Lake McDonald - Glacier National Park

This past Sunday was an awesome day. Too beautiful not to just get in the car and go. Where we live it doesn't matter in what direction you go, you will be smacked in the face with incredible beauty.

Kinsey has a particular fondness for McDonald Lake in Glacier National Park. It was very beautiful at the lake. Maybe the snowy peaks could have been a little less shrouded in clouds but it was awesome just the same. There were lots of people with the same idea.

McDonald Lake-Glacier NP 02-21-16

Glacier National Park 02-21-16

We always marvel at our great good fortune to live where we can witness such incredible beauty at the drop of a hat.

After the park we went to some snowy woods near Hungry Horse and took a wonderful walk. I took a bit of a run.

Kinsey has been pretty focused on her painting project (see Following My Art) but I'm starting to detect a little spring fever in the air. That's gonna mean more exploring and getting out to do stuff. YAY for me!!!!!

©Kinsey Barnard
The Liberated Photographer

Hungry Horse Reservoir

This weekend we decided to take a drive over to Hungry Horse to check out the fall colors. There is the town of Hungry Horse, Hungry Horse Dam and Hungry Horse Reservoir. Hungry Horse is a local favorite for hiking, fishing and camping. Hungry Horse is about fifteen miles from Glacier National Park. If you're visiting from out of state you should check it out, especially if you are here in the Fall. Glacier is beautiful but there are so many other beautiful places with less traffic and Hungry Horse is one of them.

On the way over we crossed the Flathead River and it was looking mighty pretty all dressed up for Fall. If you look closely there is even an intrepid fisherman on the river.

Flathead River

As pretty much everyone knows the West has been plagued by drought conditions and northwestern Montana is no exception. All I can say is I'm mighty glad we are up river. In any event the reservoir was pretty low. Below is a photo taken this weekend and one taken at full pool.

Hungry Horse October 10, 2015

Hungry Horse at full pool. Tiny speck in the middle is the same little island in the photo above.

We traveled down the west side of the reservoir and only went as far as Doris Creek, which isn't very far at all. If you have the time and an adventurous spirit you can drive around the whole reservoir. It'll be over a hundred miles. It's 58 miles to Spotted Bear which is a the far south end of the lake.

We were only out for a walk in the woods in the autumn and had gotten a bit of a late start. So we hiked up 895A which goes along Doris Creek. Along the way we came across a young family cutting firewood. There was something very lovely about the scene. A family together out in the forest, in the beauty of a Fall afternoon, providing for themselves a warm and toasty winter. Also, warming is that the heat will cost them $5.00 for all the wood they can cut.

There's not a lot more to tell other than we had a really wonderful, colorful afternoon. I'll let Kinsey's photos do the rest of the talking. The point of this exercise was finding color and that we surely did.

Cottonwoods in full Fall color

A walk in the woods at Hungry Horse

Aspen in Fall color

Me stuck in the car whilst Kinsey fools around

Sometimes it's hard to believe we live in such a beautiful part of the world. We are grateful we walk in this world with our eyes open. It's truly a gift. Soon the snow will fly and all this amazing color will only exist in photos and memories. But, the gods willing, we will be able to experience it again next year.

And, would you believe this is the sunset we were treated to at the end of the day? If you are color junkies like we are it just doesn't get any better than this! Oh, how we love Montana!

Sunset over the Flathead Valley

Ciao for now!
Molly Montana

©Kinsey Barnard

Exploring the Blackfeet Nation

Wowie. Zowie. It rained cats and dogs last night. Started about midnight and kept up until around 6:00am. On Clementine’s roof it sounded like popcorn popping all night. I mean it was seriously hard to sleep.

A little peace and quiet would be nice. I need my beauty rest.

Despite the weather we ventured over to the entrance to Glacier Park. The news was not good. The road was closed right at the visitor center. Usually, by this time of year you can get a little furtherThwarted at the park we took a walk around some of the roads before the main entrance. Even there they didn't want the likes of me on the trail. But, old Kinsey she can find something that intrigues her no matter what the limitations and barriers. The woman has an imagination. I think this must be why she is so happy all the time. She sees beauty in everything around her. Here's what she saw just walking along a path. She calls it "PONG". What the heck is a pong?

Marvelous Molly Montana on the shores of St. Mary Lake

We ran out of roads to walk so we headed up to Many Glacier. Many Glacier is only eight miles north of St. Mary so it’s a short hop. Not surprisingly, it was cloudy up there too. It wasn’t just cloudy. The clouds were so low they chopped off the mountain peaks halfway to the the bottom. It’s a pretty drive into Many Glacier but I’m a dog what do I care about pretty drives? Many Glacier is a good spot to view wildlife but all we saw were a few big horn ewes resting on a hillside.They camouflage themselves pretty good in the rocks don't they? I growled at them which did not win me any prizes with Kinsey.

 

Big Horn Ewes at Many Glacier

By noon we were back at Clementine, fixing lunch and hoping the weather would lift for an afternoon outing.

Things did get better so we went out again around 3:30 pm. This time to see if we could find some horses on the Blackfeet Reservation. She loves horses and likes to photograph them when she can, especially the painted horses. We went to a place where she has had good luck in the past but we weren’t as lucky this time. I wanted to get out and chase them around. You can guess what luck I had with that.

Mare and Foal cavorting on the Blackfeet Reservation

Around six the weather started closing in again so we called it a day.

Kinsey puts photos she just wants to have for memories in a personal gallery. It will get more photos as she gets on with her editing work. You can have a look at Blackfeet Reservation. 

Also, be sure and check out Kinseys new blog The Liberated Photographer.

Ciao for now,
MOLLY MONTANA 

©Kinsey Barnard

Motorhome Shake Down Cruise to Glacier NP

Today's offering is kind of a photo essay.

It's that time of year when we take Clementine, that's our motorhome, out of mothballs. In the Fall she has to get winterized so as not to freeze her parts. She then patiently waits for spring so she can get back on the road.

Yesterday we drove to #Glacier NP to test out some of the equipment. Kinsey decided not to de-winterize the water lines as we are still below freezing overnight and there's no reason to rush. We aren't going anywhere for a few more weeks.

As usual, the first thing Kinsey thinks about when she travels is her stomach so our first stop was at Super 1 in Columbia Falls.

This would be me waiting patiently for you know who

This stop gave us an opportunity to turn on the propane and see if the refrigerator would fire up, which it did not. Kinsey tried a half dozen times but the thing wouldn't ignite. She went out and tapped on the pipes but still nada. She finally said "Oh, the heck with it. Maybe jostling around on the road for awhile will break something free." Away we went.

The day was bright and sunny but still not a lot of people out and about. Kinsey took this photo whilst driving down the road. Smokies she's gonna kill me. Dang I wish I could do it. I might live longer.

The road less traveled but not for long

We pulled into #Lake McDonald which is the first magnificent sight one is likely to see upon entering the park. Once parked Kinsey tried the refrigerator again and voila it fired right up as did the burners on the propane stove. Excellent!

Lake McDonald April 19, 2014 Glacier NP

My awesomely beautiful self at McDonald Lake Glacier NP

National Parks in America don't let dogs on the trails so there wasn't much we could do but walk down the road which wasn't really a problem because there wasn't much traffic. Because of the dog limitations Kinsey gets very few photographs inside the park. She says the park is photographed to death anyway and there is no shortage of wondrous beauty outside the park. I am very grateful for her attitude. It means I don't get left behind.

There were a few stout souls out camping for the weekend even if their campsites where ringed with piled up snow. We stopped in at the amphitheater. The stage was still covered in snow but who needs anyone on the stage when you can sit and look at that backdrop? Awesome!

Glacier Park Amphitheater

 When we got back to Clementine Kinsey tried firing up the on-board generator. It took a little grinding but she fired up and ran smooth as silk.

On the way up and on the way back we were amazed at the amount of water in the Flathead River. The river is already running bank to bank and we haven't even really started the melt in earnest yet. The rafters and kayakers must be in heaven but we could be in for some real flooding trouble if the melt comes on too quick. Once again Kinsey did her one handed, driving down the road picture taking trick. I don't know how she does that. But, I'm not sure I like it.

Flathead River running bank to bank

So, Clementine is partially cleared for going on the road. We still need to drain the pipes of anti-freeze before we can check the water pump and the water heater.  So, far we are looking good! I'm really excited. I've never been on a road trip before. God bless my old mom. She really likes to get out and do stuff! I am becoming more grateful all the time that she is the one who chose me.

Be sure and check out Kinsey's blog The Liberated Photographer

©Kinsey Barnard

On The Road Again - McDonald Lake - Glacier Park

Tuesday September 20, 2011

Winter lasted so long and delayed so many projects here at the ranch I thought I might not get even a single trip in this year but I was determined. My last project, some fencing, was completed yesterday afternoon. This morning I threw a bunch of stuff in Clementine, loaded up Koty and headed down the road to the Flathead. For those who may not know, Clementine is my Winnebago View.

My first order of business was a quick swing by Glacier National Park. I hadn't been in the park all year and needed to buy a pass. Wonder of wonders I finally qualified for my Senior Pass which allows one to visit any national park in the country, for the rest of your life for a one time charge of $10.00. I don't usually feel as though I get much for my tax dollars but this is something I really appreciate and will appreciate for as long as I can still travel.


Going to the Sun Road was closed due to an avalanche. I don't think it even opened until July so not many got to experience that Glacier delight this year. I wondered around Apgar and took a few shots of McDonald Lake. It was particularly beautiful with the mountains in a shroud of fog. As usual, Mother made me cry.

McDonald Lake - Glacier National Park

McDonald Lake - Glacier National Park

Spent the night at Whitefish RV Park in order to check out all Clems systems. There were a couple of problems. The most annoying was no water from the kitchen faucet. I decided I had better head for Spokane where I bot Clem and where I take her for repair work. Normally, I make a trip to Whitefish just to de-winterize and make sure nothing has gotten messed up during the winter. This year I never got the chance.

We like the Whitefish RV park because it is close enough to walk to downtown Whitefish and the nice little Whitefish park on the Whitefish River.  It is small but has all the amenities.

On A Clear Day .....


©Kinsey Barnard

Running Eagle Falls-Glacier National Park

On the way to Two Medicine, in Glacier National Park, visitors have the opportunity to stop and visit Running Eagle Falls on Two Medicine River. It is a very beautiful waterfall.

The waterfall was named for a great Blackfoot warrior woman and her name was Running Eagle. She was born in the early 1700's in the heartland of the Amskapi-Pikuni. Running Eagle was a real person not a legend or a myth.

Running Eagle's life is an illustrious saga of leadership and daring deeds. She is the only young woman of the Pikuni people to have gone on a vision quest. It was to these falls that she came on her quest and it was at this most sacred place that she had her vision to become the leader and warrior she became.

Running Eagle Falls

Running Eagle became a true woman warrior. She was a great horsewoman, fast runner and an excellent hunter. She was also kind, thoughtful and generous, traits much admired by her people. Her exploits as a warrior, leading war parties and counting coups were recounted in lodges throughout the land.

Running Eagle Falls

Near her thirtieth year Running Eagle was struck down and killed by the Flathead whilst on a raid across the Continental Divide. In a most fitting honor her warriors brought her home and laid her to rest in a tree overlooking these falls.

All I can say is awesome falls, gorgeous spot and beautiful story. I was fortunate to be there when I had the place all to myself, a real gift. I believed I could feel Running Eagle's spirit in the powerful falls and the clear gentle waters that flowed below.

Millions of photographs have been taken of these falls but my most favorite was not of the falls but of Two Medicine River where the falls are located. If you would care to see it go to RUNNING EAGLE MEDICINE

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Chief Mountain-Blackfeet Country

On the very northeast corner of Glacier National Park you will find Chief Mountain rising up to meet the sky. At just over 9,000 ft. it isn’t a particularly high mountain but it is certainly a majestic one.

Chief Mountain June 2010

Chief Mountain has been a sacred mountain to Native American tribes, particularly the Blackfeet, for hundreds of years. The Blackfoot name for the mountain is Ninastiko. The mountain was first seen by white explorers in the late 1700s and was known as "Kings Peak" on maps produced in the United Kingdom in 1795. Merriwether Lewis, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, saw the mountain in 1805 and called it "Tower Mountain". The name was changed in the late 1800s to reflect the Blackfeet naming of the mountain, which was "Great Chief".

Chief Mountain June 2010

The mountain has long been a place where young Native Americans have gone for their vision quest.  A vision quest is a ritual in which an individual travels to an isolated area for the purpose of entering a trance, during which a life path or destiny is revealed. It is quite literally a quest for a vision.

Blackfeet Reservation June 2010

The image above is of the Northern entrance to the Blackfeet Reservation near the Canadian border. You can see Chief Mountain off in the distance.

There is a loop that one can drive, starting from St. Mary, that takes you up to the Piegan border crossing into Alberta and Cardston and then west to Waterton International Peace Park from there back south through the Chief Mountain border crossing. All along this route there is hardly a time when you are out of sight of Chief Mountain and it was interesting to me to watch it change shape as I followed the loop.

Chief Mountain

If you ever find yourself in this part of the world I highly recommend you take this little junket it's quite beautiful.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Glacier National Park-June 1, 2010 Journal Entry

Last night it rained cats and dogs. We haven’t had anything but drizzles for days. When I looked at the MDOT it showed snow at Babb. I had to laugh, it seemed I was going to the only place in America where it was snowing. Clementine was packed and I was committed. It’s a real pain to pack your RV in the rain and an even bigger pain to hitch up the tow car but we got her done and away we went.

Clementine & Shadow

It rained all the way to Kalispell but the sun was out and it was 59 degrees in Columbia Falls, where we stopped for provisions. Provisions acquired we headed east toward Browning. The Flathead River was running bank to bank and the Middle Fork of the Flathead, which you follow through the pass, was as well. We stopped and had a picnic right along the Middle Fork.  All the way along the rivers and creeks were rushing. As a lover of water it was beautiful to see. When we left to continue our journey the clouds gathered and it poured again. One thing about the Rockies you don’t have to wait long for the weather to change. Once, near Durango, Colorado I experienced a temperature drop of thirty-five degrees in three minutes. That made a believer out of me!

Middle Fork

I have never approached St. Mary from the south. Usually I do the loop, taking Going to the Sun Road from West Glacier. I looked at the map and saw that one could take 49 at East Glacier and connect with 89 to St. Mary. That way you wouldn’t have to go all the way into Browning.

When I got the junction at Two Medicine I just barely caught a sign that said maximum length 21 ft. Clementine with Shadow is about 38 feet. By the time it registered I was committed. There’s no backing up with a tow car and there was no place to turn around. I thought surely there would be a last ditch turnaround for those such as myself who, lacking a talking co-pilot, missed the message. Koty just sat there and let me do it. He was probably giggling on the inside. I thought I saw a hint of a smile.

Well, that was a harrowing 12 miles of road. I was scared spitless that I was going to encounter a hairpin turn at any moment and be wedged in the road. Well, it was a narrow winding road but there were no impassable hairpins, we arrived at the 89 Junction in one piece. As we turned on to 89, headed north, I looked back to see what the sign said on this end, 47 feet!

From the junction it’s just another 15 miles to St. Mary but the road is narrow and winding so it took another 45 minutes to get there but, no problems and the drive was gorgeous. All the spring snow on the Rockies made for a glorious backdrop.

Montana's Rockies June 2010

We are staying at Johnson’s RV Park. We sit up on a hill overlooking St. Mary Lake and Lower St. Mary Lake it is oh so very beautiful. God is in his heaven and all is well with the world.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

GLACIER NATIOANL PARK - POLEBRIDGE & MISC.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! My oldest and dearest friend and her husband came to call and we had a great time. If laughter is the best medicine (I believe it is) then I'll be in very good shape for quite some while.

GRIZ BIZ

I couldn't resist showing you this photo. The other day whilst I was out working in my forest I came upon this enormous old log that was just shredded. Bears tear up old logs and stumps mining for ants and grubs. The picture doesn't do justice to how impressively the bear ripped this log open. There is a grizzly working the area so I'm thinking that's whose handy work this was.

BABY ROBINS

Spring and summer are such grand times to experience new life and it is everywhere, even in my rain gutters!

WOOD LILY

And, of course, the wildflowers continue to do there thing. Each month new entries become visible. The daisies are particularly lovely this year, planting themselves in perfect places to make it look as though I had been gardening.

For a very long time I have wanted to go to Polebridge. Can't say why really except that I thought it might be interesting. You can access this remote little place either through Ten Lakes Scenic Area or the west entrance of Glacier Park. The Ten Lakes way is a little rugged so we went down to the west entrance. The road to Polebridge is dirt most of the way but it is a beautiful if dusty drive. The funny thing is the drive was over a hundred miles to Polebridge but as the crow flies it is probably less than forty from where I live.

POPPIES & POLEBRIDGE

Looking at a map all these years I had thought that Polebridge and the two lakes up there, Kintla and Bowman, were outside the park which made them great candidates for exploration. The bad news was that whilst Polebridge is outside the park the lakes are not. There is a park entrance right at Polebridge.

KINTLA LAKE AT THE KINTLA CREEK OUTLET

We headed for Kintla Lake first as it was the furthest, some fifteen miles that takes well over an hour to negotiate. I had it so firmly entrenched in my mind that this lake was outside the park that when we got there I proceeded to strap on my .357 and get Koty ready to hike. Both of these things are highly illegal in the National Parks. It wasn't until I reached the trailhead and was brought up short by the info sign that I realized the error of my ways. My little sister Mona was with us on this trip and she thought I had taken leave of my senses.

KINTLA LAKE

So much for exploring Kintla or Bowman. By the time we got back down the road to the Bowman turnoff we decided to skip Bowman in favor of our stomachs. There is basically nothing in Polebridge except the Polebridge Mercantile. But, that's all we needed as the mercantile is also a bakery!

MONA & FRIEND LUNCHING AT THE POLEBRIDGE MERCANTILE

We both had a warm pork sandwich that was so, so. But, we also bought some pastries that were to die for. The one I chose had peanuts and hucklberries, two of my all time favorites. When I first moved to Montana I kept hearing people talk about huckleberries like they were manna from heaven. I thought "Yeah, yeah, huckleberries big deal." That was until I tasted them. They really are manna from heaven. Even Koty will eat them.

After lunch we headed north to the border crossing which is closed as you can see from the photo. It's about another 15-17 miles from Polebridge. This crossing is closed to entry but it is well patrolled and several new corrals suggest there is going to be mounted border patrolling this season. Over the years that I have lived here I have seen the guarding of the Canadian Border become stronger and stronger.

BORDER CROSSING

The section of road between Polebridge and the border is where I should have been. It's all National Forest and open to exploring with your best friend. I'll come back and do that one day.

It's been a great couple of weeks, as usual. We hope you've been enjoying your summer too!

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Many Glacier Will Have to Wait

Well, howdy. Did I get a big disappointment this week. Mom packed up Clementine, hooked up Shadow and I thought we were headed for Many Glacier. The plan was to go to Kalispell, get Clementine some routine maintenance and then head on over to St. Mary's.

The work on Clem was scheduled to take about four hours so we took off for the Great Northern Historical Trail.


The "trail" is a tarmac walkway but very nice and lots of things to see. It heads west from Kalispell and takes you into a very pretty rural area.


There is an amazing array of birds to be found on this walk. We saw beautiful meadow larks, blue birds and mountain swallows. Pictured above a mountain swallow sitting on a post. View full version.



We also spied this little robin who had built her nest on an old trestle beam. View full version.



Then there were these painted turtles doing, well, what ever they were doing. There really were a lot of critters to see on this, really, not very primitive trail. View full version.


Before log we started to see nasty looking clouds forming and a few people we met started talking about winter weather over on the east side. Mom called the park and sure enough they were expecting snow. Well, that was the end of our trip. Mom wasn't about to drive all that way to sit in Clem for a week. We high-tailed it home in the rain. Mom could be heard grumbling for two days as she hauled everything back out of Clem. Full version.


So, we've been amusing ourselves around here and took another walk along the Tobacco River where we came across this old car which looks like it has seen better days but mom thought it was kind of photogenic. Okay, so mom's a little daffy. :) Full version.


Mom was very delighted when we came across this blue-winged teal pair. Full version.

Anyway, I guess it's never a good idea to get too married to plans cuz they sure have a way of changing. Darn! But, mom says we will give it a go again when the weather improves. So, I wait impatiently.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography