Traveling with the Parents Glacier National Park

Last year after my epic road trip to the Northeast my mom was saying she wished she could go on a trip like that.  I had a moment of insanity and told her that well if you and dad save the money I will take you.  Now my mom had been there about 7 years ago with a cousin and they were doing genealogical research, but my dad had never been.

After spending a week in Portland, visiting with my two oldest daughters, grandchildren, a couple of friends, my brother, sister, nephews and niece it was time to hit the road.  I loaded my parents, all of their bags and Bobbin in the car and we set out for Montana.  The first night we stayed in Missoula.  The next morning we got an early start.

We stopped at French Town and I got an epic cinnamon roll.

Then we headed up into the mountains.  We stopped at a rest area, view point and I took a pano. 

I got a kick out of it that there were signs posted all over to stay on the path because of rattlesnakes.  There was an educational sign too talking about different things that have been done to make it so animals can migrate without crossing the roads.  There is a wild life overpass.

We had a cabin at Hungry Horse in a resort called Timber Wolf Resort.  It is a combination B & B, RV, campground, and cabin resort.

 The cabin was just one room with bunk beds, a table, and a fire ring outside.  The bathroom was a wee walk away, but it was such a neat cabin.  We dropped our bags and headed into Glacier National Park.

 I loved the blue of Lake McDonald.

Such a pretty lake.


McDonald Creek has so many pretty areas like Sacred Dancing Cascades.

I found the ledges so amazing.  Makes you want to go wading. 

 Upper McDonald Creek

 I loved looking at the water coursing down the mountains. We wound our way up Going to The Sun Road.

 The road is narrow and twisty.

We finally arrived at Logan's Pass.

Where I spied a goat.

Then suddenly a goat spied me. 

The next day we pulled up stakes, left the cute camping cabin and headed toward Many Glaciers, then Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada.

The road to Many Glaciers is wee bit rough.

 There are these falls coming off of Lake Grinnel at Many Glacier's but there is no place to stop and get a really good picture unfortunately.

The hotel there is gorgeous.  I would love to stay there one day. 

One of my favorite things among the gorgeous views, rivers, and wildlife were the tour buses that take people all over the parks. 

I will share more of Bobbin, International Traveler adventures soon.

The Lonely Road

Day 5 of the Aubri Jo, Bobbin and Grandma Road trip.  We got a late start that day, we needed an oil change and trying to get in for one was quite the challenge.  Normally I go to the dealership, but they were booked up solid until 4 pm.  We ended up going to a local Goodyear and they had us on the road by 11 at least.

We headed into the desert.  Then we spied a picnic area called Miller's Point and stopped for a short time to stretch our legs.  Miller's point is part of the Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada.  I don't remember ever seeing Cathedral Gorge, but definitely on my bucket list someday.

You can learn more about it and see some awesome pictures here.  Cathedral Gorge.

We were then off to Ely, Nevada and the loneliest Highway in America, Highway 50. 

We stopped at the shoe tree which Aubri Jo found amazing.

Aubri took a ton of pictures.  I only took one since I had taken many the year before.

I don't know if there were more shoes or not.

We also stopped at the Sand Springs Pony Express historical site and read about the history.  The building foundations which remain are about a mile walk into the desert.   Not much to photograph, but you can read all about the Pony Express Station.

We finally reached Sparks, Nevada for the night.  The next morning we were up bright and early to head toward California, the reservation for a couple of day's rest at a cousin's house.  We drove through Susanville, and toward Mt. Lassen. 

Mt. Lassen is a volcano that last erupted on May 22, 1915.  It is now a National Park also with some great hiking trails. 

We stopped in Yreka, California to pick up some groceries and headed toward Etna, California where I spied this sign.

We wound up into the mountains across the Pacific Crest Trail

and through Sawyer's Bar.

Through Forks of Salmon, and around Grant's Bluffs (the one lane road clinging to the side of the mountain that my great grandfather built) and stopped to visit Jeff's grave.

 I placed some flowers using a dollar star vase.  I was amazed that the mountain side was covered with Columbine.

The Rose I planted had grown quite a bit and had flowered recently.

I stopped at a couple of swimming holes on the way down the river, but Aubri was not interested in swimming it was too crowded for her.  I finally stopped at a spot called Big Bar along the Klamath River and she did swim a bit and cool down.

We went on to my cousin's house in Hoopa, California and rested for a couple of days.  Monday morning I had some tribal business to do and we headed back up the river toward Oregon.  We stopped to take a picture of a quilt which I shared earlier.

I explained earlier this is across and down the river slightly from my great grandparent's homestead.

 The bluffs with the road going up the river.  This is a single lane road.

I dipped my feet in the cool clear water. 

And enjoyed the local wildlife. 

Finally we were on our way to Oregon, Aubri's home and my parents house.