Hungry Horse, Montana - Glacier NP

Hungry Horse Montana - Glacier National Park

Leaving Northern Idaho and Bell Bay Campground behind, we headed out early Sunday morning to drive the 4 - 5 hours East to one of the Premier National Parks -(in my opinion)  Glacier National Park, in Northwest Montana .  We had originally made reservation at Fish Creek Campground (inside the park proper)for early July, But after deciding to modify our route, we opted to go with a National Forest site about 20 miles away, above Hungry Horse Dam. We were there about two weeks too early as the Going to the Sun Road through the Park was still not open in the mid point after a long hard winter. There are multiple campgrounds in the National Forests outside Glacier NP, and we choose Lost Johnny Point as it best accommodated our 32 ft rig.

SITE 2 - Lost Johnny Point Campground

We were very pleased and would definitely stay there again. It is all dry camping (as are many of the site in GNP itself) and sites 4,5,6 + 12 had very nice lakefront views. In addition, there are many private campground, including a nice looking KOA.

countryside in far western Montana

Glacier NP - stunning - visit in July or August to travel the whole way through

Arriving Sunday at dinner time, we setup, walked Cooper and CJ several times and mapped out our plan for visiting GNP.

Glacier National Park was established on traditional Blackfeet lands in 1910 and combined with Canada's Waterton National Park to create Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in 1932.

We started out Monday morning by going to the West side Visitors center, talked with a Ranger about what we could do with dogs along (no hiking in Nat Parks with dogs!). She recommended touring the roads along the West side of the Park and to be sure to stop at the Polebridge Mercantile.  We also bought a canister of Bear Spray, just in case. Grizzles are common in Glacier NP!! After snagging some WiFi and after 25 miles of gravel and mud road, we arrived at Polebridge in time for a late lunch.

Polebridge Mercantile - great little place to stop

Glacier is known for its bears - this one was friendly

It was a really, really rustic in the hard to believe it gets a dot on the map place, but they had nice stuff, good sandwiches and great baked goods and coffee!! (Huckleberry Bear Claw!) Eventually we made it to Kintla Lake which is almost in Canada! Some really neat mountain meadows, streams.

even a rainy day is great in Glacier NP

Tuesday, even though rain was once again in the forecast, we drove around the bottom of the Park on US 2 to the East Entrance of Glacier at St.Mary. Again we went to the visitors center, this one being the main one, checked out the exhibits, watched some videos and bought a new cap! Then, back in the Jeep for an abbreviated drive on the Going to the Sun Road, for 12-13 miles to the turn around point. Just great views, even thought the day was overcast, glaciers, lakes, rugged mountains - Glacier NP delivers stunning views. One is found on lots of calendars - Wild Goose Island in St Mary Lake. Along the way we saw many of the Red Bus tours, going strong after over 70 years!!

our view of Wild Goose Island June 2018

Going to the Sun Road from St Mary

Red Bus tours - over 70 years and going strong!

Also on the East side of the Park, up North from St Mary about 20 miles is Many Glaciers, Beautiful with stunning views and a nice Swiss Lodge. Again the weather didn't allow for the best pictures. Definitely check this out.

Mountains and Glaciers combine to enthrall

Many Glacier - beautiful even without sunshine!

Our last day in the area was bathed in sunlight and we headed over to Glacier NP one last time to drive what Going to the Sun Road from the West Entrance to the turnaround point 14 miles in . We missed the middle section, which was still being repaired, and holds views similar to the Alps!! Even though we didn't get the entire experience, it was still great. Glacier NP is a good one to add to your list. Either camp or stay at one of the in park lodges. 3-4 days will be fine. In addition to hiking and driving there are horse back riding possibilities and boat tours on St Mary Lake.

Sunny day in West Glacier

Our last night there, the camp host stopped by to tell us that a Mountain Lion was seen at the entrance to the campground, only 100 yds from our site!!! We saw several deer and one Bald Eagle, but no Mountain Lion.

we are heading out for more adventures

until then take Care

Cooper and CJ

Farragut State Park, Coeur d'Alene, Hells Canyon and Bells Bay Idaho

Farragut State Park - Northern Idaho

Leaving Grand Coulee Dam, we made a slight detour at the suggestion of the RV Park's Owner - Dennis, to see Dry Falls. Located 30 miles South of the dam, Dry Falls is a Washington State Park, and the site of what was a huge waterfall thousands of years ago, twice as high as Niagara Falls and 3.5 miles wide!! They are even moving to providing RV campsites and we would definitely spend a day camping there if back in the area. You can drive to the floor of the Coulee (canyon) via a dirt road in the park. Many types of wildlife are present, and the lakes in the Coulee provide good fishing.

water transforming a desert!

Dry Falls! - 500 ft water falls from thousands of years ago

Welcome to Idaho. Neither of us had ever been here

The drive to our next site for a week's stay was only a few hours to the East in Northern Idaho. Located just North of Coeur d'Alene, Farragut State Park is located on the grounds of a former WWII US Navy Training Base. There are several campground loops and hundreds of sites, a Navy museum, several Frisbee Golf courses (we bought discs to give it a try) a shooting range, and the largest lake in Idaho - Pend Oreille!

large sawmill on RT 95 heading North from Coeur d'Alene

WWII Navy Brig at Farragut SP -nice museum dedicated to the Training Base inside

We setup, put out the carpets and chairs and settled in. Arriving on Wednesday, the place was lightly occupied, but by Friday evening it was packed. Many families with small kids. Bikes, games, the place was hopping ( so far, we have been off season many of the places we have visited, that is about to change for the remainder of our trip).

Farragut site - Snowberry Campground - very nice

Nice spot, great view out the back

relaxing late afternoon

During our drive from Dry Falls, Cindy had broken off a piece of a molar, and through the  wonder of the internet, she located a Dentist in Hayden, about 30 minutes from Farragut SP. Friday Morning we drove down there and to our relief, after exanimating the tooth, Cindy was told there is no need of extensive work, it was the top of a crown had broken off. She can choose to get it fixed at home if she so chooses. While waiting, I logged on to their secure network and was able to finish and publish the  BLOG entry form Washington state. As we were finishing up, we asked the receptionist for a lunch recommendation and she pointed to the place directly across the street!!!  The Porch. "We eat there all the time. Everything is good" And it was. I had the Moon Burger and Cindy the Mexican Soup.

Cindy waiting for lunch at The Porch

Saturday morning, we headed out early to get to Sandpoint ( home of NFL Great Jerry Kramer of the Green Bay Packers) for some WIFI, a good cup of coffee and a farmers market. Picture Lititz, Pa  in northern Idaho on a large lake! Very nice, clean and picturesque.We hope to get back there some day.

beach on Lake Pend Oreille - Sandpoint, Idaho

very busy rail line next to the lake

Evans Brothers Coffee - good brew and breakfast burrito!

old grain mille next to Evans Brothers

The rest of Saturday was spent enjoying the clear skies and mild temps. CJ got groomed (as best I can) and a bath was looming in his future, but not that day. Lots of reading and walks.

trail out the back of our site - great for dog walks

Sunday was our planned day to travel the 30 miles South to Coeur d'Alene. For months, several people had mentioned how nice this place is and we were anxious to get there to see for our selves. We were not disappointed. We located a Evans Brothers for breakfast and were located just a block from Coeur d'Alene Lake and the marvelous hiking trail on Tubbs Hill along the lake shore. Blue skies and a mild breeze greeted us and a most enjoyable day was had by all (Cooper and CJ loved the trail, walking thru cool spots and warmer sunlit patches as well.)

Cindy at Coeur d'Alene Lake with Mudgy Moose and Millie Mouse

breakfast in the sun -Coeur d'Alene

view from the Coeur d'Alene Library

Tubb's Hill Trail

Tubb's Hill Trail - many beautiful lake views

Located just a few miles to the North of Farragut SP, the town of Bayview is located on Pend Oreille Lake and home to some interesting architecture - floating houses! Most were built in the early to mid 1900's and some are quite distinctive. Construction of these homes stopped in the early 1970's.

Bayview floating houses - some have boat garage in lower level

We took time to use the laundromat in Bayview which was very clean and offered very stong WIFI.

As our stay neared its' end, we took time to try our hand at disc golf. There are 4 courses in FSP on the site of the former Navy Hospital. Lots of fun walking through the woods finding out our skills need some work. But....fun any way!

Disc golf pin, WWII Hospital foundation background

Cindy tees off with disc purchased at State Park Store

Our next stop was a short 4 hours away down Rt 95 with hardly any traffic. We were rolling along the farm country of Western Idaho and heading to Lewiston and Hell's Canyon. Specifically Hell's Gate State Park. Located on the Snake River just below Lewiston, HGSP is right on the Snake River, is well maintained and has spacious sites. We had booked a week's stay and as it turns out, that was good, but 4 days 5 nights would be optimal. We biked to the Discovery Center (Visitor's Center) and toured their Lewis and Clark exhibits. They have a very nice outdoor display with a canoe similar to the ones L&C built when leaving this spot in late 1805 for their final push to the Pacific Ocean. (down the Snake River , into the Columbia River and to the Sea at Cape Disappointment).

site 36 Hell's Gate SP - nice and spacious

many biking trails in HGSP - Snake River & Washington State in Background

Lewis and Clark constructed 5 of these to get to the Pacific

A nicely done film on Lewis and Clark as they came through the area is offered and takes about 20 minutes to watch. All in the, the Discovery Center is worth visiting. We try to soak up as much cultural and historical knowledge as we can. The Nez Perce National Historic Site is half an hour away and offers a nice museum and film.

After the Discovery Center, we rode our bikes a bit farther North to the Marina to check out the Jet Boat Excursion we booked on line the day before (think Jet Ski for 25 people). These boats are quite big in the area with the two rivers meeting and flowing westward to the Columbia. Later on, when we took our Jet boat trip up Hell's Canyon, our Captain told us there are 10 jet boat builders in Lewiston and they deliver jet boats to Alaska and South America! If you have not done so, this is a neat way to see areas otherwise inaccessible.

Over the weekend, we read, took Cooper and CJ for numerous walks and visited the Jack O'Connor Museum (located inside the Park) Jack was a world renowned Wildlife writer.( I remember him from reading my dad's outdoor Life magazines as a teenager). The weather was pleasant, in the low to mid 70's, although there was rain on and off through Saturday. Located at 700 ft above sea level, Lewiston and Hell's Canyon experiences hot summers.  The temps here can hit over 110 in July and August!!!

One of several walls of mounts in the Jack O'Conner Museum

The Next day I took Cooper and CJ into Lewiston and the Penny's Memorial Dog Park so they could get some off leash time. This is a very nice park, located along the Clearwater River.

CJ at Penny's Memorial Dog Park Lewiston Idaho

Monday, Cindy and I drove to the Historic area of Lewiston , visited the Library and grabbed lunch at Main Street Café. (I had a delicious Bison Burger). Then back to the  RV and some afternoon reading and walking Cooper and CJ. ( as much for my exercise as for them).

Nice bronze buffalo sculpture at Lewiston Public Library

Tuesday arrived and time for us to take our jet boat excursion up the Snake River and Hell's Canyon. The trip departs right from the marina in the Park and takes over 6 hours. It was GREAT! The Captain/guide has spent his entire life in the area and had numerous tales to share regarding both the Geology, pre-history and pioneer history of the area. At one point he slowed to point out the trail, still visible 150 years later, that the Nez Perce used to get down the Canyon to their winter grounds! We both thoroughly enjoyed the day and highly recommend taking the trip if you are in the area.

getting on jet boat - 3 V8 engines push it along!

columnar basalt - note "War Bonnet" in upper left

dozens of Pictographs and Petroglyphs on these rocks - some thousands of years old

look closely in center of picture - Bighorn Sheep - we saw over 50!!

our view at lunch in Hell's Canyon - Snake River and Washington in background

small spring fed waterfall - popular in late Summer

view out back of jet boat as we start our return trip

Our final portion of this part of Idaho was spent at Bell Bay Campground in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. We had reserved site 16 and it turned out to be one of our all time favorite sites. Perched on a rise above Coeur d'Alene Lake outside Harrison Idaho, we had gorgeous views of the lake. The campground is very small, only 16 sites in the lower loop along the lake, well kept with no hookups, and vault toilets. There are water stations to fill containers and the Camp Hosts were present and involved in keeping things up to snuff. We highly recommend two days there.

Bell Bay site 16 - very nice

the view from our camp chairs - site 16 Bell Bay 

This wraps up our northern Idaho visit and we really enjoyed the area, the people were friendly and helpful and the climate this time of the year was fabulous!

Now moving on again and it may be a few weeks till we and post again.

Til then, take Care!


Cooper and CJ

The Dalles, Deception Pass SP and North Cascades NP

The Dalles, Deception Pass State Park, North Cascades National Park and Grand Coulee Dam

After leaving the Quileute area on the Northwest coast, we headed East of Seattle to the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and specifically The Dalles campground. Located just a dozen or so miles North of Mt Rainier, The Dalles is a small, no hook-ups campground located in an old growth stand of Douglas Fir and Hemlock along the White River. Being as how the campground had just opened for the season two days before we arrived, we were pretty much the only people there for our 4 day stay.

so far, one of our favorite sites - The Dalles 

we sat here for hours

one of many walks through Dalles Campground

The sites are spaceous, and ours, set amongst the towering fir trees ,was on the bank overlooking the river. After we set up, we took our chairs over to where we could read, relax and watch the river.  As the temps would be dropping into the low 50's, upper 40”s at night, we deployed the solar panels to help the battery system surive the next few days. This was going to present a challange due to the aforementioned towering trees let little light in to the forest floor. (The batteries had several years on them and the load was too much. After having them fail testing at a dealer later on that week, we opted to upgrade to a pair of 6V deep cycle batteries which provide many more hours of use for dry camping needs.)  Our first morning at The Dalles we drove further in towards Mount Rainer (the park not as yet open for the season) and over to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.

Crystal Mountain Ski Resort - big time operation!

The road to the ski area gains quite a bit of elevation over the course of several miles, and you arrive at a beautiful, full service, modern ski resort with numerous trails of varing difficulty. Ski season was over and frisbee golf had not a yet started. Nothing was officially open, but we talked with one of the employees and they were most informative about the hiking trails and all that could be done at Crystal Mountain.

As we descended the mountain, we decided to go check out the stores in the village of Greenwater. One, Wapati Woolies, was very quaint, selling tee shirts, hoodies, hats, regional  items, latties and.....milkshakes!!! It was a beautiful spring morning, sunny, temps in the low 60”s and no crowds. So.....I got a cup of coffee and Cindy got an expresso bean milkshake. Both were excellent. We returned again for latties on the morning we departed and added a biscotti so we wouldn”t pass out from hunger. There are drive up lattie-expresso shacks everywhere in the Northwest !

Some of you may know that one of our favorite TV shows is Northern Exposure. (The one with the moose walking down the street) The town used for the exterior scenes is Roslyn, Washington.

Fleischman's Office -Much fun in visiting this small town

Stop by if you're in Roslyn - Brick Burger was GREAT!

Bar at the Brick - truly is a local social gathering point!

Located two hours away from our campsite, we had to go check it out. Even ate lunch at “The Brick”. So much fun and a beautiful drive over I90 to get there.

que the Moose and start the theme

downtown Cicely, er...Roslyn WA

home of Chris in the Morning - KBHR

Our planned stay at The Dalles was cut short by the need to get the RV to a dealer located nearby  and repair a clean water leak that appeared to be coming from the water heater. I had spent some time troubleshooting the problem, and there was no leak if the water heater was bypassed. We had been without hot water for almost two weeks but now our appointment was near. We found Poulsbo RV listed as a Winnebago dealer, called ahead to give all the info I could and they were waiting for us. Jeff, the Service Writer took great care of us, got it right into the shop and within half an hour called us to confirm my diagnosis- a loose connection at the water heater. He was hoping to be able to reach it without pulling the unit. (There were able to do so and we were on the road within 3.5 hrs of arrival, including an upgrade to 6V batteries)!  Thanks Jeff and the tech who did the work. You guys provided some stellar customer service. While waiting for our repairs, Jeff told us of a dog park just up the road from Poulsbo. We took the dogs over and discovered that it is a 30+ acre park on a former NIKE Missile site!

Seattle docks

Seattle Skyline

Stadium

We actually were scheduled to return to The Dalles, however a combination of a rainy forecast and the fact that we were halfway to our next destination led us to change our plans. The weather report showed much better skies to the North for the entire weekend. I called the Washington State Parks number and found that I could get a spot for that night at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island (our planned next stop) but only for that night. Victoria Day Weekend was approaching and British Columbia was on its way down to the States!! We grabbed the site and then scrambled to get one of the last 3 sites at a private RV park (North Whidbey RV) literally right across the road. Now we just had a 2 hour drive past Seattle and Everett to Whidbey Island and our home(s) for the next week. The drive up I5 was a bit congested but after Everett, things cleared out and after crossing one of the most picturesque bridges in America, we pulled into Deception Pass Sate Park for the night (we had reservations for more nights in a few days).

Great Place -many sites in tall, tall Douglas Fir and Cedar Trees

Deception Pass Bridge - one of two spans seen here. beautiful.

Built in the mid 1930's, first bridge to Whidbey Island

looking West from Deception Pass Bridge 

Again, this is one of the top State Parks per National Geographic and it is a pretty amazing place. Eagles (we had a nest that we watched from our campsite), Navy F18 fighters from Whidbey NAS, scenic farm lands, the Deception Pass Bridge, fresh Seafood, beaches, etc!!

F18's based here practice through out the day

WWII PBY -Oak Harbor WA

Eagle's on nest from our campsite

While at La Push, our neighbor shared several local eateries to try for fresh seafood. We managed to hit most of them, since soon, fresh seafood was not going to be on the menu.

Expresso stands in the Northwest are everywhere

just North of the bridge - good Dungeness Crab Cakes!

I had grabbed a local freebie newspaper ( a great way to find out what's happening in the area) and discovered that there was a Sailfest that weekend at Coupeville, the next town below Oak Harbor where DPSP is located. Coupeville is the oldest town on Whidbey Island and has a quaint downtown area. We drove down Saturday morning, cruised the Shoppes, checked out the ships and had a bite to eat. We followed this up by continuing a bit farther down the Island and checking out Fort Eaby State Park (the is a early 20th century Coastal Artillery fort there as well as a light house) This appears to be a great kite flying area and there were numerous kites a lot.

lighthouse at Ft Eaby, WA

Bell to notify a whale has been sighted - Coupeville WA dock

Coupeville visitor center, restaurant and Harbor Master

downtown Coupeville

We had moved back into DPSP after the weekend and occupied the site we had booked months before. From here, we could watch the Eagles, go to the beaches and continue traveling about the island. We did drive to the Southern tip one day and up to the Northern tip to Anacortes for dinner another day. Whidbey is a great destination and you could spend 4-5 days in the area easily.

Cindy checking out stones on West Beach at DPSP

site 10 - complete with Eagles nest!

North Beach at DPSP

there is some really nice farm land on the island

a walk on the beach is a good thing

tour boat heading to transit Deception Pass beneath the bridge

sunset DPSP West Beach

Whidbey Island was a great place and we would return if the opportunity presents itself. However, it was time to start eastward. Next on the list, North Cascades National Park. Located in Northern Washington , near Mt Baker, NCNP is very remote, quite pristine and beautiful. The drive put us on RT 20 from Deception Pass right to the Park (later we would continue eastward on RT 20 to our next stop). NCNP is home to hundreds of glaciers, three power company dams and their lakes, all kinds of wildlife and the small company town of Newhalem. Created in the early 1920's for the construction crews and service personnel needed for the dam, Newhalem today is quaint, still running the hydrogenation plant and an easy walk through the woods from the NCNP campground. The general store has the basics, as well as some fun snacks and coffees.

our site at NCNP - lightning strike burned 7000 acres in 2015

inside Visitor's Center NCNP

just behind Visitor's Center - Picket Range Observation Area

We setup and deployed our solar panels. This is all dry camping and we were excited to try out our new 6V battery setup. We would be here for 5 nights , and would need the heater blower for the gas furnace in the night as temps were to be in the upper 40's low 50's. (Plenty of sunshine greeted us daily and by sundown the batteries were fully charged.)

Baldwin Loco for Power Station - Built near Philadelphia PA!

Cooper on River Trail - Skagit River

Many Trails to choose from - or...go Back Country if you desire

We got the slides deployed, carpet and chairs out and then hopped in the Jeep to hit the Visitors Center. Nice film about Grizzly bears, got the scoop from the Ranger showing us trails we could hit with the dogs, and then we walked out the  newly renovated boardwalk to the Picket Range Viewing area - impressive!

along Link Trail into Newhalem = logging was big 100 years ago

Falls next to Power Station

Gorge Power Station = still on line over 90 years later

heading East from NCNP on Rt 20

It was Memorial Day Weekend, and the campground filled up Friday for the long weekend.  I spoke with many nice people, and one group of 20 somethings had two people from PA! one was from York and the other graduated from Penn State - again a small world.

On one morning we took Cooper and CJ on the Link Trail into Newhalem, on another we took them on the River Trail. Cooper always ready to wade into the water and get a drink!

We stopped at the 1920 vintage Gorge Power Station and hiked behind it to see the Ladder Falls. I visited the  Power Station Museum and learned more about the construction of the Power station and dam. Again - a big deal and amazing what was accomplished back then. There wasn't even a road into the area when they started!

We took the drive East on RT 20 to Wintrop, enjoying the magnificent views through the Park along the way. Being Memorial Day Weekend and that there was a Rodeo going on in Winthrop, the place was packed. We fortunately talked to a local who told us how to avoid a lot of traffic and on the way back home, stopped at a Cider Tavern for lunch. Cooper and CJ were welcomed on the deck.

Diablo Lake East of NCNP

Downtown Winthrop WA after Memorial Day Weekend!

Washington Pass RT 20 East of NCNP

The campground emptied out Monday morning and by the afternoon, we were back to being pretty much alone. One of the benefits of being retired, get to stay after the weekend. We took walks, read and I worked on the Jeep , replacing a rear shock that the rubber bushing moved out of place, resulting in a somewhat irritating knock/rattle for the past two months. No rattle now!

North Cascades National Park was great, nice campsites (all dry camping), great views, rivers, quaint town nearby and remote. We would go back again if in the area. A stay of 3-4 nights would be nice.

East of the mountains - Apple Country

Wednesday morning we pulled up stakes and headed to our last stop (originally not in the plan) in Washington - Grand Coulee Dam. Built in the 1930's as another part of FDR's New Deal, this is the largest dam in the US. Almost a mile wide and 550 feet tall, it provides irrigation, flood control and generates huge amounts of electricity for 11 states in the Western part of the USA.

Grand Coulee Dam - larges in the USA - 1 mile across

60 ft below water level, these pumps provide irrigation water for thousands of sq miles

one of many houses built for engineers at Grand Coulee - works houses not as up scale

We took the tour, and that night went back for the Laser Light show. There is also a great Visitors Center with many artifacts and a 40 minute movie showing the construction of the dam. It opened just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor and was able to provide the much needed power for Boeing, the ship builders in Portland and the aluminum producers in the area working on providing arms for the Allies.


we'll be heading out again, still more to see and experience

til then take care

Cooper and CJ