Northern Idaho

When we left Williston, ND, heading west, we started out on Hwy 2...seven hundred and some odd miles later and we were still on Hwy 2 crossing into Idaho.  We didn't plan it, it just happened that way :)...

Like many roads through the mountains, this one follows along the path cut by a waterway.  Our trail blazer from Western Montana into Northern Idaho was the Kootenai River.  It led us up farther and farther until we were only about 30 miles from the Canadian border.  Still heading west, but definitely north, too...

We stopped to stretch our legs at the Moyie River Canyon Bridge...

...then we got back on Hwy 2.  Following its winding path as it veered south towards Bonners Ferry and then on to Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille. 

Ya'll, we were really excited to be in this particular part of the country.  It's somewhere that we have only seen online (Dan has been there, kids and I haven't) and thought that maybe one day we just might want to settle down and call home.  Maybe ;).

Well, the weather was not on our side this time.  Anyone that has spent time in the mountains knows how fast the weather can change.  And change it did...the clouds dropped down from the sky and completely surrounded us.  We saw absolutely NOTHING.  Not town, not lake, not nothing.  Hmph. 

It started to snow so we decided to high tail it out of there before we ended up stranded.  Idaho, we'll be back for a redo for sure! 

Flathead Lake, Montana

When we left Glacier National Park, we continued our drive west.  We passed through Kalispell, but instead of keeping due west, we took some time to dip down south for a bit.  There's a lake down there that we had always wanted to see...

The largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi...

Flathead Lake...

...and yes, it is just as pretty as we had heard :)...

We drove for a while around the shoreline, stopping when we could to get out and walk along the waters edge...

I can't remember just how far we went, whether we circled the entire lake or stopped part way and backtracked, but we eventually made our way back up to Kalispell and back onto Hwy 2 headed west...

That is a drive I would take just about any day.  Beauty around every corner...

...mountains...

...wildlife...

...and more beautiful lakes that just beg you to stop the car and come play a while...

Before we knew it, Montana was in our rearview mirror and we were heading into...Idaho!

Glacier National Park

When I left off before, we had just arrived at the West Entrance to Glacier National Park.  I mentioned that we had been following along the prettiest little stream through the mountains...what I didn't realize until looking at a park map was that stream was the southern boundary for GNP!  Haha!  That's funny...we had been looking at the park for some time without even realizing it :)...

Finally, we're in!...

First stop was the Apgar Visitor Center.  Because of the time of year and the majority of the park roads being closed, we were the only ones there besides the Ranger.  We took a quick twirl around the displays inside, grabbed a handful of Junior Ranger books, and headed off to see whatever parts of the park we could...

We followed the Going-to-the-Sun Road to Lake McDonald...

The clouds were low and heavy so we couldn't see much.  What we saw was pretty, though :).  I would love to see it in the summer sometime, I'm sure there were some beautiful sights hiding behind those thick clouds...

We pulled off at a little parking area and followed the path to the edge of the creek...

That water!  We didn't get to see any glaciers this time, but the color of that water reminds me that they're nearby...

It started to rain/snow/sleet on us, so we took one last look (sooooo pretty)...

...and called it a day.  We went as far as we could, which I'll admit wasn't very far!, and had to turn around at the road closed for the season sign.  I'm glad for the bits we got to see and experience, but it wasn't nearly enough.  We will definitely be back for a longer visit in warmer weather.

Go West...

After weeks of being gone for work, my man came home with a chunk of days off.  Needing a change of scenery, he told us to pack our bags and be ready to ride early the next morning.  Time for a road trip (yippee!), we were heading west...

We left North Dakota behind before the sun had even shown it's face.  By the time the sky was regaining it's color, we were well into Montana...

With no definite destination in mind, we just drove.  Following the Hi-Line as it snuggled up close to the Canadian border...

This old church caught our eye and we spun back around to get a closer look...

Enchanting, isn't it...

Into the afternoon, the terrain started to change.  We were finally leaving the plains behind and entering the mountains.  So pretty :)...

The road followed along the most beautiful stream...

...and led us straight to Glacier National Park! 

Mmhm, sure did :).  Only a tiny bit of the park was open due to the season, but that's ok.  It was Glacier National Park!  And we were there! Hahaha...yes, I was pretty tickled to be there ;).  More to come ya'll, check back later...

Grand Teton NP -> Jackson, Wy -> Yellowstone NP -> Cody, Wy

Ready to get out and see more of Grand Teton NP, we didn't waste our day sleeping in.  After a quick breakfast we loaded everything back in the car and drove the short distance to the Colter Bay Visitor Center...

We enjoyed the movie, the displays, the views from the deck...just all of it.  The best part was the people, though.  Yep, the people...the folks running this vc were some of the best.  Super nice :).  One sweet lady in particular made us smile...she recognized my southern accent and asked where we are from.  When I told her, her whole face lit up...she's from the Florida Panhandle, too!  She's been out west many many years, but she vividly remembered not only the big places, but also the little ones...Alligator Point, Apalachicola, Carabelle.  We both enjoyed a little walk down memory lane :)...

When we left the vc, it was with a personalized map in hand outlining our day for us.  We stopped to check out the Jackson Lake Dam...

there was a ton of water moving through there!

...then continued on to the trailhead for the hike that we were recommended to take...

Leigh Lake...

...another breathtaking pool of water at the base of these majestic peaks...

We were loving it, it was the perfect day...not too hot, not too cold.  Just right.  Bright sunshine, gorgeous scenery...

...then, just as the trail headed off into the woods, we came to THIS:

EEK!  For real?  The trail goes right through this area, too.  Back at the vc, when the trail was recommended to us, the guy had to check to see if it was open.  He said that an elk carcass had been found in there and so the trail had been closed because guess what...bears eat elk.  Uh huh.  We weren't really keen on the idea of a stroll through Yogi's dining room, so we took a vote and decided to call it.  We turned around and headed back the way we had come, which was also back towards the water...so it was all good :)...

Hiking plans aborted, we took a slow drive through the park.  Stopping to get out and soak up the views when even a slow pass was too fast...

The road we were following eventually took us to the Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center aka the Moose Visitor Center.  It was here that the kids finished up their Jr. Ranger books and were awarded their badges for GTNP.

After a little gift shop browsing, we headed into Jackson to check out the town and grab some lunch...

Ya'll, after eating every meal outside for a while it actually felt strange to sit down in a restaurant to eat.  Hahaha!  So weird...

We didn't stay in town long, it was just too crowded for our liking.  After lunch, we drove out towards Moran hoping to spot some moose.  Obligatory stop at the park sign...

...a herd of antelope (or "cantelope" if you are a certain little kid I know)...

...then we were at the willowy speck on the map called Moran.  It is here, among the willows that grow along the bottoms of the Snake River, that we have always seen at least one moose...

Always until this time, that is.  We looked and looked...

...no moose.  One time when we were going through, we saw a cow moose with her calf just nibbling trees near the Moran post office.  Seriously, the post office.  This day, nada.  No moose.  And yes, we even checked at the post office ;).  Oh well, it's hard to be disappointed when the scenery looks like this...

We took the little Junction road back up into the park.  Stopping alongside Jackson Lake, at the same spot as the day before...

Totally different!  Amazing how just a tiny bit of wind could change the scene so much...

Before long, we were back in Yellowstone...

We slowly made our way back up to the lake...

...then out the East Entrance towards Cody, Wyoming...