7.5.11 - We woke to hot showers from our driveway camping at the Erpenbachs and headed to Denny's for a delicious hot breakfast - no dishes!! Meal planning is so fun! With so many options to choose from and our fantastic Dutch Oven options, camp cooking has been exciting and inspirational! Groceries at Target and off we headed for our 6h drive to Glacier. CC was riding shotgun w/Grandpa driving the Vanagon into Glacier with breathtaking sights at every turn. It was delightful to listen as Grandpa relived the 1981 Glacier trip and remembering all the wonderful memories. We drove past Goat Lick and, what should we see, but mountain goats!! Too funny!..On into Glacier, paralleling the railroad and the river, we were blessed with incredible mountain snow-capped views. Our first glimpse of Lake McDonald with the jagged peaks surrounding it left us all speechless...but not so much that we couldn't get a latte and icecream! Dinner was Dutch Oven Ginger Chicken (soooo yummy!!) and a good night's sleep was had by all.
7.6.11 - Our campsight at Fish Creek was beautiful and we were able to camp both campers on the same site. The creek flowed below into the Lake and gave us a constant reminder of the beauty of sound of flowing water. The pink hammock was a favorite napspot by JJ and Kendall. New pocketknives from the giftshop provided hours of whittling entertainment. Andrew learned to start a fire w/magnesium and flint and they all tried to carve a dugout canoe (very small - much smaller than Lewis and Clark's!)...still working on that! - This day was started with Oxbow Bend Nature Walk along McDonald Creek. Bears being a constant threat, we were diligent to travel in a large group and make plenty of noise. We saw a grey wolf and a family of deer, Oxbow Bend, beaver dams and beautiful forests. Denver from NC was our Volunteer Ranger. Lunch of sandwiches back at camp was followed by a reinactment of the 1981 motor boating experience on Lake McDonald. JJ and Kendall, Mugsy and Bobby all took turns driving the boats to recreate and CRE-ate a wonderful memory. Crystal green-blue water reflected the many peaks. Dinner of soup warmed our tastebuds and another night in Glacier closed the day.
7.7.11 - Oddly, this is the latest known date The Highway to the Sun has been closed due to snow. Logan pass is an impass with 60-100' drifts still being cleared. The drive along Lake McDonald, however, was stunning as we went to Cedar Trail walk, a boardwalked trail through towering cedars and hemlocks. We were not disappointed as Avalanche Gorge waterfall poured through the mountain. The walk was refreshing and inspirational with it's quiet trail. Lunch at Historic McDonald Lodge pic-i-nic tables was not complete without feeding the squirrels! An afternoon of kayaking (wow!)/canoeing - by JJ, Alex, CC, KB, Andrew and Bobby along the lakeside was truly amazing. There are actually private cottages that were grandfathered into the Park that are over 101 years old! (The park was founded in 1910) - Of course, THIS was followed by a latte and ice cream to make it complete! A walk down the campsite stairs to the lake and some thick skin from JJ, Kendall and Andrew gave them a chilly but fun tubing experience. Dinner was Dutch Oven Apple Cider Pork Roast w/sweet potatoes and apples - delicious! Another "keeper!" The rain made cooking this dinner very interesting...The ovens were covered with a table and umbrellas helped the servers! Kendall ultimately DID get her popcorn - on the campstove...not as good as the fire! - A rousing game of scrabble w/Alex and Grammy, CC and KB in the vanagon was, of course, won by the "Words With Friends" Champion Alex due to his two-way word Qi for 64 points! JJ made hot chocolate and tea for everyone and we hit the sack after the thunderstorm passed.
7.8.11 - Junior Rangers-R-Us!! Kendall, Andrew, JJ and CC - Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon so far!! We get a 1/2 hour out and happen upon Kalispell, near Flathead Lake. We stop at the local artisan fair going on and indulge in kettle corn, barbeque and .... the most fabulous crepes we have ever encountered! Salmon with green curry paste, brie and pesto, ham and cheese ... definitely heaven! Some wonderful jewelry and hairclip purchases made it complete and we headed out to Coeur D'Alene, ID - about 4 1/2 hours drive through scenic, albeit WINDY rolling mountain terrain. Coeur D'Alene ("Heart of an Anvil") is the site of the 2004 Ironman Coeur D'Alene race in which Bobby was a participant! Kendall and Andrew were 4 and 5 yo at the time and don't remember much! Bobby enjoyed an inspiring run along the same Lakeside course from the race and watching the sunset over the lake...spandex and all! He took pictures of The Roosevelt Inn, the old schoolhouse where they stayed for the week of the 2004 race (thank goodness he didn't go inside all sweaty and stinky! :) The Coeur D'Alene Camping Resort was tucked right off the highway on a little "Bay" and marsh and was very convenient to downtown. The Brewery was no longer there but Mugsy picked the Toro Viejo - delicious Mexican! It brought out some conversation of memories from when the McCrackens lived in Mexico City and Mugs was in HS there. This led to the amazing discovery of "Camarones Suisos," Mugsy's favorite Mexico City dish! Bobby and CC had this green sauced dish with cilantro that was a delight to the tastebuds....actually, it was ONE of the many things Bobby ate since he had run 10 miles, he just kept eating everyone's leftovers! We are going to call him "Kirby," like the dog we met at the artisan fair.."Like a vacuum! As soon as anything hits the floor it's gone!!) We had a nice walk through the main strip and a brief stop at the souvenir store and off to bed in our quaint little campsite!
7.9.11 Today we head to the Columbia River Gorge. We are currently driving and just passed Spokane, WA. The scenery is changing from mountains to rolling plains. To our right (South) is a vista of a long, lazy train going around the bend with a red-barned farm in the foreground - The Sprague lake sits distinctly in the middle of calloused knuckles of earthen plateaus that lead us eventually to the river and down to the Gorge. CC is in the backseat of the Chili Pepper with KB asleep on her shoulder and JJ watching a movie on her phone. Grandpa is shotgun and Eric is driving. Rubio has Alex and Andrew in the back w/Grammy in the Jump seat, Mugsy riding shotgun and Bobby at the helm. Tomorrow, Eric heads back to PHX via Portland and we will continue on the second 1/2 of our Great Adventure - to Crater Lake!
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