Mile 3298, Wenatchee, Washington. The wonderful surprise of the trip so far. We went to visit the Grand Coulee Dam, because P.J. had a historic postcard in the area from her great aunt. What we found is not only the dam, but spectacular scenery and fascinating geological stories in the Grand Coulee itself, too much to relate in a brief entry. When we have time, we will add more info.
The Grand Coulee Dam, WashingtonLuna Power! (my cat is named Luna)The Grand Coulee, WashingtonRed Prius in the Grand Coulee
Mile 2858 – Kalispell, Montana (local miles only). We did a four-plus hour hike near Lake MacDonald today.
Glacier National Park Sign at West GlacierMcDonald Lake at Glacier National ParkMcDonald Lodge at Glacier National ParkTrail Horses near McDonald LodgeArjan Hiking to Fish LakeHiking Trail to Fish LakeFish Lake
Mile 2764 – Kalispell, Montana. Drove across “Going to the Sun Road”. Absolutely gorgeous day, lots of pictures. Look for them later, when we have more time to edit the blog.
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“Mommy, why do they call it Glacier National Park?”
“My child, a long time ago, when your grandfather was still alive, before 2020, the park had glaciers.”
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According to current projections all the glaciers in the park will be gone by 2020 or 2030. The ones that are left today look worn out and dirty. There were major forest fires in 1998, 2003 and 2006. When we were last there, in 1989, we saw no evidence of fires. Now there’s burnt out forest everywhere. It is still a magnificent park, one of my two or three favorites.
Mile 2473 – Havre, Montana. A town polluted by gambling but better than Williston, North Dakota, a town polluted by oil drilling. On to to Glacier National Park tomorrow.
~ Posted by Arjan
The striking thing about today’s travel was the subtle transition from the continuous farmland of North Dakota to the western vistas of Montana. Both states have big skies and distant horizons, but the rich fields and standing ponds of North Dakota slowly morphed into the dry grasslands and gulches of central Montana. There was no neat dividing line like there is on the map.
The driving on Route 2 is very easy. We covered 580 miles in 11 hours, with only one brief side trip to the Fort Peck Dam near Glasgow, Montana.
Mile 1890 – Devils Lake, North Dakota. Under 400 miles today to slow down for perfect weather and Minnesota. We swam in Andrusia Lake, near Bemidji, and followed that with a leisurely lunch on a terrace on Lake Bemidji. We crossed the Mississippi four times (we were near the headwaters where it is a small meandering stream).
Tonight, in North Dakota, we broke down and ate prime rib and filet mignon. It was very good. When in Rome…. Last night we tried to eat what we’re used to, and it was not good.
Tomorrow will be a longer day. We booked in Havre, North Central Montana. Finding a place to sleep on August weekends can be difficult. By the time we get somewhere, there is typically no vacancy. We stay ahead of the game by booking a day in advance over the Internet.
Mile 1534 – Cloquet, Minnesota, just west of Duluth. Traveled the south coast of Lake Superior, into a cold front which cleared out the humidity and knocked the temperature down to my comfort level (between +80 and -80 F). Empty roads. Put my feet into Lake Superior and visited the village of Bayfield, Wisconsin, which reminded us of a coastal village on the Atlantic.
~ Posted by Arjan
Today we followed Lake Superior along the Upper Pennisula of Michigan and the north coast of Wisconsin under constantly changing cloudscapes. In Michigan, we started off under cloudy skies, but a few miles beyond Munising, the sun burst forth and we walked barefoot through fine, orange sand down to the beach. In Wisconsin, a scenic detour brought us to Bayfield, a town that reminded us of New England, and the late afternoon sun turned an ordinary wayside stop near the Iron River into an art gallery.
In between peeks at the Great Lake, we followed some of the straightest roads I have ever seen— miles and miles of the road opening before us and disappearing behind us in monotonous lines.
~ Posted by P.J.
Lake Superior Pier at Bayfield, WisconsinYachts at Bayfield, Wisconsin, on Lake SuperiorLake Superior in the Afternoon Sun
Mile 1111 – Newberry, Michigan, in Michigan’s upper peninsula. Via Port Huron and the magnificent bridge across the Mackinac Strait between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes provide natural air conditioning. Approaching the Mackinac Strait, the temperature dropped from 88 to 73 F. Lots of wilderness here, few people. The inhabitants are called U.P.s (pronounced U-pees). The gastronomic offerings are limited so we tried one of the local specialties: “pasties” (nothing to do with strippers, although the shape would be appropriate). It is like a beef/veggie turnover. Not bad, but tomorrow I have to have something different.
Mile 684 – London. No, we’re not at the Olympics, but in Ontario, Canada. Long day. We started at 8:20 AM, stopped at 9 PM. On the way we went through Ithaca and Interlaken, NY, where P.J. went to visit her Great Aunt Esther’s gravesite, her inspiration for this trip.
Onwards to Niagara Falls, Canadian side. I was there 40 years ago. I was appalled at the crass commercialism that has developed since then. Big hotel skyscrapers, $20 minimum parking fee, even if you just want to stop for 10 minutes (although 1 mile away parking is $5 or free). So P.J. and I dropped each other off and hovered in the car while we took turns taking pictures. That was enough. The natural phenomena is still impressive. Too bad we managed to deface it.
