A Scenic Drive to Glacier National Park
From Cataldo, this trip headed east to St Regis on Interstate 90 and then north into Flathead Indian territory on a series of small roads that led to U.S. Highway 93. Beautiful forests, fabulous lake country, and echoes of Lewis and Clark. Eventually, one comes to a cluster of communities north of the Indian reservation that cater to tourists visiting Glacier National Park. There are accommodations inside the park as well, but nowhere near enough to satisfy summer demand. If you want to stay inside the park, be sure to make reservations early - very early. I was fortunate and got into the Village Inn in Apgar Village for two nights. This elderly motel sits on the southern edge, and I mean the very edge, of Lake McDonald. It has one of the most spectacular views of any place I have ever stayed in my entire life. I remained in the area for a total of five nights, but had to move to Whitefish after my two nights in Apgar. Whitefish is not as well located, but is an interesting town that played an important part in the development of railroads in the area. Several good restaurants, a plentitude of excellent beer, and lots of accommodations. (In the winter it is a ski town.)
I had four glorious days in Glacier, during which I was fortunate enough to get into all of the major areas of the park even though Logan Pass was still closed due to excessive snow. it took a bit of extra driving, but the area around the park is just as beautiful as the park itself so no harm done there. I got to see bear, deer, and mountain goats as well as a large selection of birds. (I missed the grizzly bear, sheep and moose so I definitely have to go back.) The views are staggeringly beautiful and I got in at least one good hike every day to a waterfall or a lake off the beaten path. Assuming that you make your reservations early enough, I would strongly recommend that you arrange to stay in several different parts of the park. It is a huge chunk of mountainous terrain that extends into Canada (bring your international travel documents) and staying in at least two lodges, one on each side of the park, will greatly help in cutting down the amount of time that you spend in the car. When I next go back, I will be shooting for multiple days in each of three different locations - one in Western Glacier, one in Eastern Glacier, and one in Waterton, which is the continuation of the park across the border in Canada.
After Glacier, I headed south on U.S. Highway 93 to Missoula. Missoula is going through the same transformation that is impacting many other American cities. The historic heart of the city is no longer the center of economic activity. That takes place on a long highway leading into town from the interstate. It is lined with one large chain store after another intermixed with every type of fast food emporium imaginable. I understand that change is inevitable, but I don't have to like it. The empty Macy's Department Store on the main street in the old part of town was particularly depressing for me. After Missoula, I headed southeast on Interstate Highways 90 and 15. Just before Butte, I took a scenic byway off of the Interstate to check out Phillipsburg, a revitalized mining ghost town, and then made a bee line to Rexburg where I visited with a friend that has a home there. Dinner was in a local diner and breakfast the next morning was in another. Both were very good.
That morning, after breakfast, my friend drove me out to visit Mesa Falls. I had never heard of Mesa Falls and was amazed to find that it is a major scenic wonder consisting of two very large and very beautiful falls on the Snake River. The day that we visited, we even had a magnificent rainbow and an osprey fishing for his breakfast. Another interesting thing about the Rexburg area is that the family farms are still being worked by the families and the small agricultural communities are still vibrant. This is Mormon country and, at least at first glance, the strength of that way of life is what accounts for the difference between what we see here as compared with elsewhere in the West. I made a mental note to return to this part of Idaho and explore it further. Among the intriguing things that I want to check out is another waterfall and a back road that goes all the way to the west side of the Teton Mountains.
After Mesa Falls, I bid my friend farewell and took off for the Craters of the Moon National Monument. On the way, I passed through Arco, Idaho, which claims to have been the first town in the world to be get it's electricity from nuclear energy. Shortly thereafter, I started passing through the lava flows. Craters of the Moon National Monument is one of the more important study sites for serious volcanologists. It is easy to visit with a paved road running through it and a number of walks of varying length. Descriptive material and exhibits in the monument are very informative even though they spend a lot of time and effort in trying to convince the visitor not to stray off of the trail. If you want to visit the caves, make sure that you stop at the visitors' center and get a permit. The rangers are worried about possible transmission of a disease that is endangering the bats that live in the park. After Craters, my next stop was Twin Falls, Idaho. Twin Falls boasts some of the oldest archeological finds related to humans in all of North America and it is another of the places in Idaho that I want to explore further. This trip I was too short on time to do other than stay overnight.
From Twin Falls all through the next day, the trip was all about the Oregon Trail with stops in Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument; Glenn's Ferry, Idaho; and Vale, Oregon. Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument has the least adequate signage of any national park I have ever visited and the map that they hand out is equally poor. The visitor center is devoid of any interesting exhibits and there is almost nothing to see in the park itself. I say almost nothing, because there is one place where you can make out the path of the wagons that travelled this part of the Oregon Trail. I understand that the fossils buried in the monument are more than enough to warrant it's protection, but it is not one of the places that you need to put on your short list - unless you are a paleontologist and you want to visit the place where they found the Hagerman Horse (which is really more zebra than horse). Whether the wagon ruts in the hillside are enough to warrant a visit depends on how much of an Oregon Trail buff you are. Glenn's Ferry State Park is another story all together. The visitor center has an outstanding exhibit relating to the Oregon Trail in general and to the Three Island Crossing of the Snake River in particular. It is well worth a visit if you are traveling through this part of Idaho. After Three Island Crossing, I drove on through Vale, Oregon and stopped for the night in Burns, Oregon.
The next morning, I checked out the wildlife refuge just outside Burns (a few ibis and a selection of egret and ducks) and then drove through Klamath Falls (white pelicans, ducks and grebe) to Redding, California. While in Redding, I spent a little time strolling through the flowers in the Sundial Bridge gardens before having breakfast in DejaVu which is situated in one of the oldest buildings in town - the Lorenz Hotel down by the railroad tracks. I am one of those that believe that the super modern Sundial Bridge is impressive, but located in the wrong city. I understand that it is not any of my business, but instead of using the money that way, I wish that more effort had been made to preserve the remaining historic elements of this interesting community. (Redding was in the running to be the capital of the State of Jefferson.) After spending the morning in Redding, I drove on home for dinner. Even for me, this trip entailed a lot of driving and it was very good to unpack my bag and sleep in my own bed again.
