So, this week we headed east to follow the sun and…. we’ll be getting snow.
Our original plan to drive from Seattle towards Vancouver, and then east through British Colombia, was nixed once we saw the weather forecast. Nothing but rain on the horizon if we headed north. Heading east meant some cloudy and partly cloudy days, but less rain. So we revised our plan once our cruise ship docked in Seattle and we had to actually decide where we would be sleeping that night!
Our morning in Seattle was awesome. True to form, we were up until 2:00 a.m. on our last night on the ship, so we stayed in bed as long as possible on Sunday morning. We decided to take our own luggage off the ship, so we could disembark when we wanted. That turned out to be around 10:00 in the morning. As others disembarked, starting around 7:00 a.m., the girls and I lingered in our pjs and ate some breakfast in our stateroom, ordered in queenly fashion, as Jon brought items down from the Lido deck in multiple trips.
Once off the ship, we stored our luggage at the terminal and set off to explore Seattle! We took a short cab ride to Pike Place Market, the one place Jon most wanted to visit in Seattle. It was rainy, and the market was extremely crowded. I was feeling tired and cranky, and rather overwhelmed by all the sights, smells, and crowds. Jon, on the other hand, was in heaven; there was so much amazing produce and fresh seafood!
I tried to sit and relax in a public seating area while Jon explored, but it wasn’t until we got a table at the Sound View Cafe that I could finally take a deep breath and chill. We ordered some delicious coffee drinks and some brunch items- oatmeal for me, yogurt parfait for Daisy, and some French toast for Mic. Jon was saving himself for the perfect cream cheese and lox bagel, which he found at a market stall a bit later.
We left the market with just enough time to make it back to the terminal to get our luggage and meet our ride. Being from Southern California, our cab-hailing skills are basically non-existent so, after walking about six blocks in the rain, we hopped on a city bus and the driver helped us get as close to the terminal as possible. We had about four different people on the bus trying to help us get to our destination by using public transportation. It was an awesome display of community spirit! The bus eventually took us to a point a few blocks from the terminal, and we made our way from there in the rain, just in time to meet our ride.
Jamaica’s in-laws were kind enough to help us park our vehicle and trailer near their home for the week so that we wouldn’t need to pay the exorbitant parking fees for two spots at the cruise terminal. They had dropped us off and were picking us up as well. I am still overwhelmed by their generosity in helping us like that (thank you Patty and Garth)!
Once we were loaded back into our truck and waving goodbye to Seattle and its kind inhabitants, we headed east, hoping for some sunny (or at least only partly cloudy) skies. It was an afternoon of gas stops, bathroom breaks, and car snacks. Our evening consisted of Subway sandwiches for dinner and a very inexpensive, and remarkably comfortable, motel to sleep at in Spokane, Washington. The Red Lion was clean and the water pressure was amazing! For $45, I was pretty impressed.
We wanted to get to Montana ASAP, but, unfortunately, fate had other plans in mind for us. We got to know Spokane far better than we had intended. Instead of getting on the road bright and early, we got to enjoy a journey through town locating a bike repair shop, finding a Costco in order to stock our post-cruise coolers, and driving through residential neighborhoods to another bike repair shop. We finally got Daisy a replacement post and seat because we’d lost her originals somewhere on the road in Northern California. I’m pretty sure that was my fault for not securing them fully as we loaded the bikes on the bike rack when leaving the redwoods. The guys at The Bike Hub, in Spokane, we’re amazing at finding what we needed and getting Daisy back on her bike! And, of course, Costco is always a great adventure no matter what city you’re in…
We finally got on the road around 2:00 in the afternoon. I was still hoping to get to our campsite in West Glacier by dark, but we didn’t quite make it. The ride was beautiful, though. We passed a few familiar stops from our previous trip to Montana. We reminisced about last summer’s awesome fifteen mile bike ride on the Hiawatha Trail right at the Idaho-Montana border, and stopped again in St. Regis at the roadside market with “the best huckleberry shakes” around. We called Glacier Campground from the road to confirm our reservation and let them know we’d be checking in late.
We checked into the campground just after 8:30 p.m., which is actually rather early for us, at this point. This campground is truly beautiful; there are dozens of wooded sites and the whole area has a relaxed, old-time, family campground feel. We are continuing to try to get hookups, and amenities such as WiFi, showers, and laundry, wherever possible. I always feel as though I need to give up a scenic atmosphere to get certain amenities (hence my “state park vs KOA” dilemma in the redwoods), but we’ve been really lucky so far in finding campgrounds with a good combination of natural beauty and numerous conveniences. I hope our luck continues!
We’ve now spent the past two days exploring the area. Yesterday (Tuesday) we spent some time in nearby Columbia Falls and then entered the national park to drive 16 miles of Going-to-the-Sun Road to Avalanche Creek. There we walked the beautiful, aromatic Trail of the Cedars, which offers an easy 3/4 mile walk through the cedar forest. We wanted to hike an additional 2 miles up to Avalanche Lake, but it was getting to be late in the afternoon, so we headed back to camp.
Today, we planned to enjoy some bike riding. We drove back into Glacier National Park and parked just inside, at Apgar Village. There, we revisited a beautiful bike path from last year. It leads two miles through grizzly inhabited forest, from the village to the park headquarters. With Daisy a year older and on a sturdy bike, the trip took a third of the time, so we added a two mile loop alongside Flathead River. The scenery was truly breathtaking!
After spending a couple hours biking, we enjoyed a picnic lunch alongside Lake McDonald in Apgar Village. It was a great day to explore and spend time together.
Now, Glacier is predicted to be getting 2 to 3 feet of snow this weekend. In fact, pretty much every area near us is predicted to get some snow. Camping in the snow is not really the type of adventure we’re after. But, rather than heading for warmer regions, tomorrow we’ll be driving a few hours north to Banff (in Alberta, Canada) to embrace the coming snowfall… from a lodge with a fireplace!
I’m extremely excited because I’ve been to Banff once, as a teenager, and imagined how beautiful it would be with snow all around. I’ve wanted to go back in winter ever since, so I’m thrilled to have a chance to experience a little winter in September!
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