Heard in the Car

Ms A and Grandma Valerie played the quiet game as we were driving home from Cold Stone this evening. When Ms A was declared the winner the following conversation occurred:

Ms A: "What did I win?"
Reed: "My love forever ."
Ms A: "But I want something better, like a toy!" (Big Smile)

At least she knows her priorities.

Many Glacier

Our last stop was Many Glacier. It is the home of the Many Glacier Lodge, Grinnell Glacier, Grinnell Mountain, Swiftcurrent Lake, Mt Wilbur (Flat Shield Mountain) and Fishercap Lake. There are several places names after George Bird Grinnell because of his contributions to the park.

We were so excited to see a moose in Fishercap Lake. Our ranger was happy he made an appearance at the end of our nature walk.

Oh, DEER!

Deers are all over the town of Waterton. We had a fun time watching them in a variety of places. Ms A was most excited to see the babies. Ms E and Mr P had fun counting the deer, doe or fawns.

Little Fawns crossing the street

In the town proper

Lunch at the motel

I looked out the window and what did I see?

Enjoying a hot summer day

Butterfly Hunt

Once a year in Waterton Lakes Park, they go out and count the butterflies. We were fortunate to be there that day. After we hiked/walked along Lake Cameron, we found the butterfly hunters/identifiers. We were tickled when they had a few extra nets for the kids. They each caught a butterfly with Ms A being the last one. The people had a hard time identifying her butterfly, it had common characteristics of a couple of species. I think the butterfly hunt was the highlight for Ms E and Ms A.

Canadian Tiger Swallowtails

Oh, Canada!

On the 15th we went to Canada's Waterton Park. We had great time seeing the park minus communication about one of the roads. We drove 30 minutes down the road only to find out we couldn't park at the trail head. They provided a bus back in town.

Reed and Ms A hiked to the top of Bear's Hump for amazing views of Waterton. They went to the top of the mountain in the picture. While he was there he took pictures of the Prince Edwards Hotel, Waterton Lake and the town of Waterton. Later that evening we went to Cameron Falls which was a 15 minute walk from our motel.

While we were there, we hiked along Lake Cameron and Red Rock Canyon. (I stayed home from Red Rock, all the hiking was a bit difficult with my foot.) Lake Cameron was beautiful. The colors in Red Rock Canyon were spectacular. Blakiston Falls was along the canyon loop.

We had a good laugh at some of the signs. It's a bit of a tradition for Reed to take pictures of some of the signs we see in other countries.

The kids wanted us to rent one of the surreys for us to tour the city, but the price and the fact that we wouldn't all fit in one made our decision. Instead, we had the kids pose on the bike for pictures.

As we left the park, we stopped for one more picture of Chief Mountain. We saw it earlier, but didn't stop. When we woke up and got ready to leave, it was cloudy. Thankfully the clouds disappeared and the fog rested on the bottom for a fabulous picture.

Logan Pass and St Mary Lake

Logan Pass is where the Going to the Sun Road meets the Continental Divide. When we arrived, the Visitors' Center was packed. Reed ended up driving around looking for a place to park for 15 minutes while I took pictures of the mountains, bighorn sheep and valleys. We finally gave up and he picked me up to drive to St Mary Lake. We had an nice little hike out to Sun Point, which was a promentory that stuck out over the lake and gave an excellent view of the lake and mountains. The turquoise color of the lake comes from the little bits of rock that were ground up by the glaciers and left as the glaciers melted.

Going to the Sun Road

Going to the Sun Road was beautiful, breathtaking, and provided excellent picture opportunities. It was also under construction, one lane roads next to steep canyons.

Going to the Sun Mountain

Jackson Glacier

Triple Arches was built in the 1920's. The original plan did not call for the Arches but rather a retaining wall was to be built and then fill added to span the gap in the mountain face. The Triple Arches are probably the most renowned structure on the road.

Weeping Wall was interesting to see the water coming out of the rocks. It was funny when we asked Ms A what she was seeing: "Snow, mommy and some trees."

Trail of the Cedars

Trail of the Cedars is a hike/path off the Going to the Sun Road. It is a loop that goes through a 500 year old cedar forest that grows near Avalanche Creek. It hasn't had a forest fire since 1500 because of the dampness from the creek. We enjoyed the stops around the way that pointed out animals, trees and unique aspects of the forest. When we saw the uprooted cedars, Sara and I talked about the talk by Joseph B Wirthlin, Deep Roots.

We were amazed at the speed and power the water exhibited as it carved the gorge and the rocks. It was breath-taking. Reed, Sara and the kids went on the hike to Avalanche Lake. When they returned, we finished the loop and took a couple of pictures of the kids inside the hollow cedars.

Lake McDonald

Our first stop in the park was Lake McDonald where we stayed for two nights. We fell in love with the lake and the beautiful mountains. We went on a beautiful hike at the Sperry Trailhead.

Can you say WOW!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!!

My family and Sara's family took our summer vacation to Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park. We had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful scenery and playing/hiking with cousins. On our visit to Two Medicine I broke a few hiking rules and had quite the little adventure.

The rules were:
1- Never Hike Alone
2- Tell someone where you are going
3- When entering Grizzly/Black bear territory

MAKE LOUD NOISES.

My family started the hike to Appistoki Falls and I decided to check out the lodge and do a little reading while I rested my foot from an earlier hike. That got a little boring, so I decided to join them. The walk was gorgeous and peaceful so I soaked it all in. As I turned a bend in the path, I was surprised by this walking down the path and enjoying itself.
I fortunately was about 125 feet from it and was able to get my wits about me to grab a stick and start hitting it as I said hello and backed away from Mr Black Bear. When I was a safe distance, I hightailed it back to the car. As I was walking I met a nice couple from Texas. I informed them of the bear and being separated from my family. They invited me to join them which I gratefully accepted. About 50 feet from where I saw the bear, there he was again. After my heart calmed down, I took a picture and went to join my family.

We made tons of noise as we returned to the trail head and I was SO GRATEFUL Mr Black Bear and I left on our separate ways.

Just in case you can't see the bear, I've circled it for you.

Apgar and Two Medicine

Wednesday, we headed south to Apgar and Two Medicine. The National Park Services has a wonderful program for children called the Junior Rangers. They give the children books that they can learn about conservation and unique things about the park as they drive around the park. They also ask the children to participate in a Ranger Lead Activity (Discovery Center, Ranger Stations, Hikes or talks given by the rangers). Once they complete everything, the children make a promise with the ranger to take care of the park and nature in their communities. We took Ms A to the Discovery Center where she told the ranger about "mommy's bear experience" at Appistoki Falls. She and Ms E had a great time making a beautiful park with the giant felt board. When it came time for her to take her pledge, she looked so serious. Ranger Heather gave her her Junior Ranger badge and Ms A couldn't have looked more pleased.

Ms A also enjoyed a little wading in the lake, until she realized HOW COLD the water was. We loved the view of the lake. I still can't get over the amazing view!!

Our next stop was Goat Lick, where the goats will come and lick the minerals from the rocks after the spring run-off. We didn't see any goats here, but Reed, Sara and the kids hiked up a little and saw a little goat and it's momma under the bridge.

At Two Medicine near East Glacier, we had a nice little hike around a portion of the lake out to Paradise Point. It was beautiful and windy. Sara and her kids taught us about Bear Grass, which receive it's name from Lewis and Clark. They came to a meadow full of these flowers and also bears. They thought the bears ate them.

It was fun watching Ms A hiking with her cousins. They loved spending time with each other and would make up stories as they walked.

Archery and Four-Wheeling

On our way to Glacier National Park We stopped in to visit with Reed's mom. Sara and her children joined us the next day. The kids were SUPER EXCITED about Grandma Gayla's four-wheelers and our archery. Ms A couldn't wait 'til they came and she could show off the fun ride.

I have a couple of movies that will be added once I figure out how to edit them.

Happy Fourth of July

We love the Fourth of July! There's something about it that brings such pride and stirs up wonderful childhood memories. I also love creating new memories with our little one. Ms A has been counting the days down to this wonderful day. She loves fireworks, sparklers and talking about the firework show that "was on the river and woke her up. " (our trip to Thailand) Ms A especially enjoys spending time with our friends. It was so sweet watching her calm Ms E and hold her hands during some of the fireworks. She kept saying "It's ok, we are safe." (what a great big sister she will be!)

We learned from our past Fourth of July celebrations that Ms A doesn't like the loud fireworks, neither do I, so we steer away from those and put Reed's headphones on her ears (ear plugs don't work.) As the evening wore on, it got a little chilly, so Ms A put on her jacket and out came the gloves. I think, besides the feelings of patriotism and watching the fireworks, my favorite part was watching Ms A and Mr A holding on to one another when the loud aerial was lit right above them.

Happy 234th Birthday America!!!

Ingenuity

Reed purchased a torch for laying down roofing. His logic was he could use it at the rental for the roof, as weed controller and to light fireworks. He's used it for the first two, and last night he was able to use it with the Glo-worms. We tried the lighter with no success, so Reed adapted.

Check out his smile!
We also had a few smiles and curious glances from our neighbors.

FYI: The kids were a safe distance when the lighting occurred and the Snakes performed perfectly! We'll stick with matches or lighters for the fireworks. :)