I can't agree with you more.

Pictures of Glacier to come later next week as I'm here all weekend until Wed (or later pending I don't have to drive over to my site in Washington... )

 

Yeah, I'll bet the drive between Glacier and Washington must really suck!

 

Well, in all honesty, it does. Idaho is nothing but one big hay-field along I-90 and really doesn't have much to offer from a scenic standpoint. Now, if I opt to go a little farther north and follow some 2-lane roads (like through Sandpoint, ID), that has some potential I believe.

I've driven it once and, honestly, I really hope I don't have to do it again.

Today's adventure consisted of running out to the jobsite and snapping oodles of pictures of work in progress. Further, I barked at the contractor about fugitive dust control (as our CAP calls for water to keep the dust at a minimum -- especially considering that we're looking at a carcinogen -- it's more of a jobsite safety thing than anything -- the bear will live).

Speaking of bear, we say a cub (maybe a little older) on the first day out at the site. He was over about 200 yards away from a herd of cows and looked like a really large dog from a distance. Again, we snapped a couple of pictures but, juding on the distance, I doubt they turn out.

After getting things in order at the site, I bolted around 4pm (so, yes, I was at the site most all of the day today 7am - 4pm) and came back in to Missoula. We then went over to Lolo National Forest and did some geocaching. Life is good.

The wife flies home tomorrow and a colleuge of mine from Louisville that works with an ecological firm is coming out for a class on streams or something (I call it the bugs and bunnies course). We're going to go grab a few frosty ones tomorrow evening and then Monday evening. It's nice to have someone around that you know rather than being solo.

I'm off tomorrow so, after taking the wifey to the aeropuerto, I need to find something to get in to. I might go back out to Lolo and do some short hiking. Dunno yet.

RP

 

Have never been to Yellowstone or Glacier, but have gone to Wyoming for 6 of the past seven years. Didnt go this year.

My sister and brother inlaw live out near Pinedale, south east of jackson Hole.

Best sites I have seen has been just cruzin back roads and fire trails in the mountains.

Have done three horse pack trips into different ranges, the first was a 3 day trip, the last being a 6 day ride. Here are a couple picks from the last one.



That is called square top. We rode for a day after that pic and it seemed we never got closer.



This is Green Lake, the head water for the Green river, the one that is in the above pic. This is somewhere like 10,000 feet.

If you want a way to see great country without all the people, check out the back country of Wyoming. I try to avoid the parks.

Sled...

 

These are a couple pics of Fremont lake near Pinedale, it is Wyomings largest lake. This lake is at 8000 feet. It is actually higher then the town, so it is used as a kind of water tower. It is fed by glaciers. It is like 4 or so miles long and like a mile or so wide with depths of around 400 feet. I have seen 30 foot sail boats on this lake from a higher viewing point and they look tiny.


This is where I saw some 30 foot sail boats and they were just dots.


This picture was taken in May and the road up to this point had only been open a week or so.


Sled...

 

I grew up in North Idaho and you're right the most scenic drive would be up towards the Sandpoint area however the traffic on those roads this time of years is murder. They are all 2 lane, too many RV's and not nearly enough passing lanes!! But Highway 2, through the upper part of Washington over Steven's Pass into Seattle, is a much prettier drive than I-90. I-90 is boring, I've been over that route too many times to count!! The most scenery you get is when you go over Snoqualmie Pass and by then you're almost in Seattle.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your trip!! Will be waiting for pictures.

BTW great pics Sled!!

 

We always come in from the south through Teton NP and stay in West Yellowstone.

We have a picture of my dad (he's about 6'2" or so) in front of a giant boulder, and the rock is probably about 4 or more times as tall as he is. The rock came from the other side of the river though...its just sort of mind boggling that that HUGE rock can make it all the way to where it did.

Good luck with your trip

 

Boy oh Boy...hanging out with you guys has to be a great deal of fun...learning on the job is good...I enjoy just reading your stories here...

You all have to come see our Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Island...We have a liquor store and you can take your hammer...the rocks are free on the first trip...

 

Wow Sled. Great pictures! Very neat place!

Wild-mtn -- I've been across Snowqualime more times than I can count on all my fingers and toes. We typically fly into Sea-Tac and drive over to Yakima to that jobsite that I mentioned. Again, it's beautiful up there but, I'd rather stay out of Washington. It's lost its luster because of that apple-bearing area.

Concrete-- Thanks for the invite! I hope to make it up there some day. Know of anyone in that neck of the woods that would need any environmental consulting?

RP

 

Superb pictures guys...good enough for desktop wallpaper !!

One question......

About Idaho.

Certainly for Europeans it really is a State that we know very little about.
However down in South Texas I have a friend who grew up there and he is always telling me there's more to it than potatoes !!

Then, last time we left the States after we had put the truck into store, we were stuck in the motel with nothing much to do except watch TV.
On came a documentary about Idaho, and I couldn't believe the diversity of the scenery...places I've never heard of.
Really beautiful mountains and lakes...not perhaps on the spectacular scale of some places, but certainly well worth seeing.

Boise also seemed a nice sort of place to live !

 

Lenticular,

Idaho is quite diverse. It's not one of the bigger states but there are a variety of different areas. There are some beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers. The famous He!!s Canyon along the Snake River is on the border of Oregon. There are a lot of farmland and wheat fields in the central region and Southern Idaho is high desert country, dry and arid. I grew up in the Northern panhandle. I loved it there. Never been to Boise myself, but it's in the dry, desert area of the state and way to hot for me in the summers!! As with all of the states, Idaho has it's own spots of beauty. I think RP's comment about I-90 wasn't meant to say that the state isn't worth visiting, just that where I-90 crosses the state is a little on the drab side. But fortunately where I-90 crosses the state is only about 75 miles wide so you aren't in Idaho very long!!

Have a good one!!

 

Was at Glacier about 3 weeks ago. Going to the Sun road was awesome. The mountains at Logans Pass were beautiful. Especially with the mountain goats walking around.

 

Thankfully, I don't have to do the Yakima voyage and thus, I *might* be getting out of here tomorrow... more to follow...

RP

 

RP,
Did you minor in marketing? let me try some of the marketing tactics I've learned while consulting - Lenticular, whatever price RP gives you, we'll do it for less

How does the I-90 drive compare to the cornfields of Indiana/Illinois/Ohio etc...?

I tried to get into grad school at Idaho State University in Pocatello, unfortunately, they didn't want me

 

Nope. No minor in marketing. Sure looks like you had one though. HA!! Strange, but the environmental business is about that dirty I guess. It's ashame there aren't any more clients out there willing to "Shell" out the big bucks to take care of problems. Everything is so competitive!

Well, I'm home. Glacier pics to follow in the next couple of days. I just cruised through them and I'm very disappointed in my digital camera. Everything is SOOOOO dark. Couple the lousy quality with the haze from wildfires burning in southern Canada (near Washington) and some of them turned out lousy.

RP