It wouldn't be a trip to northwest Montana without a stop at Glacier National Park. After a morning spent dodging raindrops beneath a canopy in the back of the sweetest little cafe in Bigfork (Brookside) we headed north. Picnic and cameras in tow, we entered the park without an agenda. A stop at Apgar and Lake McDonald were givens and so we leisurely munched on bagels and left over food from the wedding weekend on the pebbly beach and made as stop into the village gift shop. Before heading off to some still-to-be-determined destination, we snapped some photos of the newly expanded family as puffy, white clouds grazed the peaks of the mountains framing the Lake McDonald Valley. Somehow the decision was made that we would visit Polebridge, a town just outside the park with no electricity, a handful of residents, a small saloon and their claim to fame, the Polebridge Mercantile. Outside the park boundaries, Winslow had more freedom so we all joined him in stretching our legs and taking in the incredible views that the tiny town of Polebridge had to offer us before heading to our final, unplanned destination. Bowman Lake. A long, 6-mile drive up a winding, narrow, gravel road culminates in a parking lot surrounded by trees. Just beyond that parking lot, another pebbly beach meets the crystal clear, calm waters of Bowman Lake. The only disturbance was a family of canoers and shortly after we arrived, they cleared off and allowed Bowman to show of its symmetry. Away from the crowds traveling Going to the Sun Road to Logan Pass to make their way to Hidden Lake Lookout, Bowman is a secret stunner. In planning a trip to Glacier, you can't go wrong - it's really just not possible. Natural beauty is as abundant in Glacier as any other place on this earth, I'm sure of it. And Bowman and Lake McDonald are just a little slice of that beauty! I could imagine spending years exploring the park without tiring and hope one day to have seen my fill.
0 Comments
We're back! After 3,100 miles, 15 days, 5 states, and 3 national parks we're settled (somewhat) in back at home in the southwest. This trip was too amazing for words. We visited places we've never been, shared in places near and dear to Johnny and his family's hearts, and got to spend two full weeks together almost non-stop as a family of three. That's right - we brought Winslow along for the ride! And of course, the reason for the whole trip, we got to partake in and witness the marriage of Johnny's sister on a picture perfect Montana day (overcast- all the heart eyes from photographers, amiright!?). Before all of that though, we had to get all the way from northern Arizona to northwestern Montana. We had originally planned to take our time on the way out, spending a night in Idaho, a night outside Yellowstone, and several nights in Bozeman. By day 2, we had already strayed from our plans. Despite our detours, our non-negotiables were a stop in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. After our stay at a KOA in Montpelier, ID our first night, which ended up being surprisingly perfect and incredibly beautiful, we made the short 3 hour drive to Grand Teton. Just like Telluride, I had long ago seen pictures of the steep, jagged Tetons and kept it in the back of my mind for the perfect opportunity. After a brief visit to Jenny Lake, we headed over to Mormon Row, home of the famous Moulton Barn. Surprising for a Sunday morning in late July, we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves as the only other people we could see were two artists who sat quietly painting the scene. Before we departed the park, we reveled in the sight of a distant buffalo and enjoyed our last views of arguably the most incredible mountain range in the country. Anxious to get to Bozeman, Johnny's birthplace and home which I had never visited prior to our trip, we breezed through Yellowstone. Johnny graciously waited in the car with Winslow while I walked the boardwalk around Grand Prismatic Spring with what seemed like the entire state of Wyoming and their cousins. Despite the busyness and wind that wafted hot, sulfuric gusts of air potent enough to make me catch my breath, it was a sight like nothing I had ever seen and pictures simply don't do it justice. We know we'll visit both parks again and look forward to scratching more than just the surface. Our trip to Montana has been like none other. It captivated me. Traveling, taking pictures and exploring felt like my new reality. This first week back to our real reality hasn't been easy but thankfully I've got almost 1000 more pictures to review and edit and relive our incredible time on the road and in Montana. Stay tune for more.
|
Archives
June 2017
Categories
All
|