Last full day in Glacier

Trying this for a third time....

We decided to give our old bodies a rest today.  We took a 3 hour Red bus tour.  These buses were first made in 1914.  The buses that are in Glacier now were made in the 1930's.  There were 500 buses made and dispersed in National Parks.  Glacier Park is the only park that still has the Red touring buses.  They have 33.

I learned so much about glaciers.  There are only 25 left in Glacier. To be a glacier, it has to be 25 acres, 100 inches deep and move. (I hope I'm remembering this correctly)  We saw 2 of them on our tour.

That afternoon we went on a 3 mile hike around Swiftcurrent Lake.  It was relatively flat and my aching calves were greatful!!  We saw a Bull moose laying in the brush---he was enormous!
My pictures do no give him justice.  When I get David's pics, I'll show you how big he was.

Leaving for Cody, Wyoming in the morning.  Sure wish we could spend more time here in Glacier.

 View from the campground

 For Ellen....LOVED it!

 Wild Goose Island

 From the Red bus

 Our Red bus # 107

 Many Glacier Hotel

 My moose.... my other pics haven't downloaded

 St. Mary Lake

 Swiftcurrent Lake

 Red Touring bus

Hiighline trail

We got up early Monday morning to start our 12 mile hike.  We started at Logan's Pass which is about 6000 ft.  I was very uneasy about this hike as there was a section that was called the Garden Wall because there was a garden hose bolted into the side of the mountain for hikers to hold.  I'm NOT a fan of heights at all but decided to try it.  This hike was the BEST!  The scenery was from heaven itself! We saw a mountain goat.  The pictures do not show all the beauty that was seen.  We hiked 8 miles up to the Granite Chalet. It was over 7000 ft.  This was one of 9 chalets that was built in the early 1900's for travelers.  The railroad built them to promote traveling in the "American Alps" and not going to travel to Europe.  There are only 3 chalets left.  You have to hike up to it and then you can spend the night there for $$$.  You will dine on freeze dried food and have to rent your linen.  But the views are wonderful!!  We saw and heard an eagle at the Chalet.

After changing socks and eating a snack, we only had 4 miles to finish the hike---- the hike from HELL!!  It was all down hill, it was hot and it had no views.  Both David and my knees were killing us by the time we hit the end.  I would have rather hiked the 7 miles back from the Chalet to Logan Pass!!

On the plus side of this "hell", we did see a bear.  Don't know what kind, but it was a B E A R !
It was in the brush below the trail.

We caught a shuttle back to Logan Pass and hobbled back to the campground.  Okay, I did :)

 You can see the trail we were going to continue to cross

 Me on the garden wall section

 The most beautiful views

 Views when hiking

 David waiting for me- he has longer legs than me!!

 The Granite Chalet-its NOT made from granite

 More views from our hike

A little bit of heaven-Glacier National Park

Our second day at Glacier was spent moving from the KOA to the National Park.  The ranger told us that bears had been in the campground.  No wonder they were about as our camp site was surrounded by berries of all kinds.  But we didn't see a bear in the campground while we were there.  In the afternoon we hiked to St. Mary's Fall and then on to Virginia Falls.  It was a 3 hour hike.  BEAUTIFUL!!

When we came back to the campground and we rode bikes around the campground.  I think we did this about 4 different times during our stay  --Hey Bob and Dale (Debra Ann too)---- I think I may be ready for spinning class     NOT!!!

 The views were stunning

 My fire starter

 Columbian ground squirrel--they make a high pitched squeal

 St. Mary's Falls

 Virginia Falls

 Our camp site

 Virginia Falls

Glacier National Park first day OMG!!

 Old Ranger barn

 1913 Ranger cabin

 Beaver pond and lodge-on our hike

 View from campground

 I did GOOD on this shot!

)

On the hike


Doing the blog last today.  Wanted to make sure I got some pictures posted before I don't have internet (about the 30th)

We rode over to Many Glacier and ate breakfast at the lodge.  The view from this was fantastic!

David and I went on a 2 hour trail ride this morning.  I was on Waldo and he was on Dawson. It took me TWO attempts to get my butt on Waldo!  We saw a wolf in the woods while we were stopped in the woods.  He was big!  Later on the ride, David and I saw a coyote trotting along the side of the woods while we were riding in the prairie area.  There is NO way I can adequately describe how beautiful these mountains are.  It is like being in a movie set.

My age is definitely showing as my knees (David's knees always hurt him when riding.  This was the first time mine hurt) were killing me by the time the ride was over.  BUT we're going again in Yellowstone.

This afternoon David and I went on a 3.5 mile hike to see the Beaver Pond and the old Ranger's cabin.  We both had our bear spray.  Friends and family that know me, know that I'm usually quiet.  HA!!  I yelled and clapped and talked to the "Bear" the entire hike.  David said that he wished he had recorded me.  LOL!  Hey,  I was letting the bears know that we  were around.

Tomorrow we move to the National Park campground, so we won't have internet, electricity or water.  We are dry camping for the next few days.

We will be heading to Cody, Wyoming later this week.  I'll post pictures and blog then.

Heading to our first "real" destination

Heading from Billings, Montana to Great Falls on Thursday.  "Amber waves of grain and purple mountains majesty" had to be written for this part of the country.   To be able to see as far as your eyes can see is just unreal for us.  Today's sign offerings were Elk crossing and caution for Amish buggies.

We stopped in Great Falls for the night.  The campground had a wonderful nature trail.  Every night for 24 years, this older couple has come to the campground and sung for the campers.  They sang bluegrass and most any other requests that were made.  They sang a "Carolina" song for David and I.  We were really outnumbered as there were far more Canadians than people from the US.

We left Friday morning headed to St. Mary's. Ran into smoke from the Lola Creek fires.  When we got to St. Mary's there was still smoke in the Glacier mountains.

We saw a "real" cowboy on his horse and he had his dog with him.  They were herding cattle.

In Etheridge, Montana we met a truck that cracked our windshield in 2 places!  First causality of our trip.

We saw only 2 police officers on this entire leg of the trip!

 There were free ranging cattle and horses as we made our way to St. Mary's campground.

 Nature trail at Great Falls.

 Sagebrush

 Loved this sign

 The terrain was rocky when we started out from Billings.

Our first glimpse of the mountains