SUNDAY, JUNE 29

SUNDAY, JUNE 29:

 
Another mercurial day, weather-wise.  It can be bright blue sky in one or more areas,

and then huge grey clouds in others.   And they shift.  By the moment, it seems.  We decided to drive into the Many Glacier area again, and hope for the best.  We got there around 11:30.  Very cloudy (threatening rain), cool, and windy (though not like yesterday) in that valley, so we decided to hang around the big hotel’s huge lobby, find a couple of chairs by the roaring fireplace, and just read until the weather looked more promising.   Well, it never really did.  Every time we’d get up to look outside, we’d see nearly all grey clouds.  And we’d see folks come in dripping wet and chilled to the bone.  But hey, there are certainly worse ways to spend a cool northern June day than being snug & warm inside a beautiful historic lodge, reading good books & relaxing.

                                                                                     

                                                                            

(I’m reading A  Hologram for the King, by Dave Eggers.  It’s a brilliantly, exquisitely told story of a modern-day Willy Loman [Death of a Salesman]  figure, set in a backdrop of America’s failing economy and power in the global economy.)

     Our reading was broken up by going to a Ranger lecture on “Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?”  When the Park was founded in 1910, there were 150 glaciers, I think.  Now, there are 25, and of course those are rapidly shrinking.  It will still be a gorgeous place in 20 or 30 years without the glaciers, but certainly less so.  Glad we can see it the grandeur of this “Crown of the Continent” now.

     And, another serendipitous interruption to our reading – we noticed that a woman seated close to us was wearing a jacket with the Viking Cruises logo.  We asked her if she’d in fact taken any of their cruises.  (They specialize in river cruises mostly in Europe & Asia.)  We’ve just begun talking seriously about taking one in 2016 – most likely in France. So we were eager to know her experience& impressions.  She’s taken 2 (one on the Danube, the other thru the Netherlands), and has a 3^rd one scheduled later this summer for Russia.  She loved them, and highly recommended them. So that increases our excitement & anticipation about doing that!

     Had yet one other by-way – got in on the tail end of a  talk on the history of this hotel.  Next year will be its 100^th anniversary.  It was one of the grand hotels built in the west during the last of the 19^th century by the Great Northern Railroad to try and lure well-to-do vacationers and adventurers out west – via the railroad, of course.

        Immediately after this talk, a little after 4:00, we went downstairs to get a sandwich.  We ate in front of big windows looking out on iconic Grinnell Point towering above Swiftcurrent Lake.  Even though it was still mostly cloudy, was still stunning to gaze at. 

 

      At 5:30, we went to a non-denominational worship service held there in one of the rooms (actually, the same room where the Artist-in-Residence performed).  This service was sponsored and led by ACMNP  (A Christian Ministry in the National Parks).  This is an all-volunteer organization which “provides interdenominational services of worship, Christian activities, and fellowship opportunities for people who visit, live, and work in these national treasures.”  It’s been in existence since 1951, beginning with Yellowstone.  Glacier NP was the 2^nd  park to join.  It offers several different Sunday worship services throughout the Park.  Ours was led by 4 young adults – 1 was a teacher, the other 3 were just out of college.  They did a good job, and God bless them for doing this!  We think this is the same organization that Dwayne & Marcella participated in a few years ago. 

     Very appropriately, the sun began peeking through during the service.  So afterwards, we walked around some and took some pictures (many of those posted above). 

 

.  Returned to our stunning vantage point downstairs to linger until an 8:00 performance by a Native singer/songwriter, Jack Gladstone.   His was also a multi-media show, with evocative photos and paintings shown on the screen as he sang, mostly his own compositions, and emphasizing the Native American view of the Park’s ecology & culture.  Two of the pieces were accompanied by a Park Ranger who played the cello (she’s the summer Ranger who led the Historic Hotel talk, and the wife of the Ranger who gave the glacier talk earlier).  He was really excellent.  Has won a number of awards, including being a featured speaker when the Smithsonian opened their Native American exhibit hall, receiving a Montana Governor’s award, a recent Emmy, and several more which I can’t remember.  

 

 

     When we left the hotel a little after 9:00, almost all of the clouds were gone, and the sun shone down blessing the day with a sublime benediction.

                                                                         

                                                

                                                                    
                                                                             

 Was a beautiful drive home in the twilight.  We’d never noticed before how gorgeous the mountains were as we drove south on Hwy 89 back to our campground.  I guess they were shrouded in clouds on Friday afternoon, and  of course  we drove back Friday night in the dark.

     Tomorrow is supposed to still be partly cloudy, but with less wind and higher temps.  So we’re thinking that we’ll do another hike tomorrow.  If we get wet, well, so be it.  At least we shouldn’t get too chilled.

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 28

SATURDAY, JUNE 28:

     A VERY windy, cool, and still overcast, partially rainy day.  Could feel the wind shake the RV last night.  Plus I woke up not feeling very refreshed and groggy.  So we opted to just have a slow day staying inside.  Did take a walk around the campground after breakfast.  They have a nice set-up here – probably 200 acres or so, with several meadow acres which they use for tent camping and RV caravans.  Also some cabins and a restaurant.  The main RV area is on gravel, and sites are fairly close together.  All together pretty nice.

      I spent a good deal of time down in  the office loading the Blog, etc. in the early afternoon.  Even at the WiFi Hotspot, takes FOREVER.  Very frustrating!! Ah, Wilderness!!  Bill stayed home & practiced playing banjo and took these pics of the scenes across from us.

 

        Enjoyed a repeat of last night (leftovers).  Then I came down to the laundry room again (office closes at 8:00) to do some on-line banking.  Will have that out of the way, hoping that the weather turns nicer and we’re out enjoying it.  And loaded this Blog entry.  

     

    

 

 

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, JUNE 26 & 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 & FRIDAY, JUNE 27:  

     Rained all day on Thursday, and was predicted to do so again on Friday.  So I was pretty bummed for a while.  I was ready to be active!  But turned Thursday into good use, taking a long campground shower, doing my 50,000 mile tune-up (shaving, shampooing hair, etc.).  Then a leisurely breakfast.   I spent a good part of the afternoon in the office doing computer/internet stuff while Bill stayed “home” and read the book Diane P. lent him.  It fully engaged him – was on the theme of making coherent sense out of the Old Testament, particularly seeing God’s redeeming grace as developed thru His covenants.  He thought about using it would make an excellent book for a Sunday School class. 

     Drove over in the late afternoon a few miles to the St. Mary’s Visitors Center inside the Nat’l Park.  Saw a couple of very good films, one on Going to the Sun Road (the road which connects the East & West portions of the Park) – its history (constructed over a century ago), its maintenance, etc.  It’s undergoing a multi-year renovation now, but the film (and other media) emphasized that delays shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes total.  The main issue for us is:  When will it be open all of the way?  A portion of it, including Logan Pass, is still closed due to late snowfall – they’re still plowing!  We’d very much like to take the iconic Red Bus Tour of the entire road.  Rangers told us they’re expecting the announcement that it’s totally open any day now . . . surely hope it’s a reality before we leave here!  We got some recommendations for hiking trails, etc.  As always, so impressed with the Rangers’ knowledge & helpfulness.

     A good portion of the exhibits in this small Visitors Center pertained to the Native Blackfeet tribe – their history in this area, and their perspective of the Park - especially of how the U.S. acquired the land,  which of course they considered a deeply spiritual place because of the sacred nature of the mountains, fresh water, etc.  Another sad chapter in broken promises, disingenuousness on the U.S. govt’s part, exploitation of the Natives’ lack of political sophistication, etc.    On the other hand, all Americans now have these magnificent lands to visit and gain refreshment and nurture from. It just seems there could have been more honorable ways to have achieved it . . . but I guess that would be re-writing history.

     Cooked brats inside, as way too wet & rainy to cook outside.   Then we both relaxed, reading.

    On Friday, expected another day like Thursday.  But surprise – we woke up to a partially bright sky!  So after breakfast, we decided to drive the 10 or so miles up the highway to the junction leading into the Many Glacier portion of the Park.  Once on the Park road,  it was rough & bumpy but nice scenery as we skirted Sherburne Lake & river.

 

 

A couple of hikes were recommended in the Many Glacier area.  We opted for the shorter, easier one – both because of the iffy weather, and because we wanted to start out easy.  So we walked an easy 2.6 mile loop around Swiftcurrent Lake.  It had become mostly cloudy – even sprinkled on us a little – so we didn’t have great views most of the time, but it was still so nice to get out and do something active.  And when the clouds did part, had really beautiful scenery.  Saw some artists along the trail. 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               Beargrass in bloom!

 

 

We might do this trail again on a sunny day.  Stepped inside the gorgeous Many Glacier Hotel to check on some evening programs.  Same imposing Swiss chalet motif, with huge ceiling beams, etc., that I remember from 1989. 

 

 

      Drove back home.  Saw a grizzly in a meadow really close to the road.  A couple of cars had stopped, and one guy was getting a picture pretty close – maybe 50 yards.  Not so smart!  After all of the bear education we’d received in Alaska, we try to obey all the rules – like not stopping alongside the road unless there’s a pullout (which there wasn’t).  So we just saw it momentarily.

       Rested & napped at home.  For dinner,   Bill started a charcoal fire, and we grilled steaks & fresh corn-on-the-cob.  Also made a salad & flavored rice.  Our first outdoor-prepared meal on this trip!

     Then we drove back in to the Many Glacier Hotel for the 8:00 program.  It featured an Artist-in-Residence – but music, not visual art.  He’s a music professor in Eastern Texas and an accomplished composer.  He presented a program on how he derives inspiration for his musical compositions from nature, particularly our National Parks, and demonstrated several examples.  Our favorite was a piece for full-piece orchestra he composed after visiting Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska, specifically the Kennecott mine there.  He had images of the old mine set against the spectacular mountains up on a screen, and we were instantly transported to our phenomenal time spent there last year.  This was a free program, provided by our tax $$!

     Then we stayed for a 9:00 performance by a local singer/songwriter.  His was a multi-media program on the Lewis & Clark expedition.  He gave a great narrative of their entire journey –one of the most comprehensive I’ve ever heard, interspersed with  singing his own songs with accompanying guitar and/or harmonica.  And while speaking or singing/playing, he’d have photos & drawings depicting the expedition on a screen.  It was really excellent.  We would have enjoyed visiting with him afterwards, but it would soon be pitch dark, and had that 30+ minute drive to the highway on that terrible road in the dark to navigate, so Bill wanted to get going right away.   A really enjoyable evening! 

     Was really cool & windy when we got home.  Had to turn on the furnace!

     We’ll decide how to spend tomorrow depending on what the weather looks like. This cloudy, rainy, cool weather is supposed to taper off either tomorrow or Sunday, for drier, warmer days.  Yea!     

 

 

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25:

     Overcast when we woke up – 1^st day it’s not been sunny, I think.  But before we pulled out around 10:00, the sun was beginning to break through. 

     Drove around 300 miles total to get to Glacier.  Broke it up by stopping at Great Falls for lunch and then did some grocery shopping, as we won’t be around any big supermarkets for a while now.

   Then on to the next 150 or so miles to Glacier.  Needless to say, beautiful scenery as we approached closer & closer to the Rockies.  Quite a bit of snow on the near peaks.  Had little trouble navigating the mountain roads, except the last downhill grade.  Was very steep, and long – Bill thinks the steepest downhill we’ve ever experienced.  And even though he was in low gear, he still had to apply the brakes nearly all the time. Which of course made them hot.   So then he’d release, but then the truck would  speed forward.  So it was a constant balancing.  And when we pulled into the RV park, you could really smell the hot brakes. 

     Then, when we pulled into our campground site, had our first mini-adventure of the trip. Bill couldn't get the RV disengaged from the hitch - kept jostling it around without success.  Even left the site,& drove back in, hoping for a better position, I guess.  Anyway, all of a sudden, as I'm in the truck, the thing comes unhitched - Bill said from all the jostling - and the trailer lands on the truck bed.  With a thud.  Of course, I’m sitting there thinking, “Wonderful!  Now what do we do??”  Two or three other guys camped nearby saw what was going on and came over, and they all put their heads together to decide what to do.  One brought his 6-ton jack over.  So, aside from some dents & scratches on the truck, all was fine.  Thank God – no RV damage!   And thank God for angels in the form of friendly, helpful RV’ers.  It’s been our experience that most of our fellow RV travelers are more than willing to lend a hand whenever needed.  Knowing that’s the case really is a comfort when you’re in these isolated (relatively) areas.

     So got the RV set up for the next 9 nights here.  It was already 8:00 by now, so instead of starting a fire as we’d originally intended, we ended up taking the 2^nd container of frozen spaghetti out of the freezer and popped some garlic toast into the oven.  And, oh yes, some wine.

     After dinner, we both walked down the hill to the office.  They only have a WiFi hotspsot here, in the office and laundry room – nothing at the individual sites.  So Bill got me set up, and went home to clean up.  Was still light out at around 9:30 when we walked over. 

     Tomorrow we’ll make some sketchy plans for how to spend our time here.  We’ll also acquaint ourselves more with our campground.  Thanks to the Lord for getting us here safely, albeit with a bit of drama.   

  

  

    

  

 

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 24

TUESDAY, JUNE 24:

     Cool, crisp Wyoming morning.  Fixed breakfast. 

    Drove about 15 miles up I-25 and stopped at Ft. Phil Kearny Historic Site.  This was the site of a well-known fort which was established in 1866 to help protect & supply those travelling on the Bozeman Trail. 

.  This trail was almost exclusively used by gold-seekers who were trying to strike it rich in Virginia City, MT, just southwest of Bozeman.  It was located in the heart of the last great hunting grounds of the Sioux, Cheyenne, & Arapaho tribes, and so was a focal point of much violence between the U.S. Army and the Native Americans.

 

 

 

      The most well-known of these battles was the one involving Capt. William Fetterman, in which he led 81 men over a ridge trail while rescuing a besieged wagon train. He  ignored explicit orders to NOT  cross over the ridge because they could then no longer be seen by the sentries at the Fort. Once Fetterman and his men were over the ridge, the Indians lay waiting in ambush and all of Fetterman’s command were killed within 30 minutes.  This was one of the very rare instances in which Native warriors organized themselves and prepared a planned attack ahead of time; the majority of their fighting was either spontaneous, opportunistic attacks, or defensive fighting.  This was the second worse defeat for the U.S. Army in the Plains Indians war which stretched across the late 1860’s until the 1890’s at Wounded Knee; only Little Big Horn was worse for the U.S.

     The Fort only existed for 2 years.  By 1868, the transcontinental railroad had been completed, and travelers could now bypass the Bozeman Trail (as well as others).  This was one of the factors leading to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, in which the U.S. government designated the western half of what’s now South Dakota as a permanent reservation for the Great Plains Indians, for their exclusive use.   That treaty also set aside millions of acres west of the reservation in present day Wyoming & Montana as “unseeded” land, meaning that it belonged to no particular tribe, but could be used as hunting grounds by all Northern Plains tribes.  White men were forbidden to trespass on either the reservation or the unceded territory.

     That brought about 6 years of peace.  Until gold was discovered in the Black Hills, right in the heart of the reservation.  All promises & provisions of the treaty were cast aside.   To paraphrase a Watergate slogan – if you want to trace the history of Western U.S., follow the gold strikes.  In response to whites invading their lands and showing total disregard for the treaty, Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, & others, inspired by Chiefs Sitting Bull (who was considered a political and spiritual leader, as well as a warrior) & Crazy Horse, began to defy the treaty as well,  resisting the encroaching westward expansion, and leaving the reservation to live in their traditional ways in the unceded lands, resuming raids on white settlers and travelers.  In Dec 1875, the U.S. government ordered all tribes to return to the reservation, or be considered as hostiles.  When they didn’t comply, the U.S. Army was called in to enforce the order. 

     Which is what brought General George A. Custer to the area in June 1876.  We’d visited the Battle of Little Bighorn Battlefield last year, and spent several hours there. 

 But since it’s right off the Interstate, we decided to pay another short visit there.  We mainly wanted to hear the ranger interpretive talk & view the video again, now that we had an enlarged context for our understanding of the background of this legendary battle.  As I think I mentioned before, it’s thrilling in its own way when you see things inter-connect as you travel.  The same ranger was giving the outside talk today as was last year . . .  we recognized him by his introduction - former high school history teacher & coach.  But even if he didn’t identify himself that way, we would have recognized him by his dramatic style of telling the story.  He becomes totally immersed in it – as he presents both sides’ perspectives.  We think it’s very healthy for our understanding of American history, especially that of the Western states, that we’re getting more and more of a balanced view in the last couple of dozen years.  We (the public in general) are getting more & more exposure to the concept of the enormous clash of cultures which took place ever since Euro-Americans first set foot on the continent in the16th century. 

     Grabbed burgers to go in Billings, and continued on to Bozeman, where we stayed for the night.  Transitioned from rolling high plains to foothills of the Rockies.  The peaks we saw ahead of us had snow!  Wonder if that’s from the same big storms Glacier had last week.  Anxious to see how much snow is left there, after hearing that last week they received 14 inches!  By this time tomorrow, we’ll be settled in our first real destination – Glacier National Park.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 23

MONDAY, JUNE 23:

     Another lovely, cool morning.  Only 50 degrees when we got up!  But the sun soon started warming things up, and by the time we fixed breakfast, was very pleasantly warm, and so we ate outside.  Our first time eating al fresco on this trip! 

     Continued westward on the scenic highway.  After a few miles, we came upon the Museum of the Fur Trade.  This is another little hidden gem.   Very unpretentious, but gave a very good overview and history of “the first business in North America” – the fur trade.”  And it actually contains one of the most extensive collections of guns made specifically for the Indians as a trade good, as well as the world’s most comprehensive collection of samples of textile goods traded totem..

      The site of the museum is an original trading post site, with a faithful reconstruction of the original 1837 structure.  Every year, in October or November, a small caravan of two-wheeled carts would arrive here after a 4-day from Laramie with a supply of trade goods – everything from textiles to mirrors to knives to guns to clay pipes to buttons to whiskey.   The goods would be stored in a small “warehouse,” as well as the trading room itself – filling space up to the rafters. As the season progressed, the supply of these goods would diminish, and would be replaced by bales of tanned buffalo robes awaiting shipment to the east, especially St. Louis.  There, they’d be prepared for retail sale at about $10 each.  They were in high demand for use as bed coverings, carriage blankets, robes, etc.  Another building block of our nation’s history, especially its western history.  Was particularly interesting to see a couple of exhibits which were relevant to the Native Alaskans’ role in the world-wide trade enterprise – it reinforced what we’d seen & learned last year up north.  That’s surely one of the nice elements of extensive travel – you start seeing how different regions intersect with each other, with layers of mutual interdependence.  

     Aside from the couple of hours we spent at the museum, was a long day of driving.  Two hours or so of that was added as a result of Bill somehow taking a wrong highway shortly after crossing into Wyoming.  I was snoozing, and so didn’t notice, til I woke up and observed that the highway signs indicated that we were going east!  Hmmm . .  . . heading home so soon??  I wonder when Bill would have figured it out had I not awakened when I did – surely when we would have crossed back over into Nebraska!   Guess he was absorbed in the wonderful scenery!  The plains are becoming significantly more rolling now, and with some varying land formations -  and the temperature mild.  So made for a lovely, if long, trip today. 

 

      Reached Buffalo at 8:00 (originally thought we’d get here around 6:30).  A nice, very quiet RV park, right off I-25.  As soon as I got out of the truck, I needed my jacket!  Re-heated our leftover pizza from the other night.  Read and went to bed.

SUNDAY, JUNE 22

SUNDAY, JUNE 22:

     Rained all night!  Feels so cozy and elemental to wake up and hear rain splattering on the RV roof.   Another cool morning.  I used the campground shower for a luxurious long one.  Then we breakfasted at their buffet again.   

     Drove  northwest on the Sandhill Scenic Highway today.  Named such because of the small hills of mixed prairie grasses growing on top of stabilized sand dunes.  The entire area is a major flyway for  many bird species, most notably the Sandhill Cranes, which migrate here in April by the thousands.  The further west we drove, the more pronounced the hills.  Definitely not flat prairie farmland any more – too much uneven terrain, and poor topsoil.  Is Great Plains ranch terrain.  Was prime buffalo country for the Natives.   Quite picturesque, especially with the cloud formations seeming to touch the earth.  Big Sky Country indeed! 

                                                                     

      We paralleled the railroad for most of the way.  Saw dozens of freight trains hauling mostly coal – some trains as long as a mile!  We deduced that the coal must come from Wyoming, and carried to a myriad of power plants east.

 

                              Pleasant temperatures today made for a very enjoyable day – drove about 300 miles.  Stopped for the evening at a tiny town of 500+ about 60 miles from the Wyoming border -  Hay Springs.  Chose this destination because I’d read that it had a quiet little RV campground run by the city – full hook-ups, even internet – for $15!   It was a perfectly lovely little park – next to the city swimming pool (a few kids were having a lot of fun there when we arrived), and across from a very nice large city park, where we took Pappy after dinner.  When we go to City Hall tomorrow to pay, we’ll ask them what their tax base is – how such a small town can support such a nice pool, neatly groomed park, etc.  It reminded us of Wrangell, Alaska – another small town that had such nice amenities for such a small community.  It too operated a wonderful small RV park which we loved – and it, too, had an honor pay system, with no one on duty at the park itself.  If you find  yourself becoming disheartened & discouraged with urban/suburban angst of not trusting people, always being cautious about being cheated, etc.,  you need to visit some of America’s smallest, most rural towns.  It’ll restore your sense of wholesome community!                                 

      Was lovely& cool when we stopped here – in fact, I had to change from shorts into jeans, and grabbed a light jacket when we walked Pappy!  What a difference a day and a few degrees north in latitude make!