Nature Wins

I just have to start out with this. I know it's such a terrible thing to display, especially for all of you suffering through 90 and 100 degree temps, but I can't help it. Yes, that's right. It was 49 degrees when we got in the car to head to breakfast :-)

Nature will always do things her way. She's on no schedule, has no where to be. Unfortunately, we do. The clearing of the rock slide took longer than they expected, so when we awoke on Thursday morning, the Going to the Sun Road was still closed. We took our time, hoping that if we let enough time pass, we would get to continue our journey as planned.

It just wasn't meant to be.

With so many more miles still to cover, and our time frame for delivering the car in Seattle getting smaller, we just had to keep moving west. I wanted to cry. I did shed a tear or two, I won't lie.

We skirted the southern part of the park on Route 2, deciding to enter from the west and see as much as we could from that side. It wasn't quite as spectacular, but we did see Lake McDonald and the rushing waters of Avalanche Creek. In all, we saw 30 of the 44 miles of the park. As I mentioned in my previous post, we're so grateful we got to see what we did. This trip will serve as a teaser and a reason to visit again. At least we have an interesting story to tell from all of this.

On recommendation from Rob and Sara, we decided the best way to see Idaho was through the eyes of Lewis and Clark. After Missoula, we hopped on Route 12, otherwise known as the Lewis and Clark trail, and spent the most wonderful afternoon meandering along the Clearwater River, much like they did a little over 200 years ago.

We dipped our feet in the river.

We stood for a long time in a grove of Cedars, taking in the smell. Did I hug a tree today? Why, yes, yes I did!

And then this. Greatest discovery of the entire trip. Wild raspberries. We picked. We savored. We gorged.

We seemed to time our trek just right, as a strong line of storms passed just behind us and left us with the beauty instead.

We reached Lewiston, where we stopped for the day. Tomorrow we will wish bon voyage upon this little Toyota as we drop her off at the shipping company. A rental car will take us the rest of the way. We are looking at these next two days and feeling a little overwhelmed with the possibilities. We know there's just too much to see and do, and not enough time. Even though the lure of Portland and Seattle is strong, after coming out of such beautiful wilderness and not yet wanting to return to civilization, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helens is enticing too. We'll just have to make our decisions as we travel across Washington.

Rock Slide = Rocking Chairs

Sunrise was gorgeous this morning. At 5:30, I was bursting forth with "...for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties...." as we made our way up Montana 89. With wheat to my right and the Flathead Mountain range to my left, I couldn't agree more: yes, America, you are beautiful.

We entered Glacier National Park about 7:30, ready for a full day of spectacular views. It was at this point that the Park Ranger kindly informed us the Going to the Sun Road was closed for the day due to a rock slide from last night's rains. We could make it as far as Logan Pass, about 12 miles from the entrance, but would have to turn back.

We debated doing the 12 miles, then coming back out of the park and continuing on Route 2 into Idaho, so as not to delay our travels. By debate, I mean we considered it for all of two seconds. Seeing Glacier National Park is on my life's bucket list. No rock slide was going to alter our plans to see the whole park.

Anxious to sneak a peak of at least part of it, we decided to drive up the 12 miles to Logan Pass. I've never felt so small, and so grateful, and so wondered all at once. In 1850, 150 glaciers existed throughout the park territory. Today, that number stands at 26. The most recent reports say that by 2030, all the glaciers will have disappeared. That means the majority of the next generation...our children...will never see a glacier in Glacier National Park. I hope that resonates with all of you just as profoundly as it did with us. So in addition to making renewed vows to lessen our carbon footprint as drastically as possible, we took lots of pictures. It's the only evidence we'll have in just a few short years.

On the Road Again

Hello again loyal readers! We have resumed our travels westward, and have a week ahead filled to the brim with adventure! Admittedly, this is leg of the trip I've most anticipated. So let's get started!

We departed BWI on Monday afternoon, sweating it out at a balmy 105. We landed in Salt Lake City a few hours later. It was 65. I'm going to get on a plane during the summer and fly to areas of higher elevation more often.

This first entry has us seeing a lot of asphalt. We spent a few more precious hours on Monday night with Aaron's family, but come Tuesday morning, we were on the road heading north. Our goal was to reach St. Mary, Montana, the eastern entrance to Glacier National Park--a solid 11-hour drive from Utah. Nine hours later, of pretty much solid drive time, we threw in the towel for the day. The legs were twitching and the bums were aching, and we decided to resume the drive with renewed spirits in the morning.

As our path took us through the southeastern part of Idaho, and then on up through Helena, we got to enjoy sprawling fields of potatoes, the beautiful Snake River, and the unexpected treat of vast acres of wheat fields.

When I was a kid, wheat fields weren't anything unusual. Every farmer planted his share, right in rotation with corn and soybeans. I looked forward to the 4th of July every year, when my favorite color would grace the wheat fields right before picking. But as the soybean and corn industry exploded in the midwest, and the government subsidies for those crops increased ten-fold, the wheat back home started to disappear. Today, you're lucky to see a wheat field every 30 miles.

Not so in Montana. Along with North and South Dakota, Montana harvests 69% of the nation's spring wheat crop. There are wheat fields EVERYWHERE! You can imagine my excitement as I got to spend the entire afternoon watching my favorite color in various shades pass by.

We landed in Great Falls last evening, and as I type this morning, we are on Montana 89 completing the final two hours before Glacier that we didn't accomplish yesterday. We watched the sunrise over open wheat country. It was a beautiful sight! I'm trying to enjoy the scenery, but my heart is already 120 miles up the road. I absolutely cannot wait to traverse Glacier. More on that tomorrow!

Wyoming

Wyoming is medicine. Admittedly, Phill and I both awoke feeling a little sick over our experience at Mt. Rushmore yesterday. I don't mean to harp on it. We talked about it. Talked about the commercialism, the push for consumerism in a gift shop stuffed with products from China....all at a place that's supposed to make us feel more patriotic than ever. We see the misgivings. We take note. We do our best to support local and not feed into the consumer mentality. Maybe witnessing it at a national monument is why we were both disheartened so much.

Once we crossed that Wyoming state line, our conversation changed. With Willie, Hank, and Johnny serenading us, we saw the numerous trains dotting the vast landscape hauling coal from one mining town to the next. From miles away, we watched the dark clouds build and then drove right into a glorious summer thunderstorm. While I could now take this moment to harp on our country's dependence on oil or on climate change, Wyoming seemed to inspire the patriotic feelings we missed yesterday. I'm so proud to know that our country still has these places. Land that is relatively untouched, land that was traversed by the bravest of explorers. Watching the trains reminded us of the infrastructure that supports our economy. The wide open sky gave Phill even more reason to get back in the plane. Paul's death could certainly paralyze his ambitions, but then again, getting in a car can be just as dangerous. Driving cross country is no small feat. He quoted Hellen Keller: "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

The drive was good for us. We needed it. It renewed our faith in the country just a little; reinvigorated our adventurous spirits. After all, we decided to take this journey to explore and appreciate this great nation we live in.

There are few words to accurately describe the rest of these last two days for us. We drove up I-90, almost to the Montana border, then got off on State Route 14 at Sheridan. We followed it over the Bighorn Mountains, through Bighorn National Forest, out onto the flats west of Greybull and finally into Cody. Just outside of Yellowstone, we snuggled in for the night. It was a cool 45 degree in the mountains. We stayed at the Absaroka Mountain Lodge, so named for the mountains it's nestled between, and right on the Shoshone River. With no internet access or cell phone coverage, we had nothing to do but breath fresh mountain air, take a hike, sit around the campfire and look up at a Milky Way I forgot existed. It was lovely. It was cleansing. A welcome break from technology and distractions. We agreed that the lodge provided one of the most refreshing and genuine retreats we've had in a very long time.

Seven years ago, my dear friends, Rob and Sara, drove me up over Tioga Pass in California. It was one of the few times that I was profoundly awed, speechless, and moved almost to tears at the natural beauty before me. This is the best way I can describe our last 48 hours as we traversed the Bighorn Mountains, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The descriptions by Thoreau and Annie Dillard echoed in my thoughts, as my own words just cannot do this scenery justice. Route 14 will forever be special in my heart because it too left Phill speechless. To know we shared that same wonderment of nature....that he understands and appreciates my quests for the wild and untamed landscapes...it's a pillar of our relationship.

Within the first hour of entering Yellowstone, we had seen 3 moose (one was an enormous male with a full rack), one grizzly bear, and numerous bison. I cannot go without mentioning the mountain pine beetle either. Almost 85% of the park has been destroyed by this invasive species. To look across entire mountains of dead trees is quite astounding and heart-wrenching. We are so thankful we saw the park when we did, before more is destroyed. I'll leave you now with the pictures. Just as my words fall short, the pictures do as well. I can only hope that each of you has the occasion to experience this. To seek with your own eyes the thrill of a scene that moves your soul, awakens your senses and forever leaves an impression in your spirit.