JJJ - Horseback Riding

July 31, 2008: Guess what we did today.....No, really, guess....Correct! We rode horses. There is always a lot to see. We took a ride into the high country as a family. A fair bit of trail breaking on the way down. The wrangler lost the trail in the open field up high. Quite frankly, it is impossible to get lost because the valley is so narrow and the sides so high. The trail was visible below us and we just wove our way down. The horse is in "self-preservation" mode on any rocky or hilly terrain so you just hold on and there is no worry about getting where you are going. There were several small children (including our own) on the trip without incident. It was a great ride and a welcome change from some of the 'nose to tail' riding we did before.

When we returned, dug into one of the beers I brought - it is BYOB at the ranch. Don't forget that! There are no stores nearby.

The rockies appear to be waves on the ocean in some of our photos. Very peaceful here.

JJJ - High Country & Sing Along

July 30, 2008: More riding. While there is undeniable "pain in the a$$", by the third day, you have largely adapted. The Barkers trailered the horses to an area where we could ride into some high plains with views forever. If you were comfortable, they let you do some cantering & galloping in the open fields. We went to a high plateau at about 6,000 feet where we saw some sea shell fossils in the ground - fascinating. We were allowed some time to get off the horses and just relax and enjoy the views, but only for 15 or 20 minutes. You look around and want an hour or two, and a couple of beers.

On the way down, we stopped in a field of wildflowers for photos. In the evening, we were entertained by some of the wranglers without any shyness issues on their guitars and their singing. That was great. These were interspersed with stories from the family of the history of the ranch provided great entertainment and some stress-free downtime.

While you are there, forget about the cell phone and email. You are in a valley and it just does not work. They do have a wireless web connection, but it is for the ranch and they strongly discouraged us checking into work. At the end of the week, we were thankful for the separation and down time of a real vacation.

Travel from Glacier NP to JJJ Wilderness Ranch

July 27, 2008: We had breakfast at the Park Cafe - excellent food, but it is hard to justify hte wait. The pie is good any time of day. After breakfast, we drove the roughly 3 hours to Great Falls, MT where we were to meet up with the Triple J Wilderness Ranch folks. Along the way, we spied a lot of horses both on and off the road.

The anticipation of the horses kept the "are we there yet" to a minimum. Good for all!

The ranch is about a 2 hour drive from Great Falls. We were picked up by Max, who (with his wife Ann) first named the ranch in the mid-seventies. His son Ernie (and Ernie's wife Kim) run the ranch now. We did the one week vacation at the ranch in our own log cabin on the site. They also offer week-long back country trips that seem a long way from roughing it.

You can't help but be in awe of the wide open land, the views, the wildlife. What a way of life!

SWIFTCURRENT Lake & Lake JOSEPHINE

July 26, 2008: We hopped the small cruise boat behind the Many Glacier Hotel across Swift Current Lake followed by a short 1/4mile hike and another cruise across Lake Josephine . We then hiked roughly a mile to the lake formed below Grinnell Glacier. This is an easy family-friendly hike for our small children. There is time to wade in the greenish water formed at the base of the melting glaciers. It is a great day hike. Bring your own food, water, and bug spray. We were in front of the rest of the boat passengers (and therefore the noise that goes with them), but probably not a bad idea to carry bear spray.

Without the kids, I would definitely have hiked up to Grinnell Glacier. Looks like a fairly steep climb, but on a well worn trail. Worth the trip though.

MANY GLACIER Hotel

July 26, 2008: We rise for the sunrise over the hotel and Swiftcurrent Lake. After breakfast, we hike to Red Rock Falls. We are the only ones without bear spray - big mistake! Get your bear spray. While we did not run into any bears, we were a bit self conscious about it. About half-way through the hike, I looked behind our group. This coyote was following us down the trail. Later on, we spied this momma moose and her two babies taking a nap in the woods. Red Rock falls was an easy hike for the family. Flat and probably 3 - 4 miles round trip. Plenty of area to explore around the falls and a great picnic spot for lunch. The views are to die for - spectacular.

That evening, my wife went on a short car ride to the road entering the Many Glacier section of the park. Dusk tends to bring out the wildlife - grizzlies in particular. There were a couple only 100 - 200 yards off the road foraging in the field. Difficult time for photos of wildlife, but a grizzly siting nonetheless. There was one false charge at a guy who apparently has been living in a cave for the past 50 years and ignores all the warnings of "do not approach the bears", "stay in your car" and any other common sense, basic instinct of self-survival that your brain might trigger. On the other hand, the rest of the crowd might have gotten some GREAT photos to talk about had he sacrificed himself for our vacation photos....(kidding.....sort of).

I, on the other hand, sat on my balcony overlooking Swift Current Lake from the Many Glacier Hotel drinking a beer and watching the sun set. Not sure who made the best choice.

MANY GLACIER Hotel

July 25, 2008: We head to Many Glacier Hotel for our room overlooking Swiftcurrent Lake. It is one of the nicest areas of the park. A bit crowded with the hotel, but plenty of areas to explore without much difficulty. First, we hiked around Swiftcurrent lake - maybe 3 miles. Our weather is perfect, but we still had a fair amount of whining from the little ones - it kept the hike moving at a rather brisk pace.

After dinner, we rented a couple of the canoes on Swiftcurrent Lake behind the hotel while the sun set. Great way to relax for an hour. This is clearly intended for the "city boy" in all of us. The lake is simply not that big. To the end and back in about 20 or 30 minutes without really breaking a sweat.

HIDDEN LAKE OVERLOOK HIKE

July 25th, 2007: We had a great day today - absolutely a highlight of the trip. We took another trip up the GTTS road with sunshine. We stopped at Logan's Pass and hiked to Hidden Lake. Even in late July, most of the trail is snow covered (deep but packed snow) and slippery. It is amazing the number of morons in flip flops up here - dragging kids that don't want to go. And, don't get me started on the people that can't walk the length of the mall but think they are going to tackle this hike. It is moderately difficult for an average person. The wildlife is everywhere. The goats are the most likely to come within VERY close proximity to you, but always give them their space. The big horn sheep are also likely to come close, but their forboding looks are likely to keep you at bay. One strike of the horns and its over! The scenery on this hike is spectacular. Make sure you bring a camera!

The one we wished we did is the Highline trail, but the kids voted down the first 1/4 mile where you cross a small ledge just above the GTTS road. This short beginning narrow ledge is not as frightening as people might say, but the cable on the mountain side to hold on does seem to give you a bit of concern. I didn't see too many of the people who ride around Walmart on their shopping scooters on the trails.

GTTSR & south Glacier National Park

July 24th, 2008: In addition to the hikes, a short stop at the Wild Goose Island Overlook is allegedly "all but mandatory". Again, our day was a bit overcast and therefore, limited the visual effect, but it is a quiet, easily accessible location. But, the view across Lake MacDonald is at least as nice.

If your timing is correct, you need to stop at the Park Cafe about 100yards north of St. Mary's on the east side of the park. The homemade pies are incredible, but limited each day. It gets crowded so don't show up at 6pm and expect to be seated quickly. If you do wait, it is worth it.

South Glacier NP...Over the GTTS Road and then south of Glacier NP the likelihood of seeing wildlife is very high. The goats at the 'Goat Lick' on the southwest corner of the park are plentiful, but blend well with the rocks so you need to look carefully. Generally other people in the area have scoped out the animals and willingly point them out. If you want the up close and personal view, this isn't the place.

GOING TO THE SUN ROAD

If you are going to eat at any of the restaurants in Apgar Village - particularly the small one near the ranger station, get an EARLY start. They are small, served by foreign students, and can eat up a lot of time for a couple of eggs or pancakes. Sort of a Waffle House with a bad attitude. Not unlike a lot of the National Park outlets where the concessionaire knows they have a captured audience - good service or bad and they opt for the latter.

After the chaos, we headed up the Going to the Sun Road (GTTS). If you aren't at Logan's Pass by 10:30/11am, the parking gets sparse. We planned to do the hike to Hidden Lake from here, but it was actually in the 30s, fogged in, and snowing (in the final week of July). We took a pass! We will be back on another day when the weather is more cooperative - this is a great place to see mountain goats, big horn sheep, and more wildlife. We snooped around the park service building & moved on.

East of Logan's Pass are a number of pullouts on the GTTS road. Sunrift Gorge and Baring Falls are a couple of short easy hikes from pullouts that are easily done by families with small children - some good stretch time without the whining. Wild Goose Island Overlook is another pullout that supposedly is a "must see", but I could have kept going and not missed much. Your call.

We drove to St. Mary's and then south around the bottom of the park. We had lunch in East Glacier where the Amtrak Empire Builder arrives. (http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321887&ssid=135 ) This is the way to go if you have a couple extra days - it runs from Seattle to Chicago with stops on both the east and west side of Glacier National Park (rental cars available at the station).

As many great photos as you may see on the Going to the Sun Road, most are probably taken by hikers or bikers. There are very few places to turn out and get a great shot if you are driving.

WHITEWATER RAFTING GLACIER NP

24 July 2008: West Glacier National Park: We flew in to Kalispell, MT shortly before noon. We arranged for a 1/2 day raft trip down the North Fork of the Flathead River with the Wild River Adventures Raft Company ( http://www.riverwild.com/) near the west entrance of the park. These guys did a great job - mostly class 2 and 3 on this short trip, but it was the kids first whitewater experience so we were gentle. The water is freezing since it was snow/ice a few miles up the river earlier that day. This was a great way to get the plane trip off our mind and get in the mood for 12 days of R&R.

The 21 year old guide played the stud role well, but he did know the river and give us options to avoid some of the more serious swells (for instance a Class IV rapids). We did avoid the worst of the river due to the small kids. In all, you just get going when the trip is over, so make time for a longer trip - especially in this area with such incredible scenery.

In late July 2008 we left for a few days in western Montana. Glacier National Park (http://www.nps.gov/glac/) for the first four days and then to a Montana Dude Ranch - The Triple J Wilderness Ranch (http://www.jjjranch.com/). This is one of many excellent dude ranches in Montana - find others at (http://www.montanadra.com/).

My wife and girls are veteran riders. My son and I took a couple of lessons at a local horse farm and decided that we are ready for a week in the saddle. I feel the stories of the a$$ pains from long days in the saddle are overblown and for other people.