2016 Loop Trip, Missouri-South Dakota-Montana-Idaho

[DonnaR57]

DAY 16: BROOKINGS to WALL SD, via DeSmet - 342 miles

There was no real hurry to leave the motel, which appeared to appeal to travelers, workers, and truckers. That morning, my husband noted 4 big-rigs in the parking area behind the motel. We enjoyed our coffee, then took commuter mugs to go. We had two stops to make that morning: one for fuel, and one at Walmart again, to pick up a dishtub and coffee scoop.

The truck turned west on US-14, which is listed as the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway", probably because it was the old road that Charles Ingalls used to go file a claim in Brookings, for a homestead in De Smet. His trip took a couple of days; ours took less than an hour for the 42 miles to De Smet. Hubby was hungry when we got there, so we found a cafe in the historic downtown area. This is a very small town; Walt's was a bakery, cafe, and gift store. Food okay.

Donna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 010 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Finding the Laura Ingalls Wilder area of town isn't difficult. There are good directions on the historic homes website, and it's properly signed in town. We stopped in at this older home, which is not one of Laura's, but it's the little museum, gift shop, and where you sign up for the tour. Ours was the 10:30 am tour, which lasts about an hour and a quarter.

Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 010 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The tour takes you into 4 buildings. You can't take photos inside the Surveyor's house, where Laura and her family lived when they first got to DeSmet. Pa had a job working as paymaster for the railroad. Laura thought it was a mansion.

Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 013 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

I asked about why no photos inside, and our very personable guide did not have an answer, only that it had always been that way. (I surmised, as I did in Mansfield two years ago, that it had to do with $$ and because old-fashioned flash bulbs were hard on historical items.)

The guide then took us to Laura's and Carrie's first school, which was located elsewhere in town originally, but moved to the historical site so that it could be preserved. Evidently, it had been converted to a home for a while, but when reconverting it back to a school room, they found that chalkboards and the like had been covered over, not ripped out. Because of my profession, I was very happy that they allowed photos to be taken inside this school, and the replica of the Brewster School where Laura first taught school (until she married Almanzo Wilder).

Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 017 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Desks in the first DeSmet school.
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 018 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Brewster school replica.
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 041 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The next time one of my kiddos complains that his chair is too uncomfortable, I want to show him this photo:
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 037 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The last place on the tour is still located in its original spot in town: the house that Pa built for Ma, where they lived, along with Mary and Carrie, until their deaths. Once again, no photos were allowed inside.
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 043 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After Pa died, Ma (Caroline Quinter Ingalls) took in boarders, and had this stairway built on the back so that boarders did not have to trek through the house and up a tiny set of steps to get to the upstairs rooms.
Donna Summer 2016 Missouri - South Dakota 045 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

That ended the tour. We returned to the Gift Shop, used the facilities, purchased a t-shirt for me, and headed out. It was almost 12:30 and we still had 300 miles to drive. My husband was given about 4 routes to use to get us down to 90, and he chose the one I predicted: US-14 to US-281 south. The 14 had some construction (including one with a pilot car, grumble) but the 281 was a breeze with almost no traffic.

Once on the 90, we headed west again, making one of the next stops at a rest area/scenic viewpoint/Lewis & Clark Information Center. The view was stunning, and the information was about L & C at this point on the River.

What a beautiful place to have a picnic, if it was that time of day!
Donna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 018 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Pulling into Wall, SD, we easily located our overnight motel, Econo Lodge, checked in, took a dunk in the pool, changed, and headed for Wall Drug. It was only 4 blocks so we decided to walk. We spent a lot more time poking around the shops, looking at the "backyard", the art gallery, until the tummies started to rumble at the same time as the weather did.

Dinner was at the Badlands Saloon and Grille. While we were enjoying the meal, Wall was hit by a major thunderstorm -- heavy rains, thunder, and some lightning in the area. While eating, we were concerned about how long we'd have to wait for the weather to settle enough to make the 4 block trip back to the motel. Soon it settled, and we went outside again.
Hubby looks over at Wall Drug after the thunderstorm.
Donna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 024 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

It was a night for settling in early, as we had a long drive to make the next day (with no significant stops.)


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 17: WALL SD to THREE FORKS MT - 603 miles

This was a long day on the road, giving me what I call "FBS" (flat bottom syndrome), despite getting out every two hours for a walk, etc. It was also a miscalculated day, as I had originally written down 540 miles, because the original intent was to overnight at Rapid City, and Wall is about 60 miles short of that. Well, as my husband said, "at least it was *all* interstate!"

We set out in sunny but chilly weather (in the 50s) before 7 am. First order of business, about 40 miles down the road, was fuel. GasBuddy again led us someplace that was about 15c cheaper than the stations in Rapid City. That was in Box Elder, near Ellsworth AFB (whose diesel was also more expensive).

Next stop was an oddball thing for us: Dinosaur Park in Rapid City. Let me preface this by saying, this is not very well known any more. It was built in 1936 by the WPA, and is on the national register of historic places. When my mom was a little girl on vacation in the Black Hills, she had appendicitis and was brought to a hospital (no longer exists) in Rapid City for surgery. This was just after Dinosaur Park was built. After she was released from the hospital, her parents took their daughters up to the Park.

Fast forward 30 years, my parents brought my brother and I to this park. I regret that we never took a trip through South Dakota when our girls were children, because I would have taken them there, too. Instead, I took my husband. It was fun, but he and I both had our thoughts about why the WPA built the park, instead of something just a little more useful. We came to the conclusion that they needed something that would lift people's spirits during a rough depression, and create a free place for children to play.

These are huge cement dinosaurs that have now been climbed on by many generations of children for the past 80 years.

One must climb a lot of stairs. This is not "accessible", unfortunately.
Donna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 026 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

As a child, I remember sitting on this one's tail.
Donna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 027 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Yours truly, standing in front of one so you can see the size of these things.
Donna Summer 2016 July 1 iPod Photo Dump 032 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We didn't make this a very long stop. It took us longer to climb the hill to get to the park, than we actually stayed. This is a narrow road with lots of switchbacks, where we hoped that we wouldn't meet too many others going the other way! Since we were traversing this at what was Rapid City's "rush hour", that wasn't at issue.

Between there and Three Forks, MT, there were only stops for brunch, stretching, and facility usage. It was 5:30 pm by the time we rolled into our motel in Three Forks.

We situated ourselves at the Broken Spur Motel on the south end of Three Forks. It was a cute family-run place. Because of the holiday weekend, I got the last room when I reserved BACK IN APRIL, and it was a kitchenette. That's a little more expensive than their other rooms. The unit had three rooms. The front room was the bedroom, with a sliding glass door, everything you need for a good night's sleep. The second room was the kitchenette - electric range (small), refrig/micro combo like many motels put in - table and 2 chairs - and a futon. Presumably the futon is for an extra person or two. The kitchen was decently supplied with cookware, pots and pans, but was very low on counter-space and that was not near an electric plug. The third room was the large bathroom/wardrobe, and (unfortunately) the only place to plug in a coffeemaker or toaster because it had counter-space!

So we walked over to the little market and Family Dollar store, and put in provisions that we hadn't brought with us. That night, it was chili, crackers, and a salad. We also bought things for a picnic lunch the following day.



Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 18: HEADWATERS of the MISSOURI RIVER STATE PARK

My husband and I have a great interest in the expedition of Lewis & Clark. Over the years we have been to several of the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Centers, visited a few other sites, and have seen quite a few documentaries on the expedition and read a few books on the subject. When planning this trip, more L & C sites got added to the "must-see" list. We've already touched on a site or two on our trip, but we planned for an entire day at the Headwaters.

Packing a lunch and tossing it in the truck, the first stop was at the pay kiosk at the State Park, 5 miles from our motel. It was a self-service kiosk, they wanted $6, and of course we didn't have exact cash. They also had no map. We eventually figured out that they would take a check (amazing!), at a later pay kiosk.

The first stop was also the second site of the town of Gallatin, now only a memory. The only thing left at any of the Gallatin sites was this old hotel, now being held up by some modern hardware.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 006 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

There was a half mile "Creek Loop", which seemed like a good idea. Pretty views, a nice creek, and somewhere along the way, we surprised both a deer and a grouse.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 009 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

There was river access to the Madison River, at the next stop. You could walk down to the river's edge and stick your hand in it, or wade. It warned of heavy undertow by the presence of lifesaving equipment, though, so we didn't attempt wading.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 014 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

According to the US Geological Survey, the Missouri River actually starts where the Madison River and Jefferson River converge. The natives disagree, saying that the MO starts when the Gallatin River finally joins the Madison-Jefferson, a little bit further downstream.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 019 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Walking along the converged rivers a little ways, we came across this interesting plant. There was no interpretive sign to tell us what this is.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 021 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The next stop was at Fort Rock. It was a nice climb to the top. We had just gotten to the bench at the top when my phone rang -- it was my mom, and I regretted that she didn't have Facetime or Skype, as she would have loved this view -- and would have hiked it too when she was younger.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 030 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

As we pulled up to the next point of interest, the Picnic Area/Interpretive Center, it was just about lunchtime. We found a nice shady parking spot for our truck, a shady picnic table for us (the only one), and had the lunch we'd purchased at the little market in Three Forks. Convenient and tasty! Then we hiked up the hill to the interpretive center, which was just more signs to read, and a little extra hike to the top of the hill.

The picnic area, the Gallatin River before it joins the Madison-Jefferson:
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 036 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The view of the Madison-Jefferson before the Gallatin joins it:
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 035 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Up near the Interpretive Center were graves of some children, who died as a result of the black diptheria epidemic back in 1870. So sad.
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 037 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Our final stop in the park was at the boat ramp, so that we could stick our hands in what was now the Missouri River. Then we drove back out of the park.

The early afternoon was spent just driving along the Jefferson River south and west of Three Forks, stopping for a scenic photo or two. We finally turned around at the entrance to the talc plant, one of the major employers of the Three Forks region. (The other was a gravel company just north of the Headwaters state park.)

We chose to have dinner in again -- after all, that's what kitchenette rooms are all about. It was once again a lot cheaper than going out to eat, and probably a lot healthier for both of us.


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 19: THREE FORKS MT to HELENA MT - 80 miles

This leg of the trip involves very short drives between overnight spots, in order to enjoy the drive, the scenery, and pull over to take photographs. We had a leisurely morning at the motel, checking out right around 10 am after a breakfast (made in the room) of eggs, sausage, and toast. (I should add that the motel's breakfast was pretty simple: toast, cereal, packaged sweet rolls and muffins. So we "ate in", using the motel's breakfast room for the toast and butter.)

After quickly making a stop for ice for our cooler, we went to the Headwaters Heritage Museum. This is a free museum in Three Forks with displays from a lot of the other towns around the area, located in a very old bank building. The bank's small vault was still there. The offices upstairs were converted into rooms with similar objects. The military memorabilia, including very old uniforms, were in one room. Another room was full of train stuff, as the Milwaukee Road had a depot in a (now-defunct) nearby town, Trident.

IMG_3940 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At the museum, we accomplished another thing - we were able to purchase souvenir t-shirts for the Headwaters, to go with our Mississippi Headwaters t-shirts. The woman that was running the museum that day was very knowledgeable about the whole area.

Moving on, we headed for US-287, to take a more direct and slow drive to Helena. In a few places, we were following the Missouri River again (and crossed it a couple of times). At one point, I saw a sign for "Fishing Access", so we turned down the road -- just in time to get stopped by a train. After the train passed, continuing down the (dirt) road, we found a Bureau of Reclamation Campground right next to the river. No hookups, but it was really a pretty place for a campsite! We stopped next to the boat launch area, and walked down to the river. There were people setting out in a boat.

IMG_3941 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

A little further up the road, we set out on another "adventure", this one less successful. The woman at the Headwaters Museum had given me a brochure that would help you follow some Lewis & Clark sites. One was the Crimson Cliffs, at which one had been shown how the natives made dyes from the red dirt. We got probably halfway there and turned around. The road was horrible, full of potholes and washboard-like, plus it was rolling through hills with steep grades and hairpin turns where you hoped you didn't meet someone else going the other way. At a ranch drive, we turned around. However, we had gotten to look at some beautiful homes situated right on the River.

So on we drove, right on into Helena. It was right around 1 pm when we found our hotel. No, they weren't really ready for us to check in, but allowed us to do the check-in process without dropping any gear in the room. The state capitol building was located a couple of miles away, which I wanted to see, so we drove that way.

Parking was easy right in front of the Capitol, and it wasn't too busy. This was the start of the holiday weekend, so not too surprising.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 1 043 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

You enter the building underneath that "grand staircase", where you are greeted by a docent from the Montana Heritage Society. The gentleman asked us if we wanted a tour (which wouldn't start for another hour), or if we wanted to do a self-tour. We chose the latter, took the brochure, and began to walk. It's a very beautiful building, built between 1899 and 1902. What we noticed was the difference between the desks and chairs in the Senate chamber vs. the ones in the Representatives chamber. The Senators got the more comfortable chairs and more microphones.

On the way back to the hotel (Super 8 Helena), we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some chicken and potato salad for dinner. Neither of us felt like eating out, and the leftover fried chicken would make a nice picnic lunch for the following day's outing.

This particular Super 8 was located near the junction of 287/12 and I-15. The staff tried to accommodate us early, but couldn't -- that was fine, understandable. The wifi was not particularly strong, however, and kept dropping out. (I have gotten so that I prefer hotel wifi's that require passwords. The other kind will often drop you in the middle of an upload of photos.) This one has a nicer fridge than we've seen in other places. Like many other hotels that we have stayed at, there's never enough electrical outlets, so our electrical strip was in use again. This one did a hot breakfast where you could choose egg, sausage, along with a nice assortment of other things.


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 20: GATES of the MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS AREA - 20 miles

We were up that morning early, and about an hour before we were to depart for our boat tour, we noticed that someone was double-parked right behind our truck. There was very little "wiggle room" to be able to depart without damage to either vehicle, so we informed hotel management. He looked at the registration papers to find that no one had declared that particular license plate, then retrieved a broom. Seems they had left the driver's window open far enough to be able to reach in with a broom handle and honk the horn several times. Finally someone came out -- but did not move the vehicle. Another vehicle abandoned the parking spot next to us, which would have helped us to wiggle out, but....I saw movement inside the vehicle, so I went outside to put something inside our truck. It was a woman, so I carefully approached her and asked if she could possibly move her vehicle into that empty parking spot as we were going to have to leave soon. She tried to tell me that the other vehicle was going to be back, but I told her that it's every man for himself in a motel lot, no one has reserved parking.....so she moved the car.

Off we went, picnic lunch in our cooler, to Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area. We had purchased tickets for the 10 am boat tour through the area. Later found out that the lake was only accessible to those with boats, or those who wanted to hike in 20 miles. (I love to hike, but that's a few nights in/out!) The boat tour guide was a retired middle school teacher - very informative about the geology, flora, fauna and history of the area. Meriweather Lewis had given it the name "Gates of the Mountains" back when it was just a river, but the lake makes it even more so. He took us down river about 6-1/2 miles then back. We saw a bald eagle's nest, a flying young bald eagle, an osprey nest with an osprey head sticking out from it, and a few jumping fish. The boat we rode on was only slightly older than the two of us.

One side of the lake belonged to the Gates of the Mountains Conservation Society, which also runs the public marina and the boat tours. The other side is the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area, managed by the US Forest Service.
Warren Summer 2016 Montana 2 008 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We rode the open boat. The pros: you were able to see a lot better. The cons: no onboard bathroom.
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 2 003 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Gates as seen from the water, on the south end:
Warren Summer 2016 Montana 2 006 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Some of the geological rock formations are rather funny:
Warren Summer 2016 Montana 2 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The camping area, though you can "disperse camp" anywhere on either side where you can find a place to beach your boat and pitch a tent.
Warren Summer 2016 Montana 2 030 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Mann Gulch was the scene of a horrendous and huge fire, that killed 13 out of 15 "smokejumpers" who were sent in to fight the fire, back in 2007.
Warren Summer 2016 Montana 2 054 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The Gates from the northern entrance, the way Meriweather Lewis would have seen them. (Clark was on an overland trip at the time.)
Warren Summer 2016 Montana 2 055 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr


You may notice that a lot of these are my husband's photos. He had the better vantage point. I didn't trade seats with him because I knew he'd be a lot less tolerant than I was, of the 13-month old sitting behind us screaming and crying whenever anyone tried to hold him except his dad.

We had hoped to do some hiking in the area, but for several reasons, it wasn't meant to be. We went back to the room and relaxed after having our picnic lunch at the marina pavilion, then watching the private boats launch for a few minutes. Dinner was at the place next door, the Overland Express, as I didn't want to drag the cooking stuff in.


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 21: HELENA to GREAT FALLS MT via YORK & FORT BENTON - 210 miles

Knowing that the day's drive from Helena to Great Falls was only going to be 90 miles at the most, we made some plans to include other things. What we didn't factor in: holiday weekend. In our home state of California, almost everything stays open for Sundays and holidays. Not so in the great state of Montana.

We drove out to York on the recommendation of the boat captain at Gates of the Mountain, for lunch. There was a bar there, normally opens at 11, that served incredible hamburgers. The drive out there was beautiful, with a good view of Hauser Lake and the Mighty MO.

Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 024 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At York - the restaurant was closed. Such a big disappointment! It just never occurred to us to call ahead. We drove back into Helena, and ate instead at the Grub Stake Restaurant in North Helena. They were busy and the service was good, but the food was slow to come.

Driving up to Great Falls was beautiful, though with some construction. We then found the way through town to get to 87 north into Fort Benton. On the way through, at Black Eagle junction, there was such an array of radio and TV antennae that, once again, our truck reacted. Some electronic force is messing with a sensor!!!! Persevering through with the engine bucking, it eventually settled down, but unfortunately, our nerves did not do so for another 15 minutes.

Fort Benton was sleepy, quiet, nothing going on, not much traffic on the streets, most of the stores were closed up tight. However, after the experience at York, we had called ahead to find out if the museums were open, and yes, they were. Stopped first at the Missouri Breaks National Monument Interpretive Center, paid our $10 to look at their museum and (if desired) see their film. I learned a few things - I wasn't aware that there were steamboats that went up the river from St Louis to Fort Benton in the late 1800s.

Drove from there down Front Street, where we stopped to do something we've never done: walk across the Missouri River, albeit on a footbridge. This was the first bridge over the MightyMO ever built, and is now for foot traffic only. It's a "bridge to nowhere" now, as the other end is fenced off - it goes into private property.

Warren Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 048 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Here's yours truly sitting on a picnic table bench in the middle of the footbridge. According to the plaque, it was a young man's Eagle Scout project, but had many sponsors.
Warren Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 050 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Venturing further down Front Street, we stopped at the Lewis & Clark Memorial Statue.
Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 037 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

I would have loved to have toured Old Fort Benton. Unfortunately, by the time we made it to Fort Benton, the museums were either closing (as the Interpretive Center would do an hour later) or already closed (Fort Benton, Museum of the Upper Missouri).

Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump 038 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Drove back to Great Falls via the same route, as there really wasn't anything else available without going 100 miles out of our way. So we had the same trouble with the truck, going through the Black Eagle antennae area. It took a bit for it to "find itself" and behave normally.

We settled ourselves at the Super 8 Great Falls, which is more "in-town" than some of the other places we've stayed at. It's right next door to a mall with a Ross and Big Lots store. First thing we noticed about the place was the lack of electric outlets. So we knew that cooking in the room was not going to be possible. There was a definite lack of places to eat nearby, or at least it appeared to be at first glance. The room was otherwise decent. We were working on building up enough points to be able to stay at a Wyndham property free on the way home - we had already received notice from Choice that we had earned a free night.


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 22: GREAT FALLS, LEWIS & CLARK

Once again, we packed a light picnic lunch, and headed out for the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center up by the Missouri River. We took the "Scenic Route", the ByPass, which took us out toward Malmstrom AFB and then back toward Giant Springs area.

The Center was located on a bluff overlooking the River. Paying your fee ($8/person for age 16 and up), you could wander about the Center for the entire day. The first movie was "The Portage", so we watched that, in awe of what L & C and their men had to do to get around these falls (an 18 mile portage). A second film was offered, Ken Burns' Lewis and Clark: An Introduction. No need for us to go see that one, as the entire video is in our home library.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

There were some repeated items from the two L & C Centers that we have already visited on past trips (Independence/KC MO, and Fort Mandan ND), but a lot of displays centered on the Natives that inhabited this area of Montana.

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 010 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

After spending over 2 hours in the museum, we were ready to be outside. We left the building to the scenic viewpoint outside of the center, then headed to the vehicle for an "in-truck picnic" (a must since there were no picnic areas near the center itself).

It was a beautiful afternoon for hiking. It was partly cloudy, not too hot, a good breeze was blowing - lucky us! We headed upriver first, towards the Black Eagle Falls, hiking first on the L & C Nature Trail, then on the River's Edge Trail (a paved hike/bike trail that goes on both sides of the river).

Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 032 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We didn't get too close to these Falls by hiking, and after the issues with the truck and antennae, driving near anything with the name "Black Eagle" was to be avoided.

Back to the Center, we got in the truck and headed toward Giant Spring State Park. Finding out that it was for the purpose of a trout hatchery, we moved on down the road to find some scenic viewpoints. At one, the Lewis & Clark Overlook, an interpretive sign made us about cry - the falls have been almost decimated by the addition of all the dams.

Rainbow Falls as they once were.
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 040 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Rainbow Falls as they are, after the addition of the Rainbow Dam.
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 043 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Crooked Falls as they once were.
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 049 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Crooked Falls, on this day.
Donna Summer 2016 Montana 4 052 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Total mileage on the feet, for the Center and the hikes, was well over 4 miles -- two 2-mile round trip hikes.

Our Super 8 had a couple of restaurants nearby, not a huge amount of choice, but JB's was one of them within 3 blocks. I always enjoy going to a JB's when we find one, but any more, their locations are dwindling. The food was good, enough of it, and the price was very reasonable. After dinner, we hit Big Lots and now have an extension cord as part of our motel "necessities".


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 23: GREAT FALLS to EAST GLACIER PARK VILLAGE, MT - 140 miles

This day started with a 3-banger when it came to delays getting started. The Super 8 had a problem developing with the door key reader -- our second of this kind of trouble on our trip. It locked us out completely during the repacking of the truck, and took the front desk clerk to come and get us back in the room. Second problem was stopping at McDonald's for a light snack before departing Great Falls -- of course they didn't get the order correct and we had to insist they rectify that. Third was missing the turnoff to get on I-15 (temporarily) north, and ended up on I-15 south instead. Easy fix, just get off at the next exit and turn around!

Finally on US-89 for the vast majority of the trip to East Glacier Park Village, where we were staying during our visit to Glacier National Park, things were better. It was mostly rolling hills, two lanes with occasional passing lanes, and we had to go through a few small towns. The skies dripped on us two or three times, only once driving through a shower where the windshield wipers were on for more than 2 or 3 swipes.

Pulling into our motel, Sherburne's Mountain Pines Motel, just after noon, we were told that we could check in, move stuff in, etc. So we did. What a sweet room!! It was very spacious! There were two queen beds, TWO bathroom sinks (one in the bathroom, one out of it), plenty of table space, three chairs and another table, a small TV (old style, but we never use the thing anyway), extremely clean and three windows. The only drawbacks were the tiny shower and finicky faucet handles on it, and no towel racks other than the motel-style "towel shelf" which was hung too close to the bathroom sinktop to hang anything on it. Less than $100/night - the norm around here is about $125-350.

Took off to go into the park immediately, to the Two Medicine Lakes area. First note: Glacier is among those parks that have gone up to $30 for entrance fee (from $25) this year.

Stopped first at the Running Eagle Falls trailhead, and joined the throngs of people on that very short, 3/10 mile trip back to the falls. There was a mist in the air, even at the parking lot, and most of it coming from the sky above.

IMG_3965 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Upper Two Medicine Lake was the next stop, basically the end of this particular road. In my family trip here, when I was a teenager, the Two Medicine Lake region got skipped (as did the Many Glacier region). So I wanted to rectify that. The General Store beckoned -- what a mixture of items to sell -- as did a walk along the lake for a short spell.

IMG_3977 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Third stop in the region was at the Scenic Point/Mt Henry Trailhead. This was much less popular, probably because it was a far longer trail. It was 6/10 of a mile to Apistoki Falls, mostly uphill (up about 350 ft in elevation).

IMG_3979 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Dinner that evening was a short walk down MT-49, to the Whistle Stop Cafe. I had BBQ'd chicken breast, while hubby was in the mood for a rib-eye steak. The prices were very reasonable and the food was tasty. My only regret was not having enough room for the delicious-looking huckleberry pie, for dessert, or the mint chocolate pie.



Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 24: GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

We didn't get as early a start as we normally do when we are entering a national park. It was closing in on 9:15 before we left East Glacier Park Village and headed north 32 miles to St Mary. MT-49 is some of the roughest highway I've ever been on, and a lot of it is open range. Rough road, extreme curves and cattle and horses in the middle of the road meant we weren't at the Visitor Center until 10:10. BAD time to start on Going to the Sun Highway!

It was literally bumper to bumper freeway along Going to the Sun at that hour. There were only a few scenic viewpoints that we were able to squeeze our full-size pick-up into, much to our dismay. Goat Island on St Mary Lake was one of them.

Donna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 002 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We captured this moment on camera, where the mountain is wearing a fur hat. The day went from sunny to partly cloudy, to mostly cloudy -- the mountains make their own weather.

Donna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 011 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

At Weeping Wall, and later the Loop, we had to pull in the passenger side mirror for its safety. Here's a good indication about the traffic levels on the Going to the Sun.

Donna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 035 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

We had to pass Logan Pass Visitor Center, and many other scenic points and trail heads. There were traffic directors at the entrance to the LPVC, waving you on, "lot full". If you happened upon the entrance just as someone was leaving, you might be let in. Otherwise, no.

Getting to the Apgar Visitor Center on the west side of the park, it was almost 2. We had an in-truck picnic lunch, napped, played games on the phone, walked around the Visitor Center area, and then drove to Coram to get fuel for the truck. Shopped for souvenirs in West Glacier, visited the Alberta Visitor Center there.

At 4:10, we started back on Going to the Sun Highway, going the west-to-east direction. This had not been in the plan at all. The plan had been to return to East Glacier by US-2. However, we wanted to stop at some of those scenic points that were full, and definitely Logan Pass.

This was much better. Most of the traffic was leaving the park, not just going in. We were able to stop at every scenic point, and do the Trail of the Cedars.

Donna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 068 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Unfortunately, it was too late to do the Avalanche Lake trail that we had planned, and the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail was closed because of bear activity. There was a gutsy mountain goat that decided to come and munch on the vegetation in the Logan Pass Visitor Center area.

Donna Summer 2016 Glacier Waterton 110 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

By the time we got to St Mary Visitor Center, it was after 7 pm, and we still had a 32 mile drive. Getting into East Glacier Park, hubby wanted to buy a bottle of beer. No-go, it was some sort of Indian Days celebration and all alcohol sales (ALL) were shut down. Wish we'd known, he'd have bought one the day before.


Donna

[DonnaR57]

DAY 25: NORTH, TO CANADA!

It was sad to leave that sweet little motel that had everything we needed (except, perhaps, a hot tub!), but we were on our way by 8:40. A stop in St Mary (town) for ice and a souvenir, headed north again then west at Babb to go into the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park. It was cold and drizzly (again). We'd hoped for some breakfast but neither Swiftcurrent's cafe nor Many Glacier's restaurant were serving anything at the time.
Many Glacier Hotel
Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 028 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Back to Babb, we found a cute little cafe that was serving lunch, so we each had a good sandwich and went on our way.

Reaching Chief Mountain MT/AB port, we found ourselves in a line of about 14 vehicles, and we were Tail-End-Charlie for quite awhile. About 30 minutes later, the Customs agent for Canada greeted us with a smile and we returned the same. Passports were handed to him, he asked us to shut off the diesel engine because it was too loud, asked about firearms/guns/weapons (none), asked where we were headed (Waterton Park and then west to return to the states through Idaho), wished us good journey, and we were on our way.

About 15 minutes later, we were at Waterton Park entrance station. It was $15.60 CDN (about $12 US) to enter the park, but that was only good until 4 pm the next day.

First thing we did was go to the Waterton Village to see what that was like -- we walked the edge of the bay and the lake for a bit, then wandered through town.

Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 045 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Decided to drive up Red Rock Canyon Road all the way to the end. There, we walked up Red Rock Canyon for a bit, and then took off on the Blakiston Falls Trail. This whole time, clouds dripped on us -- I began to wonder if Canada waited till I got there to rain, because it rained on us halfway up the Alaska Highway, years ago.

Red Rock Canyon.
Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 050 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

Blakiston Falls.
Donna Summer 2016 iPhone Photo Dump MT Canada 061 by jeanniesisters, on Flickr

The closest I could get to Waterton, for open reasonably priced accommodation, was in Pincher Creek -- about 26 miles from the Park. Not exactly ideal, but the Waterton Village places were booked, and so were Mountain something (View? Home?), Cardston was about the same mileage but not going in the same direction we would be departing, so Pincher Creek was good. We were working towards a Wyndham free night, and there was a Super 8 there, fairly new too.

Dinner was in, because the place next door didn't have a good reputation, neither of us were in the mood to drive anywhere OR go to A&W (walking distance).


Donna