Leaving Gardiner we were headed north toward Glacier National Park, a journey of about 400 miles through what proved to be more spectacular scenery.

Montana is ranked 4th in size, but 48th in population density of the 50 United States and totally earns its nickname of ‘Big Sky Country.’

None of the photos I took do this area justice but I did manage to startle this little lady when we randomly pulled over for a pic and I almost trod on her – not sure who got the biggest shock? She was guarding a couple of furry yellow chicks.

Lunch en route was at Wolf Creek….. Another massive but satisfying burger and no, we didn’t meet Mick 😉

With our final destination not too far distant we were considerably delayed by extensive roadworks just out of Browning and we were starting to get anxious about a later than expected arrival into Many Glacier Hotel. My (extensive) research had led us to believe that a small lake near Many Glacier would be our best chance to spot the somewhat elusive (til now) moose. We had seen one from a distance in YNP but dusk at Fishercap Lake was our objective.

Finally the 100 year old Many Glacier Hotel loomed into view and we quickly checked in (even more Dirty Dancingish) and checked instructions for moose spotting and we’re off again to a parking area about 10 minutes away. As we hurried along the path people were photographing a big deer (?white tail) but excitedly told us there were FIVE moose at the lake!

Barely able to conceal our excitement, and to be honest, not really trying, we rounded the corner and there they were! Well, two of them anyway… One calf was just disappearing into the forest and two others had obviously gone but Mr and Mrs Moose were chest deep feeding in the lake, absolutely sensational viewing.

We spoke to some of the others watching on shore and apparently the night before a female had charged someone who was too close for comfort so we sat quietly and enjoyed the privilege of watching these massive creatures – definitely a tick off the bucket list.

Eventually we tore ourselves away and headed back to the historic Many Glacier Hotel, once again vowing not to do single night stays next time!

The second to last dinner was spent in the scenic dining room overlooking the lake and celebrating our moose sighting!

The next morning under beautiful blue skies we headed off to tackle the famous Going To The Sun Road (GTTS) – not for the faint hearted we were told.

Facts about GTTS – the road is one of the most difficult roads in North America to snowplow in the spring. Up to 24 m of snow can lie on top of Logan Pass. The road takes about ten weeks to plow, even with equipment that can move 4000 tons of snow in an hour. The snowplow crew can clear as little as 150 m of the road per day. On the east side of the continental divide, there are few guardrails due to heavy snows and the resultant late winter avalanches that have repeatedly destroyed every protective barrier ever constructed.

Wow!

Unfortunately, despite great weather at the outset, cloud and rain swept in at the highest point and visibility was not the greatest but we did get great vistas elsewhere. It was white knuckle driving at times though 😉

Eventually dropping down into the valley again, the weather cleared and we stopped for lunch after exploring some lovely river views on the way.

Mid afternoon we reached the southern end of Lake MacDonald and Apgar Village, our last night together with Zo. I had fortuitously snagged cabin number 8 – absolutely quaint, rustic and perfectly situated right on a little inlet of the lake. Picnic table out the front crying out for sunset wine me thinks 😉

And last mother daughter chats…..

And, we saw a beaver

On our last day we visited Whitefish where Zo caught up with an old friend, we shopped a bit and then eventually headed to Kalispell airport to fly on to Portland again. Russell and I to overnight before flying home the next day and Zo to continue on to Vancouver, meet Rach in the airport and together to set off to Halifax and check out what Nova Scotia has to offer.

Tearful farewells were expected but unexpectedly short when we landed to find Zoe’s flight had been cancelled and she was very lucky to be reassigned through Seattle, a flight that was leaving immediately. Tears from us girls, Russell missed out altogether as he had gone on to get our luggage, unaware of the drama unfolding 🙁

Anyway, as I write this in Melbourne airport ( with us having missed our Adelaide connection ) Zoe and Rach are happily ensconced in new digs in Halifax NS and I am thinking ahead to 2016……

This trip has really been three trips in one and has been absolutely amazing – in no small part due to our fellow travellers on each and every leg! May there be many happy reunions and laughs in the future as we recount our adventures 🙂

The End

Ps. Apologies for typos/auto corrects, I’m tired and haven’t proof read!

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The day after……

Monday saw Tannika and Ricky off at dawn to catch their flight from Boise (two hours drive away) and dinner at Good Bear Ranch with The bride and groom and other survivors of a great night. Tuesday saw Gill, Beth and Rosey also headed for Boise at an only slightly more civilised hour, leaving Russell and I to rendezvous with Ben and Rodney to collect Zoe who had stayed the night with them. At the rendezvous point (Maccas of course) we were also in time to say goodbye to Kim, Jordan and Barney who were also departing Baker City.

So, with our group reduced to three we said our goodbyes and headed east for the final part of the trip, destination first night – Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Idaho Falls was basically a 'breaking the journey' stop en route to the Grand Tetons National Park and it was pleasant enough…

Antler Arch

We managed to while away a few hours here and contribute to the local economy as well before heading off for our accommodation in the Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) – Signal Mountain Lodge.

We were in time to see a bear disappearing into the forest as we drove up and after the excitement subsided we settled into a lake view room, our home for two nights and then strolled around taking advantage of the long twilight and our balcony before dinner.

GTNP is a photographers paradise and we spent the next day dodging thunderstorms and “shooting” the famous Mormon Row barns, a heard of bison, and stopping for lunch at a picturesque river spot where we met an interesting fellow from the Ozarks.

In the afternoon we decided to do a short 'nature trail' walk around a lake but some members of the group were slightly perturbed when we met hikers coming back and telling us about the grizzly they had seen 1/4 mile up the trail…

Continuing on, each of us with various degrees of trepidation, we did indeed see said grizzly disappearing into the trees and therefore sprinted around the remainder of the path (a very fast walk, we did not run) with my iPhone playing Alt-J announcing our path in lieu of a bear bell!

Amazingly though, on the way home we were treated to a mother black bear and her two cubs ambling down the road toward us, the first time we realised what the sun roof was actually for 🙂

Friday we were headed for Yellowstone but as it wasn't far away we decided to do the short boat ride over Jenny Lake and hike to Hidden Falls before we got on the road proper.

This started off well, very scenic lake and a not too strenuous hike away from the boat landing along with the rest of our fellow sailors, we even saw some wildlife along the way….

However, mountain weather is changeable weather and on the return hike ominous clouds rolled in bringing with them fat drops of rain whilst we thought longingly of our wet weather gear safely locked in the car!

By the time the return bust arrived the rain was pelting down, coming in horizontal sheets stinging your face and making us very envious of the few lucky souls who had snagged the first few (undercover) seats on the boat – the rest of us were head down and soaked through 🙁

Back to the car there was a mad scramble in still heavy rain to find dry clothes and bolt to the long drops to change, eventually emerging to crank the car heater up to the max and continue on our way.

Yellowstone… America's 'first and best national park' is their theme and it's easy to see why. In the tradition of great old American park lodges we were greeted with soaring log structures, hordes of tourists, activity desks and bellmen reminiscent of Dirty Dancing – I kept expecting to see Baby wander around a corner. It is beautifully rustic and an experience just to stay there however next time I would book the “Old Snow Lodge” a couple of hundred metres away but blessed with a laundromat and wifi, the former we needed and the latter we wanted.

Loading up the washing machines we had time to wander over to Old Faithful which erupts 'faithfully' every 90 mins or so and so we joined the throngs to check it out. It was certainly a spectacular sight… Difficult to convey the magnitude with photos…

After collecting our washing we went back to check out the Inn and organise dinner.

The next day under brilliant blue skies we tried to experience a substantial taste of what Yellowstone has to offer – the geological aspects, the wildlife and the stunning and diverse scenery.

We visited the technicolour Grand Prismatic Springs up close and from up the mountain for a birds eye view.

The park is dotted with geothermal activity and informative interpretation boards along the way which really do give you an appreciation of what a unique area this park is for so many reasons.

Eventually, leaving the springs behind, we became stuck in a traffic jam of epic proportions, at least 25 mins of crawling along at snails pace – no roadwork signs, no indication of what was holding us up until eventually we rounded a corner and spotted a huge bison ambling along the road up ahead!

We suspect he had originally been actually on the road ( as we experienced that situation later that week again) but by the time we reached him it was mainly people slowing for a look and a photo that was causing the delay, this turned out to be the norm in Yellowstone and we understood why.

Wildlife in Yellowstone is prolific, over the course of the next couple of days we saw more bison, more bears, deer, moose, pronghorn antelope, osprey, squirrels and marmots plus numerous other birds we couldn't identify with any certainty.

Osprey nest

And it is a photographers paradise – we arrived at this spot late in the day and there were dozens of photographers set up with tripods and obscenely long telephoto lenses… When I asked what they were photographing (beyond the stunning vista) they told me they were waiting for the wolves to emerge . Sadly we had to move on before any were spotted but it was a beautiful place either way.

The next day we covered a small section of the northern part of Yellowstone on our way north toward Gardiner, Montana, just outside the park entrance.

Our route took us through beautiful and changing scenery from the heights of Logan Pass with sensational valley views, more bison road hazards and ultimately to the Mammoth Lakes geothermal area.

This guy was strolling along a bridge ( about half a kilometre long) holding up huge traffic flows 🙂

Mammoth Lakes

With a great deal of regret and with every intention of re visiting this wonderful part of the world, we rolled into Gardiner and ultimately made our way to the Ironhorse Bar and Grill for an entertaining dinner where almost everyone is welcome!

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Sunday morning dawned as hot as the previous few days but the afternoon seemed slightly cooler – perhaps the weather gods were looking after hair and makeup??

We had all booked a motel in town for the night in order to help with the transport arrangements which seemed to go slightly awry at the last minute anyway…

So, dressed in our finery we piled into the Durango and headed off to Sparta, Johnny's parents ranch and the site of the wedding.

The property looked a treat, Bonnie and Sam and family had done a great job in setting the scene and the location was stunning…

The ceremony was beautiful, Johnny did a great job, I cried my way through my reading and Bonnie and Sam looked and were incredible.

I was so proud of my three beautiful kids!

The wedding eleven from Oz…

A great night was had by all, the oldies tried to keep up and I think didn't disgrace ourselves.

Ben's speech brought more tears to my eyes and the green boots came out for the dance floor 🙂

Thanks to my besties who put up with my stress for the week before 🙂

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Arriving at our accommodation late in the afternoon, the Orville Chandler ranch was a very welcome sight. Situated on the foothills of the mountain range behind, the resident cattle were unperturbed by our arrival and noisy exclamations about our home for the next five days. The house sprawled over two levels with a wrap around deck that afforded great views of our adjacent babbling brook and the cattle grazing in pastures above. After settling in we enjoyed wine and nibbles outside, contemplating life as the sun set.

The next couple of days were hectic – hairdressing appointments for trial hairdos, catching up with Samand Bonnie, meeting our new in-laws and Johnny's family at Good Bear Ranch that Sam had rented, were priorities.

The fourth of July dawned as hot as the days before – 32c + – and proved to be a day packed with action that started with Rosey and Zoe proudly representing us in the Haines 5km Fun Run at 0800. (We were out of bed to welcome them home if not see them off!)

After a quick shower and refreshments (for them) we headed off to Haines for the much anticipated 4th of July Parade that precedes the Rodeo on later that afternoon.

This was America at its most American with patriotism aplenty and a definite cowboy theme emerging with the Rodeo 'queens and princesses' on beautifully turned out western mounts.

We were pleasantly entertained along with hundreds of locals – the kids collecting 'candy' tossed out along the way and then revelling in the cooling jets from the fire trucks that completed the parade.

It was then time to sample the traditional breakfast bloody Mary's in one of the bars (ouch!) and then on to the definitely more palatable local pies – the purchase price of the pie donated to local charities – before heading down to claim our spot at the Haines Stampede.

I can't say I've ever attended a rodeo in Australia but this was instantly recognisable as the real deal! Cowboys and cowgirls abounded and we were entertained by bucking broncos, calf roping, cowhide races and kids riding sheep under a blazing sun. I didn't really have any strong views on rodeos prior to this but didn't see any signs of mistreatment in what is obviously a very longstanding tradition in this part of the world. Every horse that we saw was in great condition and the ridden horses were beautifully turned out as were their riders.

There was time for a quick trip home to shower off the dust before Russell and I hosted the “rehearsal dinner” that evening – traditionally time for the wedding families to meet and greet and especially relevant in our case, the first opportunity for us to really sit down and have a chat Bonnie's family as well as Johnny's mum and step dad. It was held at the Haines Steakhouse in the trophy room, witnessed by elk, deer, cougar and bears 🙂

Successful as it was (despite the lack of champagne, they had only one bottle in the house) proceedings wound up fairly early as tomorrow was the big day and we all wanted our beauty sleep!

Next, Bonnie and Sam get hitched!

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When Russell said he'd organised a transfer for the wedding eight to McCarran Airport, we had no idea it would be equipped with disco lights, vodka, ice and a pole but we went with it anyway – that's our style!

Arriving with Rosey still having time for last minute clothes shopping and Burger King breakfasts for most of us, we were soon boarding our Alaska Airlines flight to Portland, Oregon.

After a pleasant enough flight and then some minor issues with public transport technology we were soon on the light rail bound for downtown Portland. Spying a pedicure business directly adjacent to the hotel was a godsend and three of us booked in straight away.

Jordan, Barney and Kym (Sam's mates from Oz) met us for dinner and had done their research on local brewpubs, choosing Deschutes for an Aussie rendezvous which was great fun.

After a succession of rental car dramas the next morning (which involved half of us stuck in the Alamo office at the airport and the other half in Maccas at Wood Village for several hours), we were finally en route to Bend at about 3pm. Three weary carloads turned into the quaint Holiday Motel Inn at Bend in time for dinner with the boys who had staked out a spot at local brewpub, Crux, known for its sunset mountain views and corn hole tournaments!

The highlight though was the cab ride home with the lovely Karla who was happy to pack eight of us into her (maybe?) seven seater and rap for us on the way home….

Tomorrow, on to Baker City – the scene of the big event!

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