John said that I must have many “frustrated readers” out there, so I better write an entry to tell you where we have been. Becky said people will think we are lost!  Last entry said that we were heading to Glacier—Waterton Glacier International Peace Park– and we did! On the Sept.26^th we stayed outside the park at Hungry Horse Reservoir. This was the night of the full moon and we saw it rise above the mountains—we were awestruck——but we didn’t have our camera with us, so, sorry, you don’t get to see it!  John commented on how many incredible sights we have seen—we are so blessed!

The next day we went in to Glacier Park. One of the most beautiful parts is a road called “ Going to the Sun Road”. We were lucky that it is now closed to car traffic (due to construction) but we were able to bike along it for 5 miles in and back. It runs through the mountains beside a beautiful river. The mountains have snow-covered peaks and golden Aspen trees mixed in with the pines. Glacier in the fall—how wonderful! And it was sunny and warm! We later hiked (John ran) on the Avalanche Lake trail– and saw many fabulous Cedar trees.

 

We stayed at a campground in the park—almost everything is closed because it’s the end of season—even the mailbox was taped up! This means no showers—so we used the shower in the van for the first time and we both agreed it worked well.

From there, we headed further north to Many Glaciers Lake. On the way in we saw a “wildlife jam”—which means many cars who have stopped to see wildlife. Of course,we stopped, too! And I saw my first grizzly—a mama bear and her two cubs were heading down the hillside. She disappeared into the trees and then a few minutes later she popped her head out near the roadside—the tourists spooked her though, and she returned to the trees and we didn’t see her again—once again, no pictures–sorry, it happened so fast!

***Happy Retirement Day to Doug!!!***

We stayed in the park that night –We had a nice hike around one of the lakes. It started to rain and was getting colder—so we drained the fresh water and put anti-freeze in the drains. Good thing, because we woke up to snow! The mountains were covered and we had a dusting on the ground—enough to make my first snowball!

We hiked again around this lake and then headed to the Canadian side of the Park.

 

 Oh, Canada! We stayed in the park in Waterton Townsite.

We drove past an old movie house and the marquee said “Wildlife Film Festival” and 8p.m. Sounded great—Saturday night at the movies! We went and were glad that we did—the theater was very old –the seats were all on the same level—makes you appreciate the Squirrel Hill and Manor theaters! They had wooden floors and they used to fold up the seats so that it could also be used as a roller skating rink!

The movie was “On the Edge of Eden”, a documentary about a Waterton native, Charlie Russell, who lived in Russia and raised orphaned grizzly bear cubs for seven years. Charlie was there and introduced the film and answered questions afterwards—and I bought his book–”Grizzly Heart”. The movie was funny/sad and Charlie is such a great storyteller—we were glad to happen upon the “festival”–we learned a lot about  the misunderstood grizzly. 

That night the wind started—gusts of 40mph or more–”gale force winds” John says, sarcastically.

Anyway, I couldn’t stand being whipped around anymore and we headed to a motel the next day. The wind and rain continued all day. I took shelter in the bar where they promised to show the Steeler game, but they didn’t until the Colts game was over and I saw the last sad minute and a half. I guess Ken W. got his revenge!

I did have a local beer, though, “Grasshopper” with 7 percent alcohol—very good and I only needed one!

Due to the poor weather forecasts in Canada (we had planned to go to Banff and Jasper), we headed south again.

Leaving Canada, we saw what they do with their wind

wind farms on the plains!

 

After stopping at the duty-free shop and filling up on maple syrup, we crossed the border.

We stopped in Sandpoint, Idaho and stayed at a motel. I got a much needed haircut and we shopped for food and then headed to Washington.

 

We stayed in Pothole Lake State Park—It was finally sunny again and warmer. Nice hiking around the lakes—they look like potholes, probably caused by glaciers. For a Pittsburgher, it seemed like an odd name to me!

Later that day we drove through the Cascade Mountains—it’s the only way to get to western Washington. We had three seasons in one day—rain, snow, and finally, sunshine!

On the other side of the mountains we headed for the ferry to Whidbey Island to stay with a friend of John’s—John L. He has a lovely house in the forest. On Thursday, he took us on a tour of the Whidbey Island Institute and of his land and the seashore. John L. has a great knowledge of trees and he shared his plans to manage the trees on his land.

 

Whidbey is spectacular—and just a short ferry ride from Seattle.

 

We had dinner in Langley—John’s little town—Pizza and Fat Tire Beer—the beer that bicyclists drink!

The next day, John L. sent us off with a sampling of local beer.  How sweet! We plan to sample it soon, but we are also sampling local wines—the prices are great and you can buy it everywhere! For Pennsylvanians, this is so cool!

Headed north on Whidbey Island to Desolation Pass State Park—another name I wouldn’t choose!

Lovely sunset looking out at the San Juan Islands and Olympic Mountains

John L. says that the locals say “on a clear day we could see…” but the clear days are few and far between!

On Saturday we  headed to Seattle and dinner with Betsy G.

(I wonder if they have any good coffee there?)

Steelers vs. Seahawks—21-0–yeah!

We had a great visit with Betsy who went to High School with John and was along for caving in West Va. and climbing adventures at Seneca Rocks–she was the only girl along and it was great to hear her stories. She sent us off with a fabulous breakfast and said we should definitely see the Asian Art Museum in Seattle—fabulous! And, the Sculpture Garden on the Seattle Waterfront:

 

(John says that Pittsburgh should have an ‘n@ sign)

Betsy also said that her mom, Peggy,  would love to see John again–so we called her and visited on Sunday evening—and are we glad we did! Peggy is an inspiration–driving, volunteering, yoga class—you name it. She says that we all have to find balance and she is a living example. Thanks, Peggy, for the wonderful visit (and breakfast)!

So we left Peggy in Seattle to visit–sister Peggy in Vancouver, WA.  We are enjoying  Peg’s hospitality and 2 sweet cats–Mimi and Gus. We are planning a hike with niece, Debbie, tomorrow. Will send pictures at a later time–I’ll try not to keep you waiting so long!

 Carol requested that other readers post comments, too! We love your feedback!

 

I forgot to include this recipe from Jody ( of Idaho Falls fame ):

 

Garden Fresh Combo

 

4 tbls. Butter or oil

2 cups sliced zucchini

2 cups sliced summer squash

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium onion, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp thyme leaves

2 medium tomatoes, quartered

¼ c. Parmesan cheese

 

In large skillet, combine all ingredients, except cheese and tomatoes. Cover loosely and cook until tender (about 10 minutes)Add tomatoes and cheese—cook until heated through.

 

Yummy! Jody and I doubled the recipe and she sent us off with leftovers and ingredients to make another batch—thanks, Jody! It mentions that you can substitute corn or shredded cabbage—and I’ll bet Lyn adds some garlic!!!