Thursday 7 July 2011

Going to the Sun campsite, space 50 - on a slope

We had breakfast and prepared to de-camp to drive over to the West side of Glacier National Park.
I took some pictures of colorful lichens on rocks near our campsite.

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Then I looked up and saw a black bear across the narrow road.

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The bear was shuffling away along the far side of the road.
I quietly called Mona to have a look and she responded with - look, look and
I looked off to the left and saw a bear cub. It had been grabbing on a tree trunk,
then went down on all four paws... shuffled down the road, then stood up (picture)
looking after its mom. Then hurried after her

as she just plunged through a natural hedge
of bushes heading away from the campground.

Very soon after a Ranger arrived. He was not happy. This bear was well known in this campground
and is teaching her cub bad ways... being too close to people.

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There had been a fire in the Eastern edge of the Park.
Unlike Yellowstone National Park, Glacier does not support lodgepole pines which automatically seed and grow rapidly after a fire.
The firs and spruces do not regenerate rapidly after a fire... so the bushy fireweed grows and the ugly scar of the fire lasts for decades.
It is the National Parks policy to let nature heal an area as it will... naturally... without interferance from people.

As the Going to the Sun road which traverses the park over a high pass was still blocked by snow,
we drove around the southern edge of the park to the West side.

We stopped for lunch at the Whistle Stop restaurant and had expensive slice of huckleberry pie with lunch.
It was good, but not that good. Our family makes really good pie.

railroad shelter from winter avalanch - at the southern edge of Glacier National Park.

close-up of a railroad shelter

There was a considerable amount of major road repair on Hwy 2.
Some sections were choked down to 1 lane with alternating flow controlled by flagmen with radios.

A good bit of Hwy 2 follows the river.

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By 3:10 PM we were in West Glacier at the Apgar campground.
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After a little driving around we chose space B83 in that heavily wooded campground.
There was boat eye-candy parked across from space B83... a beautiful Whitehall rowing boat.

It was still early in the day, to get a feel for W. Glacier and to get some exercise
we drove around to the Lake McDonald Trail which is on the Northwest part of the lake.
In fact, we hiked a shorter part... the Rocky Point Nature Trail which has periodic stops
where there are markers. There is a pamphlet explaining just what is to be seen and learned at each stop.

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Tall thin trees - of a fairly crowded forrest.

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Of course the woodpecker would not land on the sunny side of the tree... to allow a better picture.

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Lake McDonald

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Ferns - - after a fire - forest canopy removed and there is re-growth, that is what the pamphlet says.

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Both pink and white clover occurred in the burned over area.

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White trefoil with bug - white multi-blossom

White mulit blossom with mating bugs

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Friday 8 July 2011

It rained a bit the previous night. That was the first rain we had so far on the trip.

All hitched up and ready to leave the Apgar campground in W. Glacier N. Park.

Heading West, away from W. Glacier toward Idaho and Washington State.

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Montana - Bonners Ferry, Idaho - Newport, Washington