Day 27

We'd heard in our few days here that the smoke was pretty clear on the west side of the park so we were anxious to take the Going-To-The-Sun road across the mountains. As I was trading Brayden for Ryan, Dave spoke with someone who was at Many Glacier just north of us and it was clear. This was the spot I really wanted to go so we went to the Visitor's Center to see what kind of hikes there were to the Grinnell Glacier. Unfortunately for us it was already 10am and the hike was 7 miles so we weren't really prepared to go, but we headed up there anyway to see the views.

It was a bit hazy along Lake Sherberne but the water was that spectacular turquoise that beckoned us to the shore. it was quite windy and the water was frigid so the girls weren't even interested in dipping their toes in. We even found a huge heart rock that we couldn't fit to take home so we took a picture to remember it.

After going through the old stone Many Glacier entrance we parked near the Many Glacier Hotel to take in the views. The hotel itself was beautiful, built in a Swiss chalet style architecture complete with staff in leiderhosen. It sat on the small Swiftcurrent Lake which was fed with the Grinnell Glacier as a backdrop. We had to get a partial family picture to remember the view. The haze was already settling into this area so we imagined just how amazing this view would be without it. And we made a note to return here next year on our trip somehow.

As we left the same way we came the view had dramatically changed due to the smoke so we were glad we'd seen it when we did. We headed back through the east entrance for our trip across the mountains to the west side. The day before I'd downloaded an audio tour of the road so we queued it up to see if we could learn a little bit along the way. We drove through Two Dog Flats, Rising Sun, Sunrise Gorge, and several more spots before we reached Logan Pass.

About 300 yards before we reached the parking area at the top I noticed people walking from their cars parked on the side of the road to the pass. This was a sure sign there would be parking issues up ahead so Dave dropped us off at the curb and joined the other 20 people casing the parking lot for a spot. We went up to the visitors center to stamp passport books and take a look at the exhibits.

I looked out the window every few minutes to see if I could spot our roof cargo carrier moving around and after about 5 minutes I couldn't spot it anymore. I figured Dave had finally decided to go back down the road a little ways to park when he walked in saying he'd gotten a spot. We'd just talked to the kids about the meaning of karma how good things happen to you when you do good things. This meant we could stay for the program and do a very cool hike to Hidden Lake.

The hike was about 3 miles and looked relatively easy along a paved and gravel path up the mountain behind the center. We enjoyed the view along the way of what we learned later were snow fields on the mountain instead of small glaciers. This hike may have been the most breathtaking we'd done so far. Even with the smoke it was just beautiful. We could only imagine how much better it would be without it!

Here is a perspective picture Dave took to show just how ginormous this place is. See those spots about 2/3 up the rocks in the front? Those are two people trying to make it up to the snow field!

We counted six small waterfalls on the way then made it to the lake where we were treated with a gorgeous view of the lake. The trail extended to the bottom by the lake, but we decided to head back to catch the program. Ryan did try out the water here along the way! Brrr!!

At the end we watched a little Columbian Ground Squirrel who'd obviously had a lot of luck begging for food here. He was definitely very cute! After Ryan bought a fox she'd had her eye on, we dropped in on a program just finishing so we had the ranger to ourselves. We were all excited to learn more about the weasels and wolverines that live in the alpine up there. We learned a little more about glaciers and headed back to the parking lot to continue.

As we were leaving we told a cruising car to meet us at the end of our row to take our parking spot. Unfortunately he was blocked by big SUV who refused to leave even after he politely asked. We discussed sitting there until the SUV lost patience and moved but just decided to leave instead. We didn't see the car again on our way out so we were all hoping he got an even better spot. This was the perfect time for a conversation about bad karma!

We made it through the rest of the drive learning quite a bit about the surveying and construction of the Going to the Sun road way back in the 1920s and 1930s. We pulled into the Apgar Visitor's Center just before Grammie and Brayden. They had all finished their junior ranger books on the first day but were waiting until today when they were all together.

Grammie had leftover gumbo thawing for us so once we got all set up we headed to her site. Dave tried his best to tune her satellite for the FSU vs Alabama game, but it seems there might just have been too many trees. He'd asked several people in the park if they knew of any places we could go to catch the game but we were in the woods far away from any kind of sports bar. We settled for text updates from Peepaw and devoured our dinner.

Once we were all cleaned up we played cards for a little while then played a game the girls had made up. It is a cross between charades and improv with teams of 2 people. They'd actually taken the time to write up rule books with paper and duct tape! Look for "Two Brains - the ultimate thinking game", coming soon to a store near you!

We ended the night with the program at the amphitheater about "Being WILD". It was a great progam about the evolution of thought about what it means to be wild and where wilderness really is. Laney even had a part in the presentation reading a quote from Lord Byron. At the end we asked the ranger for hiking suggestions as Dave found out the trail we had planned to hike would be closed due to the fire. This fire is really starting to annoy me.


We crashed after our little trek home and fell asleep to the sounds of the lake. It was almost like home with the tiny, gentle waves rolling to the shore singing me to sleep.

Day 34

So every day on a giant road trip can't be all fun and festive.  There comes a day when you just can't find any more clothes for your little people and you have to do laundry!  Today was the day.  After a late breakfast of delicious fruit and flat potatoes (Ontario's very of hasbrowns), we head to the local laundromat.  I have a stash of games and activities set aside just for days like this when my little people have to deal with all the waiting that takes place during big people activities.

While Brayden finishes his 327th book of the trip, the girls get to work on making some bracelets.  I'm happy to see the commercial size washers, but as I shove all the clothes in there I think maybe I am overloading this thing.  I put my money in and hope for the best though!  I'll gladly pay a couple extra bucks to not be hanging out doing laundry all day.

After about $8 in quarters the clothes were just about dry but all I had left was a 20 dollar bill.  I apologized to the owner as I handed it to her for change and she handed it back to me with an extra quarter to get them dry.  It is wonderful for my kids to see such kind people exist in the world!  I quickly folded all the clothes and we stuffed them into my car.  I looked out over the harbor and noticed how dark the sky was so we made the executive decision to head to the library.  We talked about our good luck picking the day before to explore the island!

The kids all grabbed a stack of books and magazines and hunkered down for the storm.  I hopped on the wifi to update the blog and monitor our weather conditions.  There was a giant band of rain coming and I was just happy to be inside something other than our tent!  I must have read 15 books by the time the rain stopped!  Brayden is getting to the age where he's too old for picture books but I keep catching him looking as I turn the page and smiling at all the funny parts even though he's reading another book.  That just went by way to fast.  Before I know he's not even going to talk to me about what he's reading anymore!







Once the rain stopped we discussed our options for the afternoon.  The kids decided to go feed some deer at Deer Ranch.  Of course the fawn elicited the most "awwws" and "so cutes" of the day.







We bought a package of crackers and cup of carrots to feed the older deer.  They were following us around so it must have been the good stuff!

We walked around the enclosure a couple times to make sure to see everyone.  There were a few other enclosures housing a bunch more deer, but we couldn't see too many as it was more of a forest habitat.  We did spot a white deer which I didn't even know existed!  Or perhaps it was an albino deer?

After much debate in the gift shop over souvenirs, we left empty-handed to discover another park. This one reminded me so much of my childhood with a see saw, merry go round, and monkey bars.

Oh, and I can't forget the metal slide!  I remember slight burns in the summer time on the backs of my legs in Florida!












The sky started to darken again so I checked my phone and it looked as though we had another band of rain coming within a couple hours.  We headed back to the campsite for some pizza on the grill. The girls met some new friends to play with while Brayden had some guy time in the tent with his coveted Legos and I could sort through the laundry.




 









Once the wind started picking up we headed to the tent to read and wait out the storm.  I peeked out the window once it to check the sky and remembered I wanted to take a last picture of the bridge all lit up before we left in the morning.  Without my tripod or monopod I knew it wouldn't be spectacular other than a great reminder of our time here.

We fell asleep to the light pitter patter of rain on the tent with our fingers crossed for no crazy storms.

Day 7

Today actually began at 1am with the flickers of lightning and far off noise of thunder.  I had checked the time to see if it would late enough in the morning to pack up and get on the road, but we needed it to be more like 4 or 5am. I laid there doing the Poltergeist countdown to see how far away the storm was and how quickly it would get to us.  Seventeen, then Twenty-Four, then eighteen, then seventeen, then fifteen.  I hopped out of the tent to move our towels that were hanging to dry and grab my raincoat and laptop as I knew I'd be awake if this was a good storm.  After I got back in the tent I remembered the kids leaves they had out to dry so I moved them to dry in my car.  I could already see the disappointment on their faces if I'd left them out there.

When I got back in the second time, Brayden was up and asking why we were leaving so we talked for a little while about storms, hoping this one would pass.  I could tell the lightning and thunder had moved just over us, but there was no rain yet.  I was shocked that scared-to-death-of-thunder Ryan hadn't attached herself to me yet as she wakes up and jumps in someone's bed at home before we even hear anything.

Brayden became quiet so I laid there listening and counting....ten, five, eight.  It sounded like the thunder had
moved past us and the lightning was definitely not as bright anymore.  Just as I was entertaining the thought of the storm going around us, the downpour started so I hurried to zip up the tent windows to keep us dry.  I got out my laptop and started writing to pass the time.  About twenty minutes later with a loud crack a small child leap-frogged over another child to become attached to me.

Since everyone was up at 2:30am, we made the best of it and read another chapter of our book. The kids were appreciative of the distraction and by the time I finished reading their eyes were heavy and the rain had slowed to a steady sprinkle so we all went back to sleep.

This was another wonderful park with thought put into the design of the campsites and the surroundings. Ryan declared it the best bathroom and showers we have seen yet, so since she has turned into our campground bathroom snob, that is saying a lot for this place!

We opted for a quick breakfast and headed to the nearby Natural Bridge park.  We walked the steps down to read the sign about the dimensions and history of the area and there it was.  Having been to a natural bridge out west we knew what to expect, but this one definitely didn't disappoint.

Brayden: "Giant!"

Laney: "Awesome!"  That's her word for everything these days.

Ryan: "Humugnus...Humungurus...Humungous!"

See those little tiny people down there? They're the kids!

We walked on toward the Lace Waterfalls at the end of the trail.  I'm not sure if we've just happened to see
waterfalls at the right time of the year or it was this one's wrong time of year, but we were underwhelmed. We still took a picture and headed back. Ryan clearly needs to practice staying still while she takes pictures!

By the time we came back by a small indian area was open so we stopped by for a visit.  The kids shy mouths were clamped shut, so we just quietly walked around reading about the place.  The kids enjoyed it, but enjoyed running around the playground area much more.  We headed upstairs to the store to spend some money burning holes in their pockets.  Ryan opted for a kids compound bow & arrow set and the other two decided to wait.  By the time we were done at 11am we were all starving!

Ryan recognized these corn husk dolls from the ranger talk on Corn we'd been to in the Smokies!

 

We got on the road to try to find a Cracker Barrel (my kids love that place for some reason), but we couldn't wait the hour it was going to take us so we opted for free wifi and a McDonalds. After fueling up the car and our stomachs, we were off to Pennsylvania through the mountains of West Virginia.  The views have been just spectacular and I couldn't wait to soak in a few more along the way.  I knew it would be a long drive, so the girls were tucked in with the Frozen movie and Brayden plugged in with his DS.

No sooner had we reached the West Virginia border we were stuck.  Literally.  I'd pulled over to get the obligatory kids & border sign picture and my car sunk into fresh mud from a storm we'd just driven through. I couldn't go anywhere and my heart sank.  Thanks to Grammie, we had AAA coverage but as I was getting back into the car after surveying the situation, I bearded, bear-like gentelman stopped his truck and asked if we needed some help.  He raced off to get his cousin and a chain.  Not 2 minutes later, a couple who just happened to live a driveway away on the way home from a funeral stopped and asked if we needed help.  I told him about the other man and he said he would also run home and get is truck and chain.  Not 1 minute later a semi slowed to a stop in the middle of the rural road and asked if we needed help as well.  I was overwhelmed with appreciation and thankfulness for their kindness as well as embarrassment for getting us into this situation.

As all the people who'd stopped came together (plus some!) they quickly took their jobs of directing traffic,
hooking the chain to my car, and pulling me out.  And just like that (after many thank yous and goodbyes) we were back on the road.  They were like a bunch of angels that swooped down and lifted us up back on our way.

Driving through the mountains means not much data coverage for my phone (I miss Verizon on the road!) so I was flipping back and forth between my phone and the paper atlas to get us to our destination.  It was a long, windy drive through the mountains and I now have a new respect for race car drivers.  I'd always thought that to be a fun job to have, but driving through all those twists and turns was draining.  I could imagine how fun it would be on a motorcycle though!  I think if I were learning to drive here, my mom would've had a stroke.

No sooner had we pulled into our campsite that Ryan was out shooting with her bow and arrows.  The neighbor kids enjoyed watching and soon joined in on the fun.  They shot until dinner and we decided to go to the playground across the lake.  The neighbor kids & mom joined us for the walk around - what a gang - 6 kids on scooters and bikes!  The kids enjoyed trading bikes and scooters back and forth along the 1 mile path.




Laney wanted to take a picture of these flowers just for Nana!

The kids bounced from beach, to grass, to playground and back and before too long I could see the exhaustion in their faces.  We made the trek back to our site, brushed our teeth, and settled in for another chapter and another night snuggled together.