Here We Are Photo Gallery by Beth at pbase.com

Here We Are

At one of our destinations....Glacier National Park....where it snows in June! But we're here and glad to be in the mountains again! Spend the week with us as we revisit this amazing place....the 'backbone of the world' as the Native Americans used to say.

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Then we're here!!! Yipeeee!!!!	Fourth Leg: Welcome Back!	Our hotel serves a continental breakfast in pleasant surroundings.
Then we go looking for our favorite donut shop and its GONE! Welcome back!	But we find the Montana Coffee Roasters.	Then it's on to Glacier....
...and Apgar in the rain.	Yup, rain!	So we stop in the gift shop and...
....the visitor's center.	Where the park is mapped out.	Leaving there we stop for a mule deer.
At McDonald Lodge, it's crowded.	But hasn't changed...thank God!	It's a classic, old, lodge.
McDonald Lake is out front...	with a stream rushing by.
	Despite the rain, we walk the grounds, finding...	....jammers in the rain.
Then waterfalls are everywhere cause it's still early spring around here.	They rush through the woods....	....and under the road.
_MG_9587.JPG	Then we stop at the Canadian Visitor's Center where...	There are strange creatures afoot!
I guess Alberta Province has quite a collection of dinos!		And this guy is stuffed, but he looks pretty real, doesn't he?
Then it's off with Bob Sled Bob!!	Sunday: Our digs	...and the view out our window with clouds socked in.
We go for a walk in town on a rainy evening.	Someone has a sense of humor.	And they are using the same signs they used last year....w/ panther paws added.
Someone has put up a hokey fence.	And in the rain these newspaper boxes are colorful!	In the Whitefish Amtrak station...
....there are artifacts from the area.	.....and Hertz has a history here too.	Outside the station a railway memorial...
....stands....kind of nice!	It's a museum too.	The small town of Whitefish in the rain and....
...back to the hotel.	We take a ride to Columbia Falls where Plum Creek..	....has a western regional headquarters and it is a window...
...into the future of Maine. They want a foothold in Moosehead!	As you can see, this is a BIG company...	....with quite a complex of businesses that ...
reflect....	...their wilderness hopes.	Piles of cut tree waiting to become plywood!
Spewing 'what?' into the air?		It's a BIG....
....complex....
Then it's on to lunch.	And out for a ride to Hungry Horse Dam.
	This 564 foot dam holds back the ...	....Flathead River and produces...
....electricity for the area.	Joan tells Ron of attractions in the area.	Dam stairs!
		This is the overflow valve....
....the protects the dam and the valley below.	On the way out we find this lovely...	pond/lake....full of reflections.
Ron checks it out.	Here's what he's looking at.	The dandies are drenched!
As is the grass.	Mountains peek out from behind clouds....is this as much as we can expect to see this week?	At the Montana Fur Trading Co....
They specialize in Native American goods....	...this is beaded leather.	....and products for cowboy wannabe's.
....drums...		....of all kinds and....
....more cowboy wannabe's!		Ron reads the caption of a picture.
	While outside.....	....there are more displays. This one is a real heart-wrencher!
Still it's....	...cloudy.	And this place doesn't look too prosperous!
Monday starts with SUNSHINE!!	After breakfast, we jump into the car to get out...	...while the sun shines!!
There are lovely mountains in every direction and....	....Apgar is pure heaven!	This is what we came for and it's more gorgeous than we've ever seen it!
Ron gets ready to take some photos too.
	And he does.	Ain't it just gorgeous? I'm so glad we got out early before the water started to ripple.
Here an old cedar tree sits at water's edge.	And the clouds and water go on giving their show!	Oh my God! I think we've died and gone to heaven!
A typical scene along the road through the....	....park.....and I think this is....	....bear grass in bud, but I'm not sure.
Ron 'shoots' flowers! Did you know that flowers could be shot?	The mountains are veiled in clouds.....	....as a mule deer grazes nearby unafraid of us.
McDonald Lodge sits under the mountains and out front.....	....it's almost as pretty....	....as Apgar, but not quite!
Inside, the fireplace is toasty warm on this 40 degree morning.	But with the sun shining, we'd hardly know it.	This tree is in front of the lodge and I suspect they cut it to open up the view....
...it survives nonetheless!	Kids skipping rocks in the morning air!	And rental boats are beginning to appear from their winter storage....
....it's still early spring at Glacier!	Thank God! We are glad to be missing the heat wave back east.	Ain't she something?
Again, inside, the Native American lamps hang from the hewn logs above.	Ron...with his bag of post cards.	Another jammer outside...
...where it's starting to cloud up again. We'll just have to hurry....	...up the road to catch local vegetation....	...and rushing rivers.....
	(The McDonald Creek)	......same.....
	There's snow on them thar mountains!	Yup, there IS!
Moss on them thar trees.		And Mcdonald Creek roars at the roadside....
...I wish I could share the sound!!	This pattern was in a rock that bordered the parking lot...thank you, God, WPA and Franklin Roosevelt!	Another view of the mountains from the road.
And McDonald Creek as it rushes by...	....down the riverbed and over falls.	The US Govt. has built a lookout station....your tax dollars at work!
Be careful! It is dangerous out here and here's....	....why!	We wouldn't want to end up in here!
These buses run on propane and are just beautiful!!	This was a deep, dark wood and I've not captured it well!	Oops! Another....
....cock-eyed one.....or two! Sorry!	More of McDonald Creek.	Oops! ....or three!!
Then it's back to the visitors' centers and...	....the good-bye gate....see you on Saturday...our next predicted sunny day! Good-bye Monday!	Tuesday, June 10 and we travel in SNOW!!
It laid in the grass along the road....	....and herds of cattle gathered to feed.	....on our way to the Bison Range.
We passed farm fields.	Here's what they say about 'bison.'	And here they are. See the baby!!
The bison range is populated with antelope too. This scraggly looking fellow watched us pass.	We came at wildflower time, but they all are...	....covered in snow!!
As are the hillsides.	But aren't they beautiful! ??
This range is a mix of prairie and woods.	But today everything is covered in snow.	Even a lone tree up a hill.
The Ponderosa Pines are just lovely!	And they tell me that these are called	Arrowleaf Balsamroot.
		Ponderosa pine reminds me of our .....
....white pine with their long slender needles.	And here's a dead one against the snow.	Oops! Again!!
Buffalo in the snow....I think.	Haven't identified these yet.	Then we see a herd of elk.
The males have shed their antlers and not grown them back yet...	....so it's hard to tell males from females.	Prairies around the reserve in the snow.
This is called Butter and Eggs.	More of the ,,,,,,	,,,,,Prairie and environs.
Out here they place crosses to mark the deaths from auto accidents and there are MANY!	I took this one for Lynne. Knew she'd appreciate the 'cowgirl' paraphenalia!	And to see that there are churches set aside....
.....just for....	....cowboys.....and I bet they're NOT wannabe's! Note the time....there's a compulsive preacher here!
Do you suppose anyone who can park can also preach?	Then you are welcomed through the barn door...very appropriate! I think we'll pray that this rain/snow stops soon!!	Wednesday: dawns cold and damp....AGAIN!
So we head out to Kalispell for lunch at "Montana Wheat" where they have good salads and bread!	Here's the front....then we walk the streets and check out a....	....lighting store with typically Montana goods!
And in the back of the store, Ron checks out the service elevator.	It's a colorful place!	Outside there's a clock on the street.
And here's a local music/bar establishment that has a bit overdone the Montana thing.	The Strand is now a church! Yup, by golly, you can make anything into a church....and why not?
We end the afternoon with a visit to the Museum at Central School, an old school building....	...converted to a museum of local industry and Native cultures.	Where is John Wayne when you need him? Belly up to the bar, boys!
And here Plum Creek history is on display. It seems they have been in the lumber business for quite some time!	It's a lovely, old, refurbished building!	On the second floor displays are still in the works. How'd ya like to have a desk like this? You'd need a large room to house it
Thursday: It was supposed to rain today, but...	....we had lifting clouds at Apgar...
....where two foolhearty swimmers jumped in!	And the lake was....	....really pretty!
Does it get better than this? Nope!	Then on to the giftshop where this canoe is lovely....but I think it's Alaskan.	Are the clouds going yet?
Not yet, so we decide to take a ride to ...	....Polebridge....24 miles along the western side of the park heading north.	We see perspectives we've not yet seen and it's ....
....gorgeous again!	We see scenes not seen before.	Through an old (2003) forest fire region.
Even destruction can be...	.....beautiful!	And mountains are in every direction.
This is private land, so a log cabin is visible here and there.	Our final destination is smaller than we imagined!!	Polebridge consists of one very old store...
with lots of character, old paraphenalia, but not many things for sale.		Outside, the scenery is heavenly!
And it looks like these people don't get to town too often!	Up the road the scenery turn lovely again and...	....we find another interesting cross.
		Back toward Glacier, we cross the Flathead River...
...again.	And old fires look different heading in the opposite direction.	Apgar is now in sunshine.....
....and the lake has 'kicked up.'	Lovely!!	Mr. Photographer.
	On the way out of Apgar we try to capture the canopy of trees...	Then we skirt the park to the south....
It's a long, but ....	.....lovely.....	....ride!!
See what i mean?	Then at goat lick...
We see some goats...way down there....	Do you see them?	And fields are yellow with dandies!
Some fearless vacationers...	....run the rapids on the Flathead...	....and all we experience is the screams!
Friday the 13th, Duh, duh-duh, daaaaah! We skirt the park again to reach the east side.	And find this waterfall off park grounds on the Blackfeet Reservation....I think..	Then we're back in the park to see Two Medicine for the first time and...
....it doesn't disappoint!	Watch out! It's BEAR country!	But beautiful bear country!
This is upper Two Medicine...what a place....the wind is howling....	....through the sunshine!	And in the store, this is the view they have as they eat their sandwiches or whatever.
What a place!!	Then we stop at Eagle Falls.....and this place doesn't disappoint either!	Named after a Native woman warrior, it's s double waterfall....one that flows from the rocks above and another...
...that flows from INSIDE the rock shelf!	Can you see it better here?	Amazing! There's still lots of snow up here!
We didn't see any, but a sign like this puts the fear of teeth and claws into you!	Then we drive further on the St. Mary's where the view of Goose Island is ....	....lovely as....
....ever!!	Then heading back, we see more snow.	And here's the road ribbon through Blackfeet Country!
Sorry...we're leaving, not arriving, but this sculpture had to be 'captured.' We me the artist...	.....last year. He works in scrap metal and there's plenty of it in Blackfeet country!	Saturday dawns sunny and we go back to the West side of the park.
Where Lake McDonald is smooth as glass and lovely again!	A man is fly fishing outside the lodge.	And the mountains are mirrored....
....what a place to fish!	There are 'varmits' out sunning themselves.
Trillium?	Then the McDonald Creek rushing....	...by.
On the way back to the hotel, we stop once again at the....	....Montana Trading Post and find more ......	....art? Read the caption!! An assemblage of strong-men!

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