Road Trip - Glacier National Park

I have no problem saying that Glacier National Park is the most beautiful place in the U.S. I was lucky enough to spend 7 days there with my sister a few years ago and have been excited to go back since day 1 of this trip. We finally got there in hopes of having a few days at a beautiful place.

We entered the park from West Glacier and tried to find a campsite there, only to find that campgrounds in the area were full. We made the best of it by driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road through the park and got some great views along the way, including some mountain goats and a hoary marmot.

 

A hoary marmot

Mountain goats (really awesome to watch them for a while)

Our epic first day in the park didn't end there. We were unable to get a site anywhere in the park (apparently everything fills there every day in the summer) so we had to drive the whole length of the Going-to-the-Sun that first day and camp in a KOA in St. Mary, MT on the East side of the park.

We have had good experiences with KOA Kampgrounds so far on our trip. They are usually pretty nice and have showers and pools, but they are expensive. This one was $36 for a night and our freakin' site didn't even have a flat spot to pitch a tent :(

We made the best of it by taking advantage of the hot tub and the showers, but were pretty unhappy we ended up there. In addition, there were two grizzly bears wandering around the campground that the fish and game people were unable to find. Needless to say, the Krappy KOA (see how I used the K again there, not a typo, just a bad joke) really made us want to get into the backcountry of the park the next day. That desire caused us to do the unthinkable... we got up early!

Because of our early wake up we were able to score a coveted backcountry permit at Gunsight Lake! The lake is a 6.6 mile hike from the trailhead along a river and, in some cases, through some pretty overgrown and thick brush. The overgrown nature of the trail made for some interesting corners where we were convinced a grizzly was going to jump out and eat us both. We did carry bear spray (really hardcore pepper spray that shoots 30 feet) and made a lot of noise on the trail like we were told (we played categories and other games that kept us talking), but were still not sure if we'd see a bear or not. At one point we even crossed two guys coming out on their hike that had seen a bear down by the river, but it took off as soon as it heard their voices (always good news).

Anyway, we made it to the lake and it was awesome!

St. Mary Falls

Lacey and I at St. Mary Falls

Lacey on a rickety old suspension bridge 

Gunsight Lake

Gunsight lake the next morning in clear weather

The hike down the next morning was good, and we were ready to explore more of the park by car. We drove up to Many Glacier and did not regret it.

The road to Many Glacier

The view from the lodge deck

More mountains

Exploring Many Glacier was great, but it didn't come without problems. Because of our extra exploring we missed our chance at a campsite in the park. That was a bummer, but we drove East to Cut Bank and got a site at an RV park. It was not great, but you take what you get when you don't make reservations I guess.

The view from our tent

Now it's on to Bozeman to spend a couple days with some friends before starting the last leg of our trip. Can't wait!

Road Trip - Spokane

On our way from North Cascades to Glacier we decided to take a break for a couple nights in Spokane, WA to visit my Aunt Jo and Uncle Mark. We got to their house on Saturday evening and had a great chicken and salad dinner on the deck. The weather was great and it was awesome catching up with them. Later that evening we even got to play some bocce!

The next morning we went for a great little walk near the house and got some good views of the rolling hills in the area before heading back and catching a little R&R in the backyard hammock.

That afternoon we headed to Manito Park to see the flower gardens, went to Riverfront Park and rode the carousel, and finally went to Gonzaga to see Aunt Jo's building and office. The day was topped off with another great dinner and playing some pool in the basement. We had a great visit in Spokane and now we're recharged and ready for Glacier National Park!

Road Trip - North Cascades National Park

The North Cascades are often referred to as "The North American Alps" (Or something like that). Anyway, I don't think that name does them justice. We got to the park on July 18th and the mountains there are still ridiculously snow-capped and absolutely gorgeous. 

The first day we got to the park we were able to score a free campsite at a campground that only has seven sites! It was great to be in such a small campground, and to get it for free! Anyway, the first day was pretty uneventful other than our first views of some of the mountains, including the Pickett Range.

The Pickett Range

 

 

Our second day in the park we undertook a big hike to 4th of July Pass. Despite rain and semi-cold temps we made it out on the trail and up to the pass just in time for a small clearing in the weather and a view of the mountains and the Neve Glacier.

Near the beginning of the hike, not too wet yet

On our way up the mountain towards the pass, a little wetter now

The Neve Glacier from 4th of July Pass

A little bit closer look at the waterfalls tumbling from the base of the glacier

We were pretty exhausted after than 10 mile hike so we drove to the visitor center and watched the movie about the park. Overall I think it is the worst of the park movies we've seen so far, and by far the creepiest. There were quotes about nature flashing on the screen throughout the film and this eerie whispering female voice saying one or two words from them. Odd.

Anyway, we spent the rest of the evening hanging out at the campsite. The next morning we made our way out of the park and got some final views at a great overlook and from the trail to Cutthroat Lake.

Cutthroat Lake

So that was our trip to North Cascades National Park! We had a great time and added another park to the "Go Back There Someday" list. Now it's off to Spokane to visit my Aunt Jo, Uncle Mark, and my cousin Aldric!

Road Trip - Vancouver, B.C.

After years of living with five hours of the Canada border in both Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lacey finally made her first trip to the great white (and red) North. We left Seattle after a great week of relaxation and getting some work done, and headed to the border.

The border crossing into Canada was pretty funny actually. The conversation went something like this…

Border Agent: So, where are you coming from in the States, eh?

Me: Well… San Diego.

Border Agent: Did you come straight here from there?

Me: Actually, we’ve been on the road for two months now.

Border Agent: Where have you been?

Lacey: Arizona, Colorado, Utah, back to California, Oregon, Washington, now here.

Me: We’re on a National park tour.

Border Agent: A lot of people when they go on a trip like that they bring a weapon or something with them for self-defense. Do you have a weapon with you in the car?

Me: (Thinking now that maybe I should have a weapon for self-defense) No, just a couple pocket knives.

Border Agent: How long are you planning to stay in Canada?

Us: Three nights.

Border Agent: Are you camping while you’re here? Staying in a hotel?

Me: No, we’re staying with a friend.

Border Agent: How do you know this person?

Lacey: I studied with her in Australia for four months.

Border Agent: When was the last time you saw her?

Lacey: Eight years ago.

Border Agent: (A bit confused now) Well, do you even know her address?

(At this point I’m thinking they are going to pull us over and search our car for sure, this story doesn’t sound very feasible)

Lacey: Yeah, it’s XXXX Blah Blah, Coquitlam, BC (you know, with real numbers and a street name)

Border Agent: What did you bring her for a gift?

Us: Umm… nothing?

Border Agent: Okay (thinking we’re very rude now and with a slight hesitation while looking at our passports)... welcome to Canada, eh!

At the border crossing

Just for the record, we did pick up a bottle of wine for our hosts (so we’re not that rude) and left them a very nice thank you card on the way out. We did, however, think it was very funny that he seemed to assume we didn’t know the address and that we were just wandering into Canada. That may be a standard border crossing question, but the whole interaction was quite funny for us (although probably not so much for you, the reader).

After that debacle we made it to Joanna and Ryan’s house outside Vancouver and had a great first evening with them chatting, going for a walk around the lake near their house, and eating a great dinner. The next day we headed in to Vancouver (or just Van as the locals call it) and explored the city a bit by walking along the waterfront, taking an aqua taxi to Granville Island, driving around Stanley Park, and checking out North Van a bit before heading back to the house. We got to go check out the restaurant that Ryan manages and had some great appies (another Canada-ism) and some drinks. That night we even got to play some Yahtzee (we really can’t get enough Yahtzee).

Canadian flags flying on the Vancouver waterfront

That weird rock thing that they made the Olympic logo look like

 

Lacey and Joanna on the aqua taxi

On the waterfront with the bridge to Granville Island in the background

On the last full day of our visit we got experience a true Vancouver adventure when we hiked the Grouse Grind! Grouse Mountain is a ski resort in North Van that built a hiking trail up the face a while back and has opened it up to the public. The trail is about 2 miles, but covers 2,800 feet vertical! Basically, that’s like being on a StairMaster at level 20 for over an hour. I’ve never felt a sense of accomplishment like that from finishing a 2 mile hike, that’s for sure. The trail is so steep, in fact, that they don’t allow people to hike back down. From the top you actually have to take a Gondola down. Well… it might be for safety and it might be because they charge $10 to get down. Either way, the hike down would have been twice the hell that the hike up was.

The trail head sign

Excited...

...A little less excited...

...Less excited...

At the top

 

The trip to Canada was a blast! That is, until we had to wait over an hour at the border crossing to get back into the States. Now it’s on to North Cascades National Park for our next outdoor adventure! Stay tuned…

Road Trip - Seattle

After our last night on the Olympic Peninsula we drove Sally onto the ferry and headed across Puget Sound to Seattle. We were looking forward to a week of relaxation and hanging out with friends, and that is pretty much exactly what we got. We ate some good food, I got some editing done (love being underemployed), we took Neko (the dog) on walks and runs, we got to see some old friends (Erin and Keelin), made some new friends, and even took in a Seattle Mariners game!

In addition to those stellar events, we also saw two celebrities! The two celebrity spotting was astounding considering we lived in San Diego for over five years and didn't see any celebs.

The first spotting happened at a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in the University area of Seattle. We were walking in to look for some UW Huskies gear when a man held the door open for us. I immediately recognized this man to be Viper from Top Gun! Yeah, Tom Skerritt was at a Big 5 buying a fishing license. We didn't know whether or not we should bother an old man trying to buy a fishing license, so Lacey just took a creeper photo of him from the stairs in the store. It kinda looks like something from that terrible TMZ show doesn't it?

Peeper picture of Tom Skerritt, aka Sheriff Jimmy Brock (if you don't know who that is, look it up)

Our next celebrity sighting was at the Pyramid brewery outside SafeCo field in Seattle. We were playing bags (I know, awesome) and Wee-Man came out of a crowd (literally, because he's short). A bunch of guys asked to take a picture with him, and I took that as an opportunity to take a picture myself.

Just in case you couldn't tell which guy is Wee-Man, he's the one in the white T-shirt in the middle ;)

Anyway, the trip to Seattle was great, and it was sad to leave after such a fun time staying with Kayla, Brian, and Neko. So that was our trip to Seattle and we can't wait to go back. We miss our friends there already :(

Enjoy some pictures!

Taking a picture of ourselves on the ferry ride

Part of the Seattle skyline from the ferry

Home of the Mariners

Lacey and Erin heading up to our seats

Erin, Kayla and I at the game

The trail at Mt. Pilchuck

Finally, after a lot of trees, a scenic view from the trail

Lacey and Kayla hiking in the snow

Lacey near the top of the mountain

Me at the summit of Mt. Pilchuck

Lacey at the summit of Mt. Pilchuck