After the fun ending of the previous day, it was good to get back to hiking and touring Glacier National Park. We started with a short walk to see more of McDonald Falls. This spot was very close to where we had finished yesterday. It was a reminder to be careful today to keep the […]
August 9, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 16 – Glacier National Park: Going to the Sun Road East End Read More »
We started our time at Glacier National Park today. The drive into the park changed to a dirt road because of a road rebuilding project. Driving on the dirt road was a bit of a challenge because the road was muddy from the construction. We hiked the Avalanche Trail up to a lake. For the
Today was a driving day across Idaho and part of Montana. It was a great day for a drive. We saw lots of mountains, lakes, rivers and one area that was still smoky from a wildfire. We are ready to go to Glacier National Park tomorrow.
August 7, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 14 – Drive to Columbia Falls MT Read More »
Today we toured the Grand Coulee Dam. The first thing we saw was a very tired butterfly in the parking lot. The river just below the dam seems very calm and peaceful. You would not expect to see a mile wide dam just up the river. During the tour, we got to see the turbine
August 6, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 13 – Grand Coulee Dam Read More »
When we awoke this morning, we checked the status of our planned hikes. Things had changed. At about 1 am, Route 20 through the park was closed near the Sourdough fire. Our hikes were on the other side of the road closure. There was no way to get to our hikes. Essentially, the park was
Our plans for today include four hikes on the western side of North Cascades National Park. We began with a drive to the North Cascades Visitor Center. Route 20, the road through the park, follows the Skagit River. The haziness seemed to be increasing. We checked at the visitor center. They said there was a
August 4, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 11 – North Cascades National Park, The West Side Story Read More »
This is our last day in Olympic National Park. We took a morning hike on Ruby Beach. The tide was coming in while we were walking so we had to watch how far we walked. Ruby Beach stretches out a long way. It is both broad and long. It had some of the same flotsam
August 3, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 10 – Olympic National Park , the West Side Read More »
We started early today to get to the Hoh Rain Forest. It is a popular location in Olympic National Park that fills up early. In many ways, the Hoh Rain Forest is like any other forest. It has rivers and streams, trails to walk, and lots of trees. In other ways, it is a very
We began our day with a hike to Sol Duc Falls. The hike was a 1.6 mile loop trail. Sol Duc Falls has three parts to the falls. It was a fun hike. After Sol Duc Falls, we headed out of Olympic National Park toward the Makah Indian Reservation. The reservation is located in the
August 1, 2023 : Trip 11, Day 8 – Olympic National Park and Cape Flattery Read More »
Today we did a lot of driving and hiking. We hiked four different trails and drove about three hours to cover 85 miles of winding mountain roads. We entered Olympic National Park on our way to Sunrise viewpoint. We left early because they limit the number of cars each day. When we saw the line