Big Creek Gathering

The morning we left on this trip was the first morning that I didn’t ride my recumbent for almost a week. It started to be a habit to get up, walk outside and find Steve, our neighbor, futzing with his new tricycle. We have been riding together and Steve is a very early riser. If I am not up-and-about by 7:00 AM, he is beeping my phone to get me going, asking where we are riding and when. It has been fun and I have really enjoyed the exercise. Now that I am riding, I have noticed that 2:00 PM has become my mandatory nap time. A good thing about that is that it has been in the high 90’s so sleeping is a good way to avoid those hot hours.

Flathead Lake

Our trek this week took us into Montana and north to a campground just outside Glacier National Park. Big Creek Campground has a large group camping site and two friends, Julie and Pat, reserved it after they visited the area and came up with the group camping idea.  We were invited along with a large number of our friends:  John and Loretta Sutherland, Tom and Sarah Husby, Mike and Caroline Beckwith, Ben and Sherma Higgs and several others. It looked to be an interesting week of boating, fishing, hiking and exploring.

Our caravan at Flathead Lake. 

We left Post Falls at about 10:00 AM on Saturday the 8th and drove over Lookout Pass into Montana. There was a lot of highway work being done which extended our driving time a bit, but I was OK with going the 45 MPH most of the way. This trip we were towing the Jeep with its load of recreational toys. We were packed for adventure! Our expedition gear included two mountain bikes, my fishing cat, and of course, Stinky Jeep. We brought along all my fishing gear, camp games, lounge lizards (reclining chairs), our outhouse tent, and everything but the kitchen sink. Oh, we have that in the camper.

Resting at Big Creek.

At St. Regis MT., we turned northeast on Highway 135 and followed the Clark Fork River.  Our plan was to grab a campsite for the Husbys and ourselves at Peninsula Campground for the first night. This did not work out and we had to drive on to a Forest Service Campground called Cascade.

Once we were all set up, Linda and I walked down a trail and crossed the highway to the river. We both took a swim and cooled off. While Linda sat out on the beach, I went up to the truck and grabbed my fishing gear.  As I fished, Linda relaxed. I caught a couple nice fish.

Sarah and Tom arrived and got their trailer set up. Tom and I went down to the river again and fished. I caught a real nice cutthroat; it measured in the 17-inch range.  The sun was setting and we called it a day.

The next day we caravanned up through Kalispell, MT to the Big Creek Campground where everyone would gather. Big Creek is located on the North Fork of the Flathead River. It is not in Glacier National Park, but the park is very close. It is a very good location for everyone to float, ride bikes, hike and explore the beauty of the park.

We arrived! The last 15 miles or so of the trip was over a very dusty washboard road. We drove the entire way at 10 to 15 miles per hour. It shook the truck so hard we figured everything in the camper would be on the floor when we arrived.

Tom and Pat telling tall tails.

At Big Creek group site, we chose our spot in the shade. It was about 3 PM when we got settled and the spot we chose looked like it would be shady most of the day. We chose correctly and all week we had shade to keep our camper cooler.

As the afternoon progressed into evening, people started arriving. We all took our chairs to a spot overlooking the river and welcomed each camper as they wandered in. Eventually, everyone separated and cooked their dinners. By dark, the area had cooled off and folks went to bed.

Using the Geezer Pass for the first time.

The next day Tom and I took his drift boat and fished from the Polebridge put-in (48.782600, -114.282375) back to our camp. It was a great float and we caught some really nice fish. Linda spent her day running shuttles for other boaters from our group and reading her book.

The second day in camp, Tom, Sarah, Linda and I drove into the park and tried to take the road up to Kintla Lake. Tom used his Wisdom Pass (Geezer Pass) entry into the park. It was his first official use of the new pass and we celebrated with photos and cheers.

We were informed at the park entrance that we could not get into Kintla Lake because it was already full. Changing plans, we drove the Inside North Fork Creek Road up to the washout at Logging Creek. It was a beautiful drive and the wild flowers were in bloom everywhere. 

Wild flowers were everywhere!

A highlight for all of us was our stops at the Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery. We bought very expensive bakery items and on our third day of fun, we even splurged for some $10.00 drinks from the saloon. Hey, it’s the experience that counts, right?

The next day Tom and I fished from Big Creek down river to Glacier Rim. Once again we caught some great Cutthroat Trout and Rainbows. Tom even accidentally hooked a Bull Trout which was huge! We carefully released it, making sure we didn’t touch it or remove it from the water.

While we were fishing, Linda, Sarah and Sherma drove up to Kintla Lake and explored that area. They got there early enough to snag a place to park.  All three agreed that it was a beautiful adventure and they had a wonderful time.

On the morning of the fourth day in camp, we got up early and went on what we called an early morning critter sightseeing drive.  We headed into the park in search of game. We saw the usual deer, rabbits, and squirrels. No bears, no cougars, no elk, just a lot of rabbits.

Our drive took us to Lake McDonald and up the Going to the Sun Highway. The drive is spectacular and I think you could never get tired of the views. We found a parking spot at Logan Pass Visitor Center (48.696059, -113.717791) and took a short hike. Sitting on a rock in the upper meadow was a large mountain goat, totally unconcerned by the people stopping to stare and take its picture. By the time we were ready to leave, the crowds had gotten huge. We loaded up for the drive down and Linda suddenly realized she had left the binoculars in the restroom. Off she scampered to see if they were still there. We got into the circling pattern of the parking space searchers and drove around and around waiting for Linda.

Sarah & Tom @ the Saloon @ Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery.

She returned empty handed.  There was nothing we could do but exit the holding pattern and head back down the mountain. We ended our trip with a drive into Hungry Horse for supplies, ice and huckleberry ice cream.

Back at camp we unloaded the rig and started dinner. Tom came over to Linda and handed her the binoculars. Turns out she had set them down in the back of the truck when she was petting Sal, Sarah’s dog, and Tom found them when he straightened up the back.

$10 drinks at the Saloon.

That evening I was beat. We had been going every day since we arrived and had not gotten to bed before 11:30 PM any night. Getting up early had done me in so I had to forgo the evening fireside and get some rest.

The next morning we loaded up, said our good byes and departed. We back over Thompson Pass avoiding all the chip seal work on I-90. It was a great week up at the group camp. This might just become an annual event. 

Kintla Lake

Sherma, Sarah and Sal.

Fishing the North Fork Flathead River.

Sunrise over the North Fork Flathead River.

Long days caught up with this guy.

Going to the Sun Highway vistas.

Goat.

Yes, We Had Never Been to Glacier!

The kids check out the Apgar Visitor Center's map.

I know this sounds crazy, but Linda and I had never been to Glacier National Park. We don't have very good answers as to why we had not been there. Being the outdoor guy, I guess I should have explored that area. There were so many mountains and lakes to hike so close to home that I spent my hiking and backpacking days venturing into those locations.

We decided to make this trip on the spur of the moment.  Some other plans fell through so we loaded up and headed out. Our route took us up the Coeur d'Alene River to Murray and then up over Thompson Pass to Thompson Falls where we took a right onto highway 200. 200 lead us east through Plains and Dixon and onto highway 93 north along Flathead Lake to Kalispell.

Kobi and I on the shore of Lake Mcdonald.

We stopped to get diesel just outside of Kalispell. I checked my phone and it said I missed a call from Tom Husby. At the same time, Linda was checking her phone and saw that a friend had posted to a post that Linda had added saying we were going to Glacier. The post reply said that Tom and Sarah Husby were heading to Glacier also. I called Tom back and I said that we were on the way to Glacier. He was amazed how I knew they were heading the same way. We made plans to stay together in the park at Two Medicine in a couple days. Once we were fueled up we made a right and drove highway 2 up and over to West Glacier.

Linda and Kobi take a break in Apgar.

The entrance to Glacier National Park is just north of West Glacier and our intended campsite was within the park boundaries at Apgar. Our drive was beautiful, the weather was partly cloudy and very windy.  The wind was at our backs the entire way so we got great diesel mileage, an outcome that rarely happens.

At the Apgar campground, we found a spot, set up and took a hike to get the lay of the land. We checked out the visitors center and found it closed, but we were able to pick up some information from the outdoor kiosk. These brochures gave us some ideas and provided information that allowed us to decide on how we would explore the park.

The Red Bus we took up Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Back at the camper we made dinner and plotted our exploration of the park. We didn't bring the Jeep along on this trip so we decided that we would try to get seats on one of the red buses that show you the majestic views as you climb the Going-to-the-Sun Road to the top of Logan Pass.  If we could get seats, then we could explore far more of the park. Taking our truck camper up the Going-to-the-Sun Road was out of the question due to the height of the camper. We ate dinner and made plans for the next day. The sun set and we slept soundly.

First thing in the morning, Linda ended her run at the visitor center and then ended up calling the Red Bus Tours folks and booked us on the 2:00 PM bus. We packed some eats, clothes and our camera in a backpack; ate lunch and walked to the visitor center where we met the bus.

Our bus driver, Russ, was great. He gave us a mass of information about the geography of the area and pointed out every tree variety we drove by. It was a great tour! Russ gave us info on the park and its history. The tour led up McDonald Lake and stopped for a break at McDonald Lake Lodge. The place was beautiful and it had bathrooms! :-)

Goofing on the Red Bus.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road was amazing and quite the engineering feat.We drove up, stopping at different viewpoints, till we reached the top at Logan Pass. Pictures, stretching, and then back down the pass.

On our trip up and back we saw goats, moose, and a coyote. I got some photos, but most shots were long distance shots. We did get some pictures of a goat at an overlook at the top of the pass. The little fella was about five feet from me; it had no fear. All I could think of were those videos you see with the title "When Wild Things Attack!"

Back down the Going-to-the-Sun Road with a couple stops here and there. Russ the driver kept the top down all the way to within six miles from Apgar.

Totem at the McDonald Lake Lodge.

We were let off at the visitors center and we walked back to the camper. Kobi was a bit mad that he had to stay in the camper for the four hours of the tour but the park has rules and we think all he did was sleep the entire time anyway.

We had dinner and turned in at 9:30 PM. Our plans were somewhat set, it looked like we were heading to Two Medicine Lake to meet up with the Husbys and Ray Kincheloe.

Packing up the camper has become a routine and we get it done quickly and efficiently. Kobi took his morning walk and then we tricked him into going into the crate in the back seat area.  Linda got her maps together and we were off.

We stopped in West Glacier and looked around. During that break, we had to use the laundry facilities to clean up some rugs and towels. Why we had to clean the rugs up was a bit of a long story, we'll save that for another day.

Looking down on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Once everything was back to normal and we had done our shopping (basically looking around). We headed up over the pass to East Glacier where we entered the park and drove on to Two Medicine.

Two Medicine is a very special place.  The views are amazing, we found a camp site with a perfect view. Look at the photo of Two Medicine Lake, Sinopah Mountain below and that was the view from our camper window. We set up camp and went for a hike. As we walked we met a ranger and she told us that they had spotted a sow and two cubs feeding along the mountain side.  We grabbed our camera and binoculars and walked to the edge of the campground. Though the three bears were up high, we were able to spot them and watch them feed. I took some photos as we watched. We walked back to our camper and Tom, Sarah and Ray had arrived and set up right next to us.

They were excited because the camp site they set up in was their traditional site which they had been able to get the past several years.  We told them of the bears and we talked about our travels, it was real good to see them.

We spent the next two days at Two Medicine exploring and enjoying the beauty.  Each night we sat around the fire and told stories. Turns out Ray had grown up in this area of Montana and he had been coming up to this campground for many years. He said this was his last trip up to Two Medicine, it was sad.  Ray is 86 and he feels that he won't be able to make the journey much longer. We are all in agreement that if possible we will do what we can to get him back up to this campground.  I hope I can be as active at 86 as Ray is!

While we were at the lake we were able to see sheep, goats, moose and bear. The weather was cold but mostly clear and we got to get a good feel for this area.  On Thursday, we packed up and headed out of the park back in the direction of home.

Linda at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.

The drive back was easy. The weather was once again sunny.We found a campground at Logan state park, southeast of Libby.  The park sits on the Thompson Lakes and we had it practically to ourselves. As it turned out Tom and Sarah were heading home also and they joined us for our final night out.  Ray packed up and drove south to visit his sister before he returned home.

We spent the evening sitting around Tom and Sarah's fire.  We turned in after the fire died down. The next morning we drove home.  There are a couple things that I can say for sure about this trip. One is that Glacier lived up to everything everyone had said about it, and second is it won't be 60 years until I visit that special area again.

Reynold's Mountain

"You know that winter is coming, I'm just saying!"

Coyote scampering into the woods at top of pass.

Yes, that is the goat and old Deano after the photo shoot.
You might say two old goats.

Two moose in the McDonald River.

Sow and two cubs moving on the ridge above the lake.

Linda looking for critters on the slopes.

Sow and two cubs feeding near the lake.

Two Medicine Lake, Sinopah Mtn.

Two moose heading up from Two Medicine Lake.

Goats grazing above the lake.

Ray Kincheloe points out the goats up on the ridge.

Ray and Sarah Husby.

Ray and Tom Husby gather around the fire.