2019 08 22 - 8 25 Great Falls - 08 27 - 08 29 Glacier National Park

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, Great Falls, Montana - 24 August 2019

Outside Great Falls along the Missouri River is one of several following the route taken by the Corps of Discovery. 

At the direction of President Thomas Jefferson, about two dozen men, one woman, her infant son and a Newfoundland dog spent months traversing the western lands acquired with the Louisiana Purchase from France to find a passage west to the Pacific. 

Montana sculptor, Bob Scriver, specialized in western subjects, he was a scholar of Blackfoot Indian culture and history. Originally cast to include Sacajawea and her baby, this Great Falls commissioned grouping dropped her for another man and Seaman, Lewis' dog (hence the Newfoundland wandering the Interpretive Center in the photo above). On the left is a depiction of the overland trip with the cottonwood dugout canoe used when the keelboats drafted too deep in the river. They had to haul these canoes 18.5 miles loaded with equipment using fabricated wooden wheels on wooden axles. Bob is standing to the top left for scale. 

 Ryan Dam, Great Falls, Montana - 24 August 2019

The namesake of the city, the Great Falls is one in a series of five waterfalls in close proximity on the Missouri River that had to be portaged around by the Expedition which took, in total, 31 days to complete. The spillage over the top of Ryan Dam is about one-third the original amount described by Meriwether Lewis. From side to side was an 87-foot dramatic cascade of water which filled the air with mists and was said to impair hearing of those attempting to converse on the nearby shores. 

The hydroelectric Ryan Dam is run-of-river dam meaning it diverts the waters to power the plant and returns it back at the same speed. The dam is 1,336 feet across, 61 feet high and creates a reservoir of 7 miles long with a storage capacity of 5,000 acre feet. The six-unit powerhouse was built in 1915.

The "Warning" sign refers to the potential for releases of water 

The Electric Stove Kitchen can still be used by families to prepare meals which was originally built to demonstrate a new way of cooking. No explanation is given for why this spot was chosen. 

A suspension bridge is the only access to the river itself on Ryan Dam Picnic Island with the "tail race" from the powerhouse running below it. It has bounce and sway as people walk across so use of handrails is recommended. (BOB!)

First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, Ulm Montana - 25 August 2019

One of over 500 buffalo jumps throughout Montana, this was one of the western ocean shorelines that formed during the time of the dinosaurs. The sandstone cliffs have ripple marks from the waves which washed back and forth against the beach. From the walking path below the cliffs, we could see a group on a Ranger talk describing the techniques used to stampede the bison over the edge. Fast warriors disguised in buffalo hides would run through the herd causing confusion. After being followed by the animals, the runners would jump off the cliffs to prior scouted safe areas while the buffalo fell 50 feet down to the rocks below.

The prairies had been taken over by crops highly unsuitable for native grazing animals. The State Parks are replanting native prairie grasses to serve as contrast to the surrounding corporate agricultural acreage. The scent of sage is carried on the breeze that once ruffled the fur of thousands of buffalo. The right photo is a rock with lichen attached. According to the Blackfeet, lichens are ghost beads placed on rocks by the spirits of ornaments. Lichen color comes from algae and its structure from fungi. Called a symbiotic relationship, the algae gathers energy from the sun to share with the fungi, which in turn, offer the algae structure, moisture and nutrients. 

All along the 1.5 mile walking path are signs of the "First People" taking advantage of a natural landscape to provide food, clothing and other items by using every part of the buffalo. Also Tipi rings (circles of rocks to hold the sides down) at the top of the cliffs. Digs below the cliffs have recovered arrow points, scrapers, potshards and cutting tools all used to process the vast amount of buffalo for numerous tribes from 1000-1500 AD. Centuries later, a local family mined buffalo bones that once lay 13 feet thick to be ground up a phosphorus-rich fertilizer for Victory Gardens and farms during World War II. They took out 300,000 cubic yards of bones--that's 40,000 moderate sized dump trucks.

As with much of the western States, this is home to rattlesnakes who hide under tumbled rocks and clumps of bushes. Staying on the trail is a smart choice.  

We had just arrived at the last part of the trail with a handrail to assist in climbing over these rocks when it started to rain. We back tracked a little to find some shelter under the cliff face until it passed. A little damp but no worse for wear.

A look back down towards the Visitor's Center from the top of the jump along with the surrounding fields. 

Along the Buffalo Jump cliffs better hold on to your hat and don't get too close to the edge. The slope behind me fooled the buffalo by hiding the 50-foot cliff face. By the time it was seen, the leaders could not stop and fell over the edge followed by many others since buffalo have very poor eyesight. Below the cliffs were other warriors to kill any who survived the fall and all the women who distributed the meat to families, scraped and cleaned hides, collected the blood and bone marrow for "blood pudding" to use in soups and mix with berries.  

The winds and black clouds came roaring towards us, dropping the temperatures by about 15 degrees and leaving us exposed to rain and possibly lightening. At the top of the cliff there was only one place for shelter--the concrete building for the pit toilet. With winds of over 60 miles per hour, we were glad to take advantage of this safe place to wait out the weather. 

Flat tire, two-lane highway, somewhere between Great Falls and Glacier Park, Montana - 26 August 2019

Not enough room to get completely off the roadway. Bob did a good job getting us stopped quickly. I jumped out and set the safety cone about 30 feet behind the trailer in the middle of the lane. While Bob lowered the spare tire I loosened the lug nuts. Then Bob took over while I watched out for ignorant people who could not figure out that emergency situations allow them to cross the double yellow lines while passing us. Two vehicles did stop and generously offered assistance but we had practically finished. Back on the road in just over an hour and heading to our next site.

St. Mary's/East Glacier KOA, St. Mary's, Montana - 26 August 2019  

Finally reached our destination, St. Mary's KOA. The view made up for the earlier struggles.

Red Bus Tour, Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana - 27 August 2019

A crisp morning drive in Glacier National Park, we were picked up at the front of our campgrounds. The Red Bus has a canvas top which was rolled back to allow viewing by standing up. The views of the glaciers are spectacular as they sparkle in the sunshine which also warms us as we drive the Sun Road.

Once having over 100 glaciers, the park can only lay claim to 35 named glaciers (of which only 25 are still active). Covering over 1 million acres, and sharing our border with Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, Glacier is recognized as a World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, the World's first International Peace Park and the World's first International Dark Sky Park.  

The Going-to-theSun Road begins at St. Mary Visitor Center, follows the shoreline of Saint Mary's Lake toward the Continental Divide and then continues to Lake McDonald and Apgar Visitor Center in West Glacier. 

Narrow Road and upcoming Tunnel on Going-To-The-Sun Road. Notice the dark stain on the rocks of seeping water from recent rains and snow melt.  

One of the local animals are the ground squirrels which unfortunately have become very familiar with the visitors. Our stop at Logan Pass (6646 feet), the Continental Pass facing west towards the Apgar Village Entrance. There are several hikes which can be accessed from the Visitor Center. We heard a few people say the Rangers had closed one due to bear activity which generally means a bear had a kill close to a path or had been seen recently in the vicinity. 

Our Red Bus #109 is one of 33 transport buses for park visitors. Our driver, or Jammer, Andrew, explained the term is from the double clutch transmission where the drivers had to shift the gears causing a jamming sound. Provided by the White Motor Company in 1935-36 the distinctive vehicles sport roll-back canvas tops and wooden bodies on a van chassis and run on gas or propane. That double clutch transmission has been replaced with a modern automatic. Yellowstone (7 of original 98) and Gettysburg (2 from Yellowstone) are the only other National Parks with buses.

While on our trip, we learned that glacier water will appear more teal colored due to the minerals dissolved as it flows downstream. 

Beautiful McDonald Lake was the backdrop of our lunch stop and Lake McDonald Lodge. Reminiscent of a Swiss chalet with a hunting lodge atmosphere, boat tours take off behind the lodge dining room and horse back riding is also available. 

The Lake is fed by McDonald Creek which looks placid and calm for most of the summer, but early season visitors may see a thundering torrent carrying trees and boulders. There was sufficient rainfall to give us an impression of the power of water.

Our halfway point for the Red Bus tour, unique architecture of clapboard hotel with classic rooms/suites to hostel rooms with shared baths or stand alone cabins decorated with hanging lantern reproductions of original works made by Kanai (a First Nations band government in Alberta) craftsmen for the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada. The totem pole was included in the exterior scene even though the local tribes do not use them. 

Snow melt and rain runoff directed under the Going-to-the-Sun Road by a culvert tunnel. 

U-shaped valley denotes a glacier made this which differs from a V-shaped valley signifying uplifting of the peaks. McDonald Creek running through the valley floor. 

Three Arches Bridge, one of the most unique features along the Sun Road, sixty-five feet long, designed in 1927 as an alternative to a large retaining wall, was built to span deep rifts in the mountainside where the Road traverses the continental divide. Locally known as the Garden Wall, an alternative story provided by our Jammer was that the  dynamite crews were a little overzealous with their charges and took too much of the mountain out and needed to restore roadbed with concrete but made it more creative and less imposing design.

A second stop at the Continental Divide looking east towards St. Mary Entrance.

Site of Sun Point Chalet, Saint Mary Lake, 1913-1942. Perched on a windy outcrop 100 feet above the narrows and surrounded by spectacular views, it's was only reachable by boat or pack horse. After the completion of the Sun Road and introduction of the family automobile, the chalets became little more than a brief stop resulting in fewer overnight guests. After closing for WWII, they did not reopen and were razed in 1948.

Many Glacier area, Swift Current Trailhead, Glacier National Park, Montana - 28 August 2019

Common Merganser on our hike to Red Rock Lake and Falls.

Swift Current Trail. We took a late afternoon hike to try and see some wildlife (though foolishly forgetting to bring our bear spray) but nothing was seen. 

Red Rock Falls, lower side

From the Top of Red Rock Falls, it looks simple to get up here. There are several approaches but all of them require some scrambling over large rocks. 

Enjoying the rewards at the top. Views of the lake and surrounding mountains. 

On our return to the trailhead, we did see some wildlife. In three different areas, almost out of our vision, I think we counted 21 Mountain Goats. We even shared our binoculars with a family we met on the trail so the kids could see them. Last, and in this case, least, almost at nightfall, we spotted this squirrel just overhead.

Sunset after our hike, driving along the shoreline of the Swiftcurrent Lake and Many Glacier Hotel. It's designed as a series of Swiss chalets completed in 1915 by the president of the Great Northern Railway, Louis W. Hill, in an effort to establish the park as a destination resort before the establishment of the National Park Service. 

Boat Tour of St. Mary Lake at Rising Sun and Hike to Baring Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana - 29 August 2019

St. Mary Lake at Rising Sun Boat Tour and Baring Falls Hike.

Wild Goose Island allegedly got its name from a folklore story. Two tribes lived on opposite sides of the lake without warfare but avoided each other. A warrior saw a maiden from the other tribe swimming to the island and became smitten. They met on the shore of this little islet and she also became smitten with him. They each returned to their respective tribes after promising to return to the island on the morrow. Neither tribe was happy with the betrothal and determined to break it. The warrior and maiden left their tribes in the early morning but were pursued. The Great Spirit was watching and transformed them into geese, which mate for life, so they could fly away from their pursuers. At the sight of the warriors, the geese stroked their necks together lovingly and flew away, never to return. The island was featured in the opening shot of the 1980 horror film The Shining. 

View of the backside of Sun Point Site of the former Sun Point Chalet.

Hike along the St. Mary's Lake towards Baring Falls.

Ranger Rebecca was our Guide for the boat tour and hike.

All the way across the lake (and I certainly don't know how she saw it) Rebecca noticed this female moose wading in the shallows feeding on underwater plants.  

Reynolds Creek Fire in 2015 burned 4,000 acres on the east side of the park, forcing the evacuation of St. Mary. Strong winds and warm temperatures fueled the fire in one day from a small 2-acre fire to 4,000 acres and limited suppression efforts to helicopter bucket drops and some ground work. On a positive note, visitors can now enjoy new views of the area's spectacular mountain peaks that are no longer obscured thanks to the fire's removal of the tree canopy. Colorful wildflowers and green grass now cover the blackened earth and attract deer and elk.

Baring Falls which has that distinctive teal color water indicative of glacier ice melt. It only drops 25 feet with a sturdy bridge across which makes for well formulated pictures. Some younger visitors had climbed over the bridge railings to sit on overhanging rocks and dangle their feet in the water. Brrr. 

Our group interrupted the passage of this small group of five mule deer who were trying to cross the path down to the lake. They did not scatter and run but stood in the undergrowth watching for an opening then taking a side path as we headed back to our boat. We also passed some wild Huckleberry.