Day 11 Summer 2010 Park to Park Road Trip

We were up and out of the hotel before 8am this morning. Today we are going to visit Glacier National Park and then head North into Alberta. We will follow the “Going to the Sun Road” through the park, from the West Entrance to the East Entrance.

We weren't a mile inside the park entrance when I decided that our front window really needed a good cleaning so that we could take better photos, so I pulled over into a pull off. Karen got out to take photos and I cleaned the front windshield. Karen came running back to the car because she had spotted a black bear not very far away. It was heading towards us along the side of the road.

Some traffic scared it down off the road and we thought it had disappeared.

I finished washing the front window and had just gotten back into the car, I looked in the rear view mirror to see if the road was clear to pull back onto and there in my rear view mirror was the bear, a mere 5 ft behind the car. Karen caught these photos as it crossed the road beside us and up the steep embankment. Pretty exciting to be that close, and I am happy I was back inside the car rather than still outside washing the windows.

This is Lake McDonald on the Going to the Sun Roadway.

Heavens Peak Mountain.

Karen and I on the Going to the Sun road.

This is the Weeping Wall, the melt water from the snow on the mountain tops is streaming down the face of this rock wall and in one place a waterfall is cascading down onto the road.

We saw some Mountain Goats on the side of the road and also way up on a rocky cliff.

Arrived at Logan Pass Visitor Center.

These vehicles are free to ride in and constantly drive back and forth along the Going to the Sun road, dropping you off or picking you up at various stops along the way.

And of course the mountain that gave the road it’s name… “Going to the Sun Mountain”

We experienced some delays along the road as the construction crews rehabilitate the road. This is part of a 7 year plan to completely restore the road.

This is the Jackson Glacier. It is estimated that there will be nothing left of this glacier by 2030.

The road hugs the shore of Mary Lake and there is a picturesque little island called Wild Goose Island.

We left GNP through the East Entrance and headed North towards the Canadian Border. On the Montana side of the border we saw these tattered and torn flags.

Then it was time to cross the border. A couple of questions of where we were and where we were heading and then we were on our way.

The road North to Cochrane AB stretched out before us.

It is nice to see a Canadian Flag flying proudly.

We are checked into our hotel in Cochrane Alberta, had to dig out some Canadian money from the inside pocket of my suitcase and put my American money away for a few days. We will be in Alberta and British Columbia for 6 or 7 days before we cross back into the US. Tomorrow we are heading to Edmonton Alberta to visit the West Edmonton Mall.

To see all of our photos from today, and there are lots of them… about 250, check out my FLICKR site.

Day 10 Summer 2010 Park to Park Road Trip

We left our hotel in Bozeman Montana and headed North along the Pintler Scenic Loop.

What would a day be like if we didn’t have to encounter construction… maybe some day we will find out, but right now, we are in the middle of a road construction project.

Around Noon, we pulled into the town of Philipsburg MT. We had done some online research and we wanted to check out the Sapphire Mining Company and the Sweet Palace.

Starting off with the Sapphire Mining Company.. we bought a pile of dirt that had been dug out from a nearby Sapphire Mine. The guy behind the counter washed and sieved our pile of dirt and then showed us what to look for… Sapphires…

It was a little hard to find the sapphires in amongst all the dirt, but with persistence, we found about 2 dozen pieces. I placed them all carefully in a plastic pill bottle.

We then went next door to see the gemologist and she appraised our find. We actually found some very nice pieces. Nice enough that Karen decided to have 3 of them turned into a necklace pendant. The gemologist showed us an example of the necklace she would make for Karen using the sapphire stones we found. 8 of the 2 dozen sapphires are usable in the necklace, so after they are fired in a kiln, the gemologist will pick the 3 best stones from the 8 to make the necklace. You can see our stones in the plastic bag below the sample necklace. Sapphire is Karen’s birthstone, so it is pretty cool to have a necklace made from gem stones that we found in a pile of dirt.

Next we went next door to the Sweet Palace to buy some fudge and chocolates.

We bought some Double Chocolate Fudge

And some Amaretto Chocolate Swirl Fudge.

I watched the toffee pulling machine while Karen picked out several other chocolaty sweets.

Then we went across the road for some lunch at Doe Brothers Old Fashioned Soda Fountain.

Back on the road again driving on US 93 through Montana.

There was this interesting tunnel ahead of us, which we learnt by the sign posted at the side of the road was to allow wildlife to cross over the highway.

We drove along the shores of Flathead Lake for several miles. I was surprised to see such a large lake in Montana.

Passed by this huge field of what I think is Mustard… but it might be Canola.

Dinner tonight was at the local A&W. Decorated in the retro A&W style, they even had one of the old speakers that you used to park beside to order your food and then the girl would come out with your tray.

Funny thing though, they didn’t call the burgers names like we do. They looked at me like I was from another planet when I ordered a “Teen Burger” They don’t have the family of burgers like we do back home, instead they have singles, doubles or triples with or without bacon or other toppings. I thought A&W was all about Teen Burgers, Mama Burgers, Papa Burgers etc.

For dessert, Karen had the “Turtle Sundae” and I had a “Hot Fudge Sundae”

To see all of our photos from today, you can find them on my FLICKR site.

Tomorrow we will be visiting Glacier National Park.