8/18 Wed - western Glacier

We started the day with a hike on the Trail of the Cedars, a lovely walk through a hemlock and cedar forest. Avalanche Creek runs through this area, and the Gorge is deep and worn. Next we visited the historic Lake McDonald Lodge for lunch and a boat ride on the 82-year-old vessel "DeSmet." The views of the mountains from the lake were spectacular. Back at camp, we had more fun at the beach and in the lake. In the evening, we told stories around the fire. Still no moose sighting, but no bears either. In fact, there is a remarkable lack of wildlife in the campgrounds. There is a zero tolerance for food, food trash, and food receptacles ($75 fine if any of these are left unattended in your campsite). Because of this crack-down on food, there aren't critters around trying to scrounge a meal. Much more healthy for the wildlife, and nice for us to not be pestered.

8/17 Tues - Glacier part 2

After the climb on the glacier, we went to the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. It was fun to watch a small heard of mountain goats foraging among the wildflowers below the Garden Wall. At the visitor center, we attended a ranger talk on glaciers, and the boys earned their Junior Ranger badges. Back at camp, the boys enjoyed the cold water of Lake McDonald. We returned after dinner to look for moose, but no luck there. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset instead.

8/17 Tues - Glacier National Park, part 1

Glacier National Park is a stunningly beautiful place. Randy visited in 1986 and has always wanted to go back. We just finished nearly 3 days there, and I want to go back.
Tuesday morning we grabbed a campsite at Sprague Creek and pitched a tent. Then we headed deeper into the park, stopping at many overlooks along the way. This first one is at Avalanche Creek. We continued east along the Going to the Sun Road, an amazing feat of engineering. This road snakes across the front of the mountain and is barely wide enough for 2 cars. The width limit is 8 feet including projecting side mirrors, and the length limit is 21 feet. At 19', we just make it with the Sportsmobile. The rock side wall is very small, and the ride is harrowing. To make matters worse, part of the road is under construction and it is one lane only in places. Bret's favorite stop was a big spot of snow, and he enjoyed conquering his Glacier using a stick as an ice axe.

8/16/10 Monday - Missoula

We stocked up on provisions at the grocery store in Helena then hit the road west to Missoula. There we visited The Book Exchange, a store Randy remembered from his 1986 trip. We left there with more pounds of books for the van and less money in our pockets. Lunch next door at Paul's Pancake Parlor, yummy.
Our next stop was St. Ignatius, home of a Jesuit mission that was founded in 1841. It's on the Flathead Reservation. The "new" church was built in 1891, and the frescoes inside were painted by the mission cook. They're in beautiful condition. There is also a small collection of native artifacts in the original log building. Worth a quick stop if you're in the area. St. Ignatius is also home to the new skatepark, built with community funds. There was no one skating and we didn't have any skateboards with us, but it looked cool. We read about it in the newspaper at The Malt Shop where we had some ice cream cones.
We drove through more beautiful country and watched diligently, but in vain, for big animals. We did have lovely views of Flathead Lake. We're in Kalispell tonight, and will be going into Glacier National Park tomorrow.

If the campgrounds aren't full, we'll be camping and won't have a computer for a few days.

8/15/10 Sunday - More Helena and the Gates of the Mountains

We started the morning with a visit to St Helena's Cathedral in the downtown area. I forgot to take pictures! It is a beautiful gothic-style church with marble pillars, lots of gold leaf, and spectacular stained glass windows.

At lunchtime, we grabbed a picnic and picked up friends Lynn, John, and Anna and headed north out of town on our way to an adventure. We took a boat ride on the Missouri River to the Gates of the Mountains, so named by Meriweather Lewis 200+ years ago when he, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery passed through the area. We saw some bald eagles, and I was able to get a photo of Reed with a juvenile in a tree (no white head yet). Other photos are a shot of the river as it winds through the Gates; Field Camp, thought to be the place where Lewis & Clark camped - the dead pine trees are victims of the treacherous bark beetle; red pictographs high on the limestone cliffs above the river. There's nothing like a good rock art panel to add zing to the day!

Later, we took advantage of Lynn's hospitality and finished a load of laundry at her house, then had an early dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Interestingly, the first 2 we tried were both closed on Sundays, but the third time was the charm.

8/14/10 Home in Helena

As Reed has reminded us, we've entered his birthday week and are now in the countdown to 8/21.

Photos = Montana - Big Cloud Country, view on the road yesterday. Downtown Helena, the state capital building.

Easy morning hanging out, getting things organized, looking at maps, reading books, catching up on the blog. Bill and his daughters Miranda and Isabelle came to meet us and we went downtown for lunch at Bert and Ernie's. Lots of coloring for the kids and talking for the grown-ups.

We spent the afternoon hanging out at home and talking talking talking. Meanwhile, we also borrowed the washer and dryer for the ever-present laundry chore. The kids put on a fabulous show called "The Big Pile of Everything," definitely a comedy! They also had fun running around in the backyard, going on the swing and in the fort, and doing a puzzle. Just a very enjoyable day catching up with an old friend from undergrad days. Thanks, Bill!

Friday the 13th: All good in Montana

A bit of sprinkles at the outset turned into some pretty heavy rain as we drove from the southern edge of Montana into the interior. It was big cloud country instead of big sky country. Green hillsides covered with yellow black-eyed susans and other wildflowers looked like California in the springtime. Bryn was thinking how nice these flowers were as opposed to the yellow mustard, that invasive alien species on the California hillsides. Randy mentioned that maybe they're aliens too - but no! Bryn looked it up, and for you flower fans who read this, you can read more about black-eyed susans at http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RUHI2

We stopped in Bozeman for the wonderful Museum of the Rockies at Montana State Univ. We all watched a planetarium show and toured the excellent dinosaur section. Jack Horner, the paleontologist who is featured on all of those dino shows that the boys love to watch on the Discovery Channel, is based out of this institution, so the collection and presentation are fabulous. Bret was thrilled to see the biggest T-Rex skull that has been found to date, and insisted that it go into the blog. Bryn liked the Native American section, Reed liked the Winchester rifle display, and Randy liked the Leonardo Da Vinci Machines in Motion traveling exhibit. This consisted of hands-on wooden models of many of his inventions, including a column-lifting machine, a machine gun, and an automatic saw. The boys made bridges with toothpicks and marshmallows following Leonardo's design. Fun for science-headed guys and even for mom. Then lunch at "Taco John's West-Mex." We figured out that West-Mex means adding potatoes to everything - under nachos, inside burritos, etc. Must be neighboring Idaho 's influence.

We arrived in Helena and were lucky to get a hotel. It turns out there are two big weddings and a convention in town. Lynn, John and Anna met us and we went downtown to wander the pedestrian area and to eat at Riley's Irish Pub. Later Bryn went to Lynn's and we talked until midnight, she drove me back to the hotel. Lots of catching up to do with this friend and former co-worker. Photo - sculpture on the downtown mall near where gold was discovered in Helena. Boys in jackets, Anna in shorts - you can tell the tourists from the local!

8/12/10 Thursday - Teton & Yellowstone National Parks

Cloudy morning, we spent part of it in the Colter Bay Indian Museum and Visitor Center at Grand Teton. Bryn liked the nice baskets and stunning beadwork, but was disgusted with the lack of labels and a carry-along exhibit guide which didn't match the exhibits. Reed and Bret liked the weaponry display.

Then, on to Yellowstone National Park! We picked up the Junior Ranger information at the Grant Village Visitor Center, then off to Old Faithful. We got there about 15 minutes before it was due to go off, so we waited with the crowds. Wow! That was fun. Then we had a picnic lunch and walked around the geyser field, enjoying smaller geysers and fumaroles (steam vents). We were able to see the Castle Geyser go off for about 20 minutes, this occurs about every 14 hrs. We all liked watching the Anemone Geyser, it goes off every 7 – 10 minutes. At the end of our walk, we were able to watch Old Faithful once more. This time we were looking at it from the north. The interesting thing here is that we're downhill, so after a couple of minutes of spouting, the water flows down towards us. Of course we all touched it; it had been cooled off from contact with the air.

We drove through the park and out the north end at Mammoth Springs. On the way we enjoyed other geysers, elk, bison, and maybe a moose with two calves? Couldn't tell for sure through the forest, but we all really want it to be a moose family.

We crossed into Montana (new state for Bryn, Reed and Bret!), exited the park and are spending the night in Gardiner. Despite all of the L.A. Times reports, and the Xanterra Park Reservations, there are campsites available in the park, they just don't tell you until you get there. But because we didn't want to be stuck, we had made the hotel reservations, and it was too late to cancel. We hope to camp in Yellowstone on our return trip. Yes, we plan to come back, approaching from the east after we visit Ann Marie in Cody.

8-11-10 Wed - Idaho, WY, Grand Teton Natl Park

Gorgeous drive north out of Salt Lake City, east on Hwy 89 through the Wasatch Mountains along the Logan River. Into Idaho – a new state for Bryn and the kids. Garden City on the shore of Bear Lake is very picturesque, and is known for its raspberries. We picked some up to add to our picnic lunch on the Oregon Trail at Montpelier before crossing into Wyoming. We took the scenic route into Jackson and had an early dinner at a local BBQ place before entering Grand Teton National Park. There are still glaciers to be seen. Randy remembers the glaciers as being much bigger and the crowds being much smaller than when he visited in 1986. We were unsure of the name status, but found out that Jackson is the town at the south end; Jackson Hole is the valley along the edge of the Teton Range, and the ski area; it is Grand Teton (singular) not Tetons, as everyone says.

At the southern Visitor Center, the boys picked up Junior Ranger materials and started their quest for more badges to add to their collections. They earned them by nightfall by attending a ranger program on grizzly bears at the Colter Bay ampitheater. Many of the questions aimed at the ranger concerned grizzlies attacking people. After learning about their regular habits, our boys are a little bit less concerned, although we did buy some pepper spray. The NPS's “unofficial” statement is – don't bother the wildlife, but bear spray it is known to work if you can get it out in time and don't stand downwind when you spray it. We had hoped to see wildlife at dusk, but no luck. Bret and Bryn sat out awhile after dark and watched bats swooping down, presumably for the mosquitos!

8-10-10 Tuesday, Salt Lake City

A perfect day in Salt Lake City. Randy looked in the phone book and found a used bookstore. Oddly, it was located in a trendy mall. We each found some good books (Utah dinosaurs for Bret! Sci fi for Randy and Reed! Novel for Bryn – Badlands – my friend Faith was a consultant for that). Then to Temple Square downtown, the heart of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). A very nice complex including the 19^th century assembly hall and Temple plus modern visitor centers. Photo: Bryn, Reed and Bret by one of the Temple Sq fountains. We toured one of the visitor centers, and attended an organ recital at the Tabernacle. These half hour shows are free and are offered daily at noon. Randy is an affecionado of organ music, but all of us enjoyed this treat. What a huge and fantastic instrument that is. Photo: organ on a blue background; Bret liked watching the colors change with the different songs.

Lunch at Gandolfo's NY Deli, near the University of Utah campus, where we went next to visit the Utah Museum of Natural History. Fabulous paleontological and mineralogical specimens. Unanimously, the boys picked the Eryops skeleton as the best thing there. Randy had a natural history book when he was a boy, and that was his favorite entry. When Reed and Bret were small, we read a page a day to them. Randy's enthusiasm about this early reptile from the Mesozoic era was contagious. Bryn had a hard time containing herself in the Anthropology Gallery. An excellent new installation about the indigenous people of Utah (with lots of baskets), plus a thorough, older section featuring archaeological materials with many Fremont culture baskets. And rock art too – a huge wall mural from Barrier Canyon that was painted as a WPA project. What's not to like? Photo: boys with Erypos.

Although that seemed like a full day, everything was close-by, traffic was light, and we were able to find easy parking everywhere – not always possible with that big van. It was early enough for us to set out for Antelope Island State Park on the Great Salt Lake. It was a bit of a drive as the bridge is at the north end of the island. We saw thousands of birds and billions of brine flies, and a few bison in the distance. Photo: Reed and Bret on Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake in the background.

Back to shore, and on to Nickel Mania! Reed says this is like a Chuck E. Cheese but way better – there are lots of classic arcade games, and they're all 5 cents, and the pizza is better too. Reed liked Tetris the best.

About this Trip Blog...

A little backlog:

Last year we did a big cross-country trip. Everyone picked two places across the U.S.A., and we strung them together over 8 weeks.

This record originally started as our own trip report. Then people started asking us about it, so Randy set up a blog so those who were interested could share in our journeys.

This year, there was little interest in trip planning, so Bryn picked a bunch of people, places, and things surrounding Yellowstone National Park. We have landmark days set to see friends, yet as the trip is progressing, our plans are changing daily. For instance, we were due in Grand Teton National Park at the end of the trip. I'm writing this within view of Grand Teton Peak, yet it is just day 4. We are much less structured, and so far that's been working out for us. We'll see how long this footloose and fancy-free lack of hard planning will take us!

Summer Road Trip - Aug 8 & 9, 2010

Sunday, August 8, 2010
We left home on Sunday afternoon. Lunch at Bret's favorite Hungarian store in Littlerock, CA - he got his most favorite ham and cheese. First trip stop: Las Vegas. We arrived at the Excaliber Hotel about 6:30 p.m. and were greeted with a heavy downpour followed by hail! We had dinner in the hotel, then the boys opted to play carnival games in the Fantasy Faire Midway. Each left with a stuffed animal.
Monday, August 9
We enjoyed a late breakfast at the Moapa Travel Center. Bret liked sitting at the counter and ordering. The boys looked at all of the fireworks but we didn't get any as we'll be traveling through a few states and we don't know where they are legal. Bryn admired all of the Southern Paiute baskets for sale but didn't get any. After Nevada, we cut through the corner of Arizona and entered Utah. Our main stop for the day was Cove Fort. This was a Mormon settlement that was built of local lava rock. It has been restored, and now missionaries provide free tours of it. It's an interesting stop. The tour guide uses something in each room to make a point about Latter Day Saints or to tell a story with a moral, and will answer any questions you have about Mormonism, but there is no pressure at all to convert. Example: can you name 4 light sources in the room? Answer: the door, 2 windows, and the Bible on the table is "the Light." The tour and video on the fort's history take about an hour.
On to Salt Lake City. It was 7 pm when we arrived as we didn't realize we'd have an hour time change today. Dinner, a swim in the hotel pool, and getting the computer up and running took up the rest of the evening.

Cub Scouts Practice Leave No Trace

Aug 4, 2010: Bret attended Cub Scout Day Camp with 9 of his friends and his leader Mr. E. This picture shows Den Chief Jonathan with Eric, Brian, Joseph, Justin, Connor, William, Justin, Leo, Mr. E, Cade, and Bret with the barrel they removed from the river and rolled up to camp. Known as "Den 13," the boys received a special award for dedicating all of their Funtime periods and lunch periods to picking up trash in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve area. They cleared so much trash from the river that the water began flowing again in an area that had gone dry. Bret says, "It was very fun to use teamwork to get the barrel out of the water and make the river flow again. We practiced Leave No Trace to pick up trash in the creek." Reed volunteered as a Den Chief all week and also helped on Den 13's clean-up project.

Wrapping it Up

Hi Everybody! We hope you liked coming with us on our trip. It's 12/14/09, 4 months since we've been home, and we just made a few new posts to wrap it all up.

10,011 miles in total! A fantastic journey across this amazing country.

We lost track of the number of museums, historic sites, and bookstores that we stopped at. We didn't keep track of the books read along the way. We do have a list of audio books that we enjoyed. Among these, one stands out as the absolutely perfect story for our trip - Summerland by Michael Chabon. It combined travel, baseball, inventions, and Native American mythology in a captivating story which kept us all enthralled.

We mailed boxes home as we went along. This is some of the mail and boxes that piled up during our 8 weeks away. Everything arrived safely and in one piece. Thanks to Catherine, Tim, and Cathy for helping with boxing and shipping at the sending end and to Mom and Dad at the receiving end. Thanks to all of you who made time in your summer to see us, opened your homes to us, lent us your washer and dryer, cooked fantastic meals, showed us local sights, and just hung out with us. And thanks also to Megan for house-sitting and taking care of Milk Face the cat.




Photos: Bret became Champ at the Vermont Lake Monsters' baseball game.
Camping in South Dakota - Reed is relaxing upstairs in the Sportsmobile.

Good Night, and God Bless!

Odd things - Fail Blog

Sanitary...the best kind of tortillas. San Antonio, TX
Do you mean dumbster...I mean dumpster? San Antonio, TX
Ladies' room. Cool Springs, WV
Graphic diorama in the country store. Cool Springs, WV
Would that be a foot long? Keystone, SD
Authorized dogs. Keystone, SD

Isn't it weird how odd things occurred in pairs in these places?