park in Canada (about 150 miles one way). Started out at 7:30 a.m. with lots of layers on because it was only 51 degrees here in Hungry Horse. You delicate people understand and know that when I say “many” layers, it’s at least 7. But it did warm up a little as we rode north.

We stopped in Browning, MT, at the Blackfeet Heritage Center in the Blackfeet Indiana Reservation. Chief Earl Old Person told us stories to help us understand the various ceremonies the Blackfeet had and why they were important. The Blackfeet Indian Reservation is 1.5 million acres of beautiful countryside. The reservation borders Glacier National Park and Canada.

After visiting the Blackfeet Heritage Center we continued north to Waterton International Peace Park. The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is the name of the union of the Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and the Glacier National Park in the United States. In 1979, Waterton and bordering Glacier National park in the US were designated as World Biosphere reserves, preserving mountains, prairie, lakes and freshwater wetlands ecosystems. Habitats represented in the parks' range include: prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, alpine tundra/high meadows, lower subalpine forests, deciduous and coniferous forests. The weather was cool and overcast.

We walked through the Prince of Wales Lodge at Waterton. The lodge opened in 1927. The hotel was named after Prince Edward and retains its British atomosphere even today. (We even saw a guy in a kilt when we walked through the lobby.) The lodge is on a bluff overlooking Waterton Lake.

The ride back was over some great riding roads, lots of curves and up and down the mountains.

July 29 - Riding to the Sun Road again & Avalanche Trail Hike

Today started out with Bill going to the auto parts store to get spark plugs for his bike. It was starting to miss a little yesterday and he wanted to make sure he had new plugs just in case.

Then we decided we wanted to hike Avalanche Trail off of Riding to the Sun Road. It was a 2.5-mile hike in among huge, tall red cedars to a gorge. Ice-age glacial melt water carved through bedrock sculpted the gorge. Then the trail headed up among western hemlock and overland until we reached Avalanche Lake. We continued walking along the lake's rocky shore.

As you see in the photos, the weather was gorgeous making the lake’s aquamarine shine. We hiked around the lake as far as the trail would let us, again taking our shoes and socks off to wade in the freezing glacier water.

Too beautiful to pass up, we sat for a spell looking at the water falls coming off the glacier on the continental divide. We took a break just listening to nothing and taking in all the beauty surrounding us.

Jumped on the bikes and decided to ride somewhere we hadn’t been yet. The road took us to another part of the park where there had been a fire at some point. Lodepole pine have started to grow in the ungrowth of the burned out trees.

On our way back, we stopped in Columbia Falls because they were having a Farmer’s Market with live music and crafts. Had a great time listening to some bluegrass music and shopping!! To end our night, we ate at a Mexican restaurant that was superb and then washed two loads of clothes so we’re ready for our next adventures.

July 28 - Going to the Sun Road again

Decided to go back and ride the Going to the Sun Road again to do some hiking. I rode behind Bill so I could take some pictures while riding. Just as we were getting started on the road, we saw a Grizzly bear cub loping across the road. We drove toward the east end of the park to do some more hiking.

We hiked to the St. Mary Falls trail and saw Virginia and Barring falls as well. We met two guys on the trail who were from State College (can you believe that). They told us about a trail that most people don't travel that would lead to yet another fall so we took that trail as well. It was all so beautiful. Lots of water rushing and roaring down. The water was an aqua blue. Found out that whenever the water is that color it's because it came from a glacier. Wanted to see if the water really was as cold as I thought glacier water would be so we took our shoes and socks off and soaked our feet for a little bit .... AND only a little bit. It was FREEZING but refreshing!!

After that refreshing break, we took another hike to Sun Point. The view was another amazing one. Sun glistening on St. Mary Lake and mountains in the distance. The beauty just surrounded us.



It was time for lunch so we took our packed lunch to the bank of the St. Marys Lake and ate while the water lapped around our feet. Of course, I had to take off my shoes and socks and soak my feet. The water wasn't nearly as cold as the falls. I was actually able to keep my feet in the water for at least 5 minutes without them going numb. What a relaxing lunch.

Still wanting to keep riding, we decided to go on to Many Glacier. We had huckleberry ice cream at the general store that was delicious. Huckleberries are very plentiful here. They have stands that sell huckleberries and cherries all along the roads.

After that respite, what did we see but a HUGE bull moose taking a rest in a wooded area. Lots of people all around but the moose didn't care. He just laid their taking it easy.

Well, it was time to head back to Hungry Horse so we decided to take the Going to the Sun Road (instead of going the long way like we did last night). The construction on the road holds us up at least 30 minutes. They are fixing the boulder walls and getting the road ready to pave.

Finally made it back to the motel. Ate at the Nite Owl Back Room. Declicious baby back ribs and fry bread... glad we had all that hiking to use up some of the calories.

July 27 - Hungry Horse and Glacier National Park

Had a full day of riding. Decided that our first ride would be the “Road to the Sun.” Started out about 7:30. Road to the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Decided we needed to take a hike to Hidden Lake. Walked about 2 miles and saw mountain goats and Big Horn sheep very close to us.

We trekked through snow and water but the end result was absolutely gorgeous … Hidden Lake.

After getting back to the bikes at the Visitor Center, we took off again on the Road to the Sun.

They were working on the road so had to go through some road construction but finally made it to the end of the Road to the Sun. Peg doesn't like riding in gravel, so when we came upon a roadgrader spreading new gravel, Bill was looking for a place to pull his bike off the road so he could help Peg out. But she rode through the hazzard with out a glitch.

Rather than turn around and come back the way we had come, we decided to take the long way home but another beautiful ride through Glacier. Maybe the gravel on the "Riding to the Sun Road" had something to do wiith the decision to take a different route home!