Glacier/Waterton 2004:
Day 2


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Glacier/Waterton 2004: [Day 1] [Day 2] [Day 3] [Day 4] [Day 5]

Thursday, August 12, 2004: We left Rising Sun and the St. Mary Lake area and headed north, then back into Glacier Park again to the Many Glacier area. The park's boundaries are clearly marked by signs and cattle grates. While we hoped to see wildlife closeup, the closest we got were to these cows roaming free outside of the park limits.

The road to Many Glacier passes beautiful Lake Sherburne.
In the early morning, the shadows on the mountains enhance the texture of the rocks. Later in the day, this mountain looked almost flat in front once the long shadows were gone.
There were wildflowers everywhere, and this photo doesn't capture their beauty, unfortunately.
During our stop to see the wildflowers, Tom appreciated the morning scenery.
We passed Many Glacier Lodge on our way to the Rising Sun Motel where we met up with Debbie's stepmother, sister-in-law, and nephew. This photo was carefully framed to hide the construction being done on the lodge's face.
Back at Many Glacier Lodge, we got a glimpse of the view that we might have had if the lodge hadn't been completely booked months before we made our final lodging plans.
The interior of the lodge is rustic and charming.
The boat to the Grinnell Lake hike was fully booked, so we decided to do a portion of the hike anyway. On our way to the trailhead less than a mile away, we saw several bears on the hillside above the road. Although they were brown, we're fairly certain that they were black bears instead of grizzly bears, which tend to be found higher in the mountains.
Shortly after the start of our hike, we stopped for a photo. Left to right: Susan, Becky, Tom, Jill, Stewart.
As the trail left the end of Swiftcurrent Lake, we took a look back at Many Glacier Lodge at the other end.
A short distance brought us to Lake Josephine. Had we caught the boat, it would have taken us down Swiftcurrent Lake, then another boat would have taken us down Lake Josephine.
We didn't mind not getting on the boat. We stopped often, had many snacks, skipped a zillion rocks, and took a lot of photos. This was taken by a nice man who happened by.
Orchard Software's mascot Orchy enjoys a hike in the mountains, too.
Another break, another rocky beach, and another lake means that there is rock-skipping to be done.
Stewart and Jill were especially impressed by Tom's rock-skipping skills.
When we reached the two-mile point where the trail heads off to Grinnell Lake and Grinnell Glacier, we decided that we had proven how macho we were and that it was time to go back.
These lovely asters were all over the park.
Orchy took one final break before we headed back to the car.
Before leaving Many Glacier, we stopped to see these falls just beyond the lodge area.
Next, we headed back out of Glacier Park and went north to Alberta, Canada, where the Waterton Lakes portion of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is located.
Waterton Lakes Park is incredibly beautiful. The main part of the park is situated around Waterton Lake and the small town of Waterton.
As we approached Waterton, the majestic Prince of Wales Hotel was visible on a hill in the distance.
We checked into our fourth floor room in the hotel and were immediately greeted by Debbie's dad (in the room next door) and brother (in the room next to that). An aunt and uncle had already arrived, and another aunt and uncle were just unloading in the parking lot. Our balconies were the perfect spot for watching the arrivals and departures of the various relatives.
Since we had a corner room with great ventilation and the most space, it turned into the party room. Aunt Mary produced a huge spread of food out of nowhere, and cold beverages also magically appeared.
Laura and Mike dutifully posed for the camera once cousin Debbie started snapping photos.
And some, not so dutifully. Pizza and more beverages were procured and the party raged on.
Stewart tried to pick up his cousin Jill ...
... and failed, when he convulsed with giggles.
As the sun set over Waterton Lake, we went to the wide hillside in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel to enjoy the beautiful view of Waterton Lake. The southern end of the lake, visible in the distance, is located on the American side of the peace park.
We got a group shot of everyone, courtesy of a bench and the camera's timer.

The International returned from her last boat cruise of the day to the Waterton dock. We went back upstairs for a few more libations, then headed back out after dark to watch a few Perseid meteor shower stragglers.

Day 3 >


Glacier/Waterton 2004: [Day 1] [Day 2] [Day 3] [Day 4] [Day 5]

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