Hard to believe that two and a half years have passed since my last post. Time flies…as they say, right? It will take more than one post to catch up, but I want to start somewhere…and I thought sharing some snaps from our “Celebrating My 70th Trip” last month would be a great way to begin.
After flying into Minneapolis for a few days of sightseeing that included a Green Line tour of the Twin Cities, an afternoon at the Mall of America (where I found a yarn shop!) as well as a road trip to the South Dakota state line to put our feet on the ground and breathe the air*, we boarded Amtrak's Empire Builder at St. Paul's Union Station for the next leg of our journey to Whitefish, Montana and Glacier National Park.
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| Not quite so “Mighty Mississip’” in St. Paul, MN |
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| Minnesota State Capitol Building in St. Paul |
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| “Oh look, dear…it’s a yarn shop!” |
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| Getting closer to our 50 states in South Dakota |
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| Amtrak Lounge for Empire Builder |
The overnight trip and brief stops allowed us to also check North Dakota off our 50 states list.
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| Overnight cabin 730C |
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| “Good morning, America…how are you?” |
By the time we reached Montana, I had my 50th, with Thomas earning his when we got to Idaho.
To see as much of Glacier National Park as we could without having to drive the popular “Going to the Sun” road in the challenging summer traffic, we boarded the Xanterra Red Bus “West Side Crown of the Continent” Tour, Duration: 9.5 Hours.
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Our tour followed the Red Line on this map,
courtesy of Glacier National Park Lodge site |
It was a clear, beautiful, almost cloud-free day that allowed for fantastic views and pictures, especially when the guide removed the roof of the bus (!)…but it soon became challenging to stay cool under the relentless sun. Fun fact—The vintage (read that: un-air conditioned!) 1930’s 16-seater Red Buses of Glacier were made by the White Motor Company and are Model 706, the third generation of tour buses in Glacier National Park.
We began the morning on the shores of Lake McDonald, where the mist rising from the clear water was mingling with remnants of smoke from the forest fires in nearby Canada.
We inched along through construction and single-lane traffic on the first portion of the Going to the Sun road until we came to the smoother, paved area that made the ride more bearable. After a couple of photo op stops, we made it to Logan Pass on the Continental Divide.
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| “Logan Pass is the highest elevation (6646ft) reachable by car in the park. It is extremely popular with visitors and the parking lot is generally full…” Nat’l Park Service |
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| Beargrass |
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| Monkeyflowers |
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| “At Logan Pass, Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain tower over fields of wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer…” Nat’l Park Service |
When we stopped for a lovely lunch at the blessedly air-conditioned Many Glacier Lodge, I was thrilled to choose my souvenir of the day: a loosely woven wrap with artist drawings of the wildflowers of the Park…which was immediately pressed into service as a head covering for the rest of the tour. In addition to the majestic mountains and endangered glaciers that are mainstays of the tour, we delighted in the profusion of lovely wildflowers and the wildlife, including ground squirrels, marmots, big-horned sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk, and a cinnamon black bear that was the size of a small grizzly.
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Many Glacier Lodge for lunch
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| Snapped this one through the open roof of the bus |
After the excessive temperatures (folks, it was HOT!) created problems for trains on overheated tracks, including a derailment east of us in Havre, we cancelled the rest of our train trip and continued on to Seattle in a rental car with an overnight in Spokane. It actually turned out fine since we got to see parts of the country we would have missed otherwise…including an absolutely clear drive-by view of Mount Rainier. Amazing! To finish off our trip, we stayed in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle (along with multitudes of Taylor Swift fans!) and did all the touristy things: monorail, Space needle, and Chihuly Gardens and Glassworks.
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| It was all about Taylor…everywhere! |
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| We’ve done planes, trains, and automobiles…time for a monorail! |
Skies had turned Seattle-gray by ticket time
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| Looking through the glass floor of the Space Needle |
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| Last sunset in Seattle…from room at Pioneer Square Embassy Suites |
And now? Where are we? We are back with M at her home in Auburn, GA, where we’ve been for almost a year since selling our house in Loganville. We said then we’d give ourselves at least a year to make some decisions about our next move while dealing with some health issues. We’ve been extremely grateful for the space and breathing room she’s provided, and we are very happy here in our cocoon. We haven’t made any plans for another move…yet…so, stay tuned.
Meanwhile, I’m still gardening (just in a smaller patch) and still knitting!
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| Finished shawl in the Supernova MKAL |
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*In order to qualify for the All 50 States Club, one must “put your feet on the ground and breathe the air” of each state. Check and double check!
