I am off to Las Vegas to meet up with the Cooksister!

I will report back on Las Vegas soon.

I am extremely behind in blogging. Due to that ... Katrina.

It is possible to visit Cape Cod, and Provincetown, visit the tourist landmarks, eat tasty food, and dip in the ocean in a single day. What it requires is the willingness to do a bit of driving and luck. By luck I mean with the traffic. The idea is not to be caught up in it.

Kevin and I decided rashly and impulsively that we would try a day trip to Cape Cod from our base in Concord on our recent trip to MA to visit Kevin's family. The locals thought we were crazy.

We tried to wake up and leave at the crack of dawn. But there is something about being at sea level that just makes me want to sleep and sleep. So we left at 10:30 am and drove from Concord to Cape Cod. We left behind rain clouds and decided to see how far we could go before the traffic jams would turn us back. We were very lucky. All the traffic was going in the other direction.

Our plan for Cape Cod? Drive as far as Provincetown. Perhaps grab a meal in Provincetown, and do some people watching and then slowly retrace our steps visiting some sites along the way. We obviously didn't get to see everything. The theme of our day trip turned out to be lighthouses.

In Provincetown we found day parking, left our car and explored. We ate fish 'n chips at Mojo's and had pastries at the Portuguese Bakery. All beaches in the National Park Service area were free because we had our NPS yearly pass. The beaches which are town managed require a fee.

I grew up in South Africa which has truly magnificant beaches which were free. I have a bit of a problem paying to visit a beach.

We visited Racy Point Beach and the Old Harbor Life Saving Museum. The lighthouses we visited were Highland light ( a lighthouse surrounded by a golf course) and Nauset Light House. At Nauset I had an interesting chat (Kevin calls it an interview) with A Friend of the Lighthouses.

Lighthouse preservation is a serious business. The problem is sea and land: the land is slowly being taken away by the sea. THis means that Lighthouses are constantly being moved away from the crumbling shores. High seas and storms aid in the loss of land to the sea. My Friend advised that they were seeing an increase in the rate of land loss to the sea. I couldn't help but wonder whether global warming (and the resulting increase in severity of storms) had something to do with this?

The Nauset Lighthouse is decommissioned but does play an important role in navigation. When the Lighthouse is not working they have to notify the coast guard, as it does still appear on maps. We stayed and watched the lighthouse as the light faded.

The Old Harbor Life Saving Museum is well worth the visit. The building's architecture is visually satisfying. It rests surrounded by waving green grass. This Station was used to rescue those unfortunates whose ships had become wrecked by treacherous storms. This would mean that the rescue occurred during some pretty harsh weather. A breech buoy was used in the harshest of weath. A rope with a breech buoy was shot out like a catapult. The idea was that the rescued would climb in it, and the men at the station would pull them in. This was slow going as only one person at at time could be rescued.

Notice:

I've just complete my photo album of our photographs of Montana and Glacier National Park. Check them out here.

Glacier National Park is located in the north western Montana. It borders Canada, and Canada's Waterton Park. For more information check out the National Parks website here.

There is one road that transects the Park from East to West and that is Logan Pass. Unlike Yellowstone it does not have an extensive road system. This means that most motorized visitation is heavily concentrated over a small area. This means that parking lots, picnic spots, and campsites fill up very quickly especially during the Park's season's busiest time - July.

We found a marked difference between the East and the Western sides of the park. The East side is much drier, and very similar to Colorado. The western side is moister, and lusher.

Before our visit to the Park we did some research on recommended hikes, accomodation information etc. Since our main interest is photography we subscribe to Photograph America Newsletter which provides helpful information on best photographic sites. Here is the link to their website. Some of the newsletters are a little out of date, (and the one on Glacier was approximately 10 years old) but they still provide extremely good information on where to go, and whether a site is best viewed in the morning or afternoon light. Using this kind of resource reduces the time spent doing it on one's own. Of course, we always explore on our own and find things that are not mentioned in the newsletters or on websites.

For general information about Glacier (hiking, accomodation etc) check out this.

If you are wanting to camp in the Park and would like to guestimate what time the campsites will fill up check out this useful link from the NPS website. Here is the link.

As indicated in a previous blog post most of the chain motels outside the park fill up very quickly. If you need accomodation in a hurry your best bet is one of the "mom and pop" motels. Here is the link again for that website. Again I recommend West Glacier as a base for lodging outside the Park. Given the distances involved West Glacier would be your best bet for a base camp for exploring the West side of the park.

For the East side of the park we honestly did not have enough time to explore it. We did manage to visit Swiftcurrent Lake, and the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. We found it more visually appealling than lake Mary (on the eastern side.) We definitely plan to revisit and spend a day or two exploring the eastern side.

Given the topography of the Park I recommend concentrating on the park one section at a time. Don't try and do it all. There is too much to take in. I find sometimes that I suffer from visual overload. What I would do the next time we visit Glacier is to stay 2 - 3 nights at West Glacier. You are close enough to get into the park, and get to Logan Pass. I would stay at the Avalanche campsite if I was camping in the park. I personally found the park lodges unappealing. (Too commercial and crowded.)

I would then spend a night or two at the SwiftCurrent Motor Inn (Here I'll make an exception- I found the Motor Inn charming. You can hire cabins without baths for $43/ night.)

Hidden Lake Hike (Logan Pass)

We had read in "Photograph America" that this hike was highly recommended. On our first full day in the park we slept in and then spent the day exploring various spots where we would like to return. Do not try and attempt to find parking at the Visitor's Center at Logan Pass after noon on their busiest days - it is crowded, unpleasant, and there is no parking. Instead get to the Visitor's Center before 9am (when they open) or from about 5pm onwards. The hike to Hidden Lake is a morning one- the morning has the best light. We still had snow to scramble over, and it does get windy. So sensible hiking shoes, and layering are a must. We are really out of shape so we huffed and puffed our way excitedly over a very well marked trail. The earlier you begin the hike the better - fewer people around. The trail goes to an overlook. This is where the best photo spots are. You can descend the trail to the lake below. It looked very steep and we didn't try and attempt it. Also, we had read that it did not afford any better photographic angles.

There is a family of Mountain Goats that wander the trail. We were lucky enough to see a mother and kid. We also found a group of Mountain Goats wandering around the parking lot.

Other wildlife to watch out for: Ground squirrels and Marmots. Of course watch out for Grizzly and Black bear as they are common in the park.

Avalanche Gorge

I had read in "Photograph America" that the hike to Avalanche Lake was good if you wanted to take photos of mushrooms (depending on the season.) The hike starts opposite the Avalanche picnic site called "Walk among the Cedars." There is a loop that starts on either side of the river. I recommend going on the eastern bank of the river. The Cedar forest on that side of the river is better. Also, you don't feel so close to the campsite.

When we were there they were repairing that side of the walkway. You can still explore there, you just can't cross the river and join up with the Avalanch Lake path. Avalanche Gorge is located at the bridge that goes over the river. We ended up stopping there to shoot this waterfall. Kevin taught me how to use my neutral density filter to take photographs of the waterfall. I used the tripod of course and am extremely pleased with my photographs. I love the fact that the water looks like fairy gas, and everything around it is in sharp focus. Cool.

We had planned to continue to Avalanche Lake, but we ran out of light. Next time.

Polebridge via Inside North Fork Road

We drove to the town of Polebridge on the Parks extreme western border. It is the last outpost until Canada (on the western side). There are two roads to Polebridge. Take the Inside North Fork Road. Enter the Park from West Glacier. Instead of following the signs to Logan Pass, turn Left to Fish Creek campsite. Follow the signs to the Fish Creek campsite, instead of turning into the campsite continue along this road. It is a narrow windy road. We had no problem driving it in a sedan front wheel drive car (Lizzie). I would not recommend you attempt it if the roads are wet, or in snow/ icy conditions. Because the road is so windy and narrow speed is slow. I never got about 20 miles/ hour. It took us approx 3 hours to drive this road (with stops for bird watching, and photography.) When we were there the wildflowers were out. It was beautiful. The area is very like Yellowstone.

The road passes by Winona Lake. We couldn't resist this one. Kevin got happily wet photographing the lilies, and I saw a loon. Exit the park over a bridge, and through a very small ranger's station. Carry on down the road and stop at Poleridge.

We were getting hungry. Polebridge has a superb little bakery cum general store. Most of the merchandise is dusty, except the stunning pastries, and sandwiches on display. We bought Mesquite Chicken Sandwiches, Greek and Mexican pastries. (These were fresh baked pastry stuffed with, for the Greek: olives, feta and antipesto, the Mexican: Jalepenos, and cheese.)

Continue south along this road. (You have now exited the park and will head south to the Park entrance - if you go North you go into Canada.) You can reenter the park, and exit at West Glacier.

I will post a photo album of the best photos that Kevin and I took.

I am blogging from the Crystal Inn, Great Falls, Montana on our return journey. WiFi is available in our rooms, and there is an internet cafe, and stations in the lobby.

We have had an excellent long weekend. Since my last very telegraphic post we woke up early the next morning faced with this dilemma: since our truck had died on us, and we had elected to roadtrip in a smaller vehicle, we could not car camp- not for any extended period without going bonkers. I had booked motels ahead of time (because this was, after all a holiday weekend,) but I had left 2 nights free - the plan was to car camp in the Park.

Now we were without this option.

What to do?

Over July 4th long weekend forget about getting a motel room anywhere on less than 24 hours notice. It will not happen especially when you try and book in chain motels. That is when Kevin suggested we try the "Mom and Pop" Motels. He remembered coming across a website devoted solely to the "Mom and Pop" and "independents". It lists Mom and Pop Motels for all states. Here is the link for Montana.

Kevin compiled a wish list of towns close to Glacier that would be good to use as our base camp. We were extremely lucky. My first call landed us 3 nights in the Glacier Highland Motel in West Glacier. That meant a change of plan: I had to call and cancel a prebooked room in Great Falls, and then we had to change our route so that we would end up in West Glacier, rather than East of the Park.

We were very glad that we did.

We left Casper WY and drove like maniacs to get to West Glacier by approximately 11pm. Exhausted, we fell into bed and slept like logs. Our Motel, although pricey (everything over July 4th around the Park is pricey!) was clean and comfortable. It was superbly placed for entry into the park. I recommend using West Glacier as a base camp if accomodation is unavailable in the Park. But over a holiday weekend the Motels and campgrounds become full very quickly. It pays to book in advance. (Even if it means only booking 12 hours in advance.)

This was our first trip to Glacier National Park. It will not be our last. I will post when I get home on all our highlights, and recommendations. One thing is for certain - we loved the west side of the park. Very lush. The Eastern side is drier, and a lot like Colorado. We know we would go back. We would explore more the Western side near the town of Poleridge, and the Swiftcurrent area (north eastern.)

We plan to leave early tomorrow morning for our return tirp home - approx 755 miles.

Blogging to resume on my return....