sunlight in her hair

Sandpoint, ID – A warm and gentle night in Idaho, this is a nice little town to spend an evening, I’m glad I’m here

After being nearly ready to throw in the towel after Yellowstone, I feel I’ve rebounded a great deal from my stay in Glacier NP. Looking back, it seems the stars were really in alignment during my three days there. The icing on the cake has been this little stop in Sandpoint. The town is charming, and they have a wonderful little movie palace. But lets not get ahead here. Lets instead go back to Missoula.

After hitting the “publish” button on blogger.com for the last time, I strolled down to the hotel pool for a little swim. Still buzzing a little from writing (and a couple Mountain Dews) the swim was just what I needed to get tired. I really slept well. I sleep pretty well with the air mattress camping, but its no substitute for a real bed.

With only a short drive ahead of me, I spent hours in the morning watching Star Wars, Episode 3. Its cool to watch Hayden Christensen succumb to the dark side and become James Earl Jones. I next drove over to the nearby Albertson’s and replenished the campfood pantry. I was definitely dragging that morning, and the heat was already inching past ninety. Finally around 12:30pm I drove out of Missoula, up Route 93, with an extra cup of coffee to prod things along.

Although there were a number of hills to climb along the way, the drive was very nice. The traffic was light. About halfway to Glacier, I drove past Flathead Lake, which is above 30 miles long. There were a number of attractive little neighborhoods attached to the lake. After reaching Kalispell, I hung a right on Route 2 towards Glacier. The white wonder soared over gads of streams which criss-crossed Hungry Horse and Columbia Falls. After some more climbing I reached the west gate of the park. It was bright, sunny, and noticeably cooler than I’d felt back in Missoula. Learning from my Yellowstone experience, I picked a campground that was only five miles or so from the park entrance.

Fish Creek lies along the southwestern corner of Lake McDonald. I wasn’t able to snag a site by the water, but the campsite I did select was pretty nice, nonetheless. It was tucked away in the corner, with no immediate neighbors, and had a stream whooshing away beyond its perimeter. Glacier NP has the most expensive campsites I’ve seen, at $23 a night. Still, FAR cheaper than any motel room.

Once I had the tent set up, I grabbed my collapsible chair and walked over to the lake. There was something about it that reminded me of camping on Moosehead Lake in Maine as a child. Back as a pre-teen, my dad and I would camp with my dad’s friend and his son, Andy. We’d take a boat and camp on Farm Island in the center of Moosehead, “roughing it” for days. The view from the side of Lake McDonald reminded me of camping on Farm Island.

The water in Lake McDonald wasn’t ice cold, but one would definitely need to just jump in all at once if they wanted to swim there. I sat by the lake taking pictures and reading a book Diane had leant me, “Desert Solitude”. The book is an autobiography of a park ranger’s season working in solitude at Arches NP in Utah back in late sixties. Chad and I had visited Arches NP years ago, and so the book resonates with me somewhat now.

Around 8pm I walked over to the Fish Creek amphitheater to listen in on a lecture given by a park ranger in training (an R.I.T.) On that night, the topic was Glacier NP’s fish population. The RIT spoke about how the park had populated its lakes with various foreign species of trout, salmon, and shrimp in an attempt to boost visitation from fishing enthusiasts. For a while it worked really well. The lakes enjoyed an explosion of cutthroat salmon, which caused the bald eagle population of the park to spike as well. However, the park faltered when it added a specific breed of shrimp in an effort to increase the size of the fish. What happened instead was an all-out collapse of the salmon food chain. The cutthroat salmon population all but disappeared, and so did the eagle population. The take-home message was that ecosystems are usually more complicated than we imagine.

I returned to the lake to watch the sun set and was baffled by the length of day. Sunlight was still visible until past 10:30. I loved it. I walked back to the campsite and lit a small fire, determined to burn every last bit of that Arizona firewood. As of right now, I still have enough firewood for one more night. I expect to use it at Redwood NP in northern California, the night before I return to San Francisco.

I felt rejuvenated somewhat that night. Glacier NP cast a spell on me. With the stream gushing nearby, I slept well that night too.

I awoke in the morning to bright sunshine, although my campsite was very well shaded by the dense forest surrounding it. I percolated some coffee and walked down to the lake with the chair again to sip it for a while. Breakfast that morning was oatmeal, fried spam, and a banana.

Around noon I drove first to the Apgar Village for lunch and general lollygagging. From there, I got on the Going To The Sun Road, which by itself is a registered national landmark. The road first winds along Lake McDonald before making its way up the mountains towards Avalanche Lake and Logan Pass. Along the way, the Sun Road offers many spots where you can pull off and take in the scenery. As you climb higher and higher, the views become increasingly fantastic. Like Yosemite, the mountains of Glacier NP have been shaped by millions of years of ice age glaciers streaming past them.

As you near the summit at Logan Pass, you see snow all about. At the Weeping Wall, melted-snow runoff falls directly on the road. The Integra got a brief carwash from the weeping mountainside driving back to Fish Creek. Continuing up, I spotted a mountain goat meandering ten feet or so from the Sun Road. They have these big white fluffy coats helping them to blend into the snowy scene.

Logan Pass sits atop the continental divide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_divide) and is surrounded by gorgeous snowcapped mountains in all directions. You feel like you’re on top of the world up there. Words fail me somewhat in describing it. Its likely one of the most beautiful spots on this planet, I’m sure of it. After a brief stop in the visitor center, I discovered a trail which proceeds strait up the nearby mountain. It seemed to be the thing to do and I marched up the trail. At first, the trail is only half-covered with snow and is easy to navigate. At this level you see large fields of green with loads of little yellow flowers aimed downward. Set against the snow and mountains, it was a vision.

After another ten minutes of walking though, the entire mountainside was covered with several feet of snow. After another five minutes of slogging upward, I had to turn around due to my inappropriate footwear. Donning only my broken-down sandals, my feet got covered in snow constantly. With my feet already soggy, I’d get a running start and skid down portions of the hill. By the time I returned to the trail base my toes were numb. It was a nice change after all that heat in Badlands and Yellowstone. I took off the snow-packed sandals and warmed my feet by the sunlight.

I drove back down the Sun road with a big smile on my face. In no particular rush, I didn’t mind the numerous traffic snags. If you’re stuck in traffic up there, all you need to do is look around and it suddenly things don’t seem so bad.

Later at the campsite I did a little photo management with the laptop and listened to the Red Sox beat Tampa Bay 4-1. For dinner I made a strange concoction of couscous, black beans, and steamed vegetables. It didn’t really taste the way I had thought it would, but it was a good meal nonetheless. After some campfire time, I went to bed before the sun even fully set.

On Wednesday I awoke earlier than usual, drank lots of coffee, called my folks, and listened to the Red Sox beat up on Tampa again on a Fenway Fourth of July. I found that by noontime the campground was virtually empty. During the seventh inning stretch, Fenway had a lady sing “God Bless America” and I turned up my speakers as loud as they would go. It was the Fourth of July, after all. I doubt anyone heard it though. With the game over, I took the car over to the Apgar Village again and hopped on a park shuttle. The shuttle would have taken me all the way to Logan Pass, but I got off around the halfway point at Avalanche Creek. During the drive, I chatted with the bus driver about my trip and her Native American upbringing.

She explained how, in her grandparents’ days, people would go foraging for berries right alongside the bears, with no problems at all. Her grandmother explained “Its because the bears were our brothers and sisters.” The driver told me she didn’t believe in all that animal spirit-fraternity business. She planned to steer clear of all bears, don’t you know. Despite a Native American upbringing, she had a definite midwestern dialect, with plenty of “doonchaknows” and “oh you betchas” mixed in.

Once at the creek, I hiked first along the Trail of the Cedars, which is a 0.7 mile loop around Avalanche Creek. On the other end of the loop, I connected to the Avalanche Lake trail which is, one way, two miles long with a 500’ rise. During the first portion of the hike, I was treated to a series of short waterfalls through giant red and grey boulders which had been polished smooth by countless years of rushing water. I was sweating by the time I reached the lake. Avalanche Lake looks like a giant amphitheater of sorts. Steep mountain faces surround its rear portion, dumping water into it via six or seven separate waterfalls. I’d never seen anything quite like it.

At the lake I read my book for a while and took pictures of a chipmunk that was waiting for me to give it some of my trail mix. At one point it ran right between my legs to recover a raisin I’d accidentally dropped. Whoops. Nearly every park ranger you meet will go on about the danger of feeding the wildlife. Ah well, I had a feeling the Chipmunk had already learned a trick or two well before I ever came along. After about an hour by the lake, I hiked, shuttled, and drove my way right back campsite A30 and made dinner, which was chili and potato salad, and a tasty beer I’d picked up at the village earlier in the day, Scapegoat Pale Ale, by the Big Sky Brewing Co. (http://www.bigskybrew.com/).

After dinner, I walked back over to the amphitheater to hear a lecture about the endangered species of Glacier NP. The girl giving the speech, although she said she was from New York, had kind of a “Chicago-an” kind of dialect. It was clearest every time she said “habitaat”, which was often. I thought of the “Bill Swersky’s Super Fans” sketch on SNL:

“I’m gonna order da polish sausage ‘dere Bob. As I am in the habitaat of a certain town, that begins with C…”

Later I burned a bundle and a half of firewood and listened to a bunch of albums on the iPod. I was visited by the campground host who reminded me to discard my waste in the appropriate containers and put out my fire completely before going to bed. “Yeah yeah yeah, I know already. Sheesh!!” I thought to myself. Then, sleep.

This morning I woke up to yet another picture perfect day. As soon as the coffee was ready though, I was fast at work breaking down the tent and packing stuff into the Integra. I’ve done this routine so many times now that my mind will wander away while I’m doing it. I was a sad to be leaving. Glacier NP is a wonder. I’ve decided that, if I ever marry, I would want my honeymoon to be at Glacier in the summer. In my mind, its just a little more impressive than Yosemite or Zion. Just a little though.

Once packed up, I left the park around 9:30 and headed west on the 2. The day heated up quickly outside of the park. By noon, the temperature was around 95 degrees, and I was gleaming with sweat in the car. The AC just can’t cut it in that kind of heat. It was around that time that I crossed into Idaho, and back into pacific standard time. Idaho’s panhandle is in the pacific time zone while the rest of the state is in the mountain time zone. I reached the motel at about 2pm, which had just become 1pm. With the temperature still in the mid-nineties, I prayed that the receptionist would let me check in early. Thankfully, she did.

I swear, sometimes an air conditioner and a shower can do wonders for a man.

With an extra hour, the afternoon was spent watching Wimbledon on the tube and uploading a TON of pictures. I really had gone camera-crazy at Glacier, and so it took hours just to get the pictures loaded and described. Around 6pm I drove to downtown Sandpoint for dinner and movie.

Downtown Sandpoint is a very pretty spot in Idaho. With Lake Pend Oreille bordering it, 1st Avenue is comprised of various shops, restaurants, bars, and one very cool little movie palace. I got there around 6:30 and it was still king-hell hot outside. I ducked into a vaguely irish-themed microbrew tavern and ordered a steak and salad, as well as their IPA. Light and almost sweet tasting, it was the perfect beer considering the weather. The steak I’d ordered was smothered in blue cheese. Yum.

After dinner, I had just enough time to scoot a block over to the Panida Theater. (http://www.panida.org/) The Panida was originally built in 1927, around the same time that movie palaces all over the country were springing up. From what I gathered, the theater had nearly deteriorated from disuse and neglect for many years before a Sandpoint committee organized to restore it to its previous glory in 1985.

The outside of the theater seemed understated, although I really liked the art deco style theater sign. The theater has a small entranceway, containing the ticket booth, leading to a fairly small but ornate snack bar area. From there you can access the ladies or gentleman’s “parlors”, take two sets of stairs to the balcony, or enter the screening room’s floor seating. I did my painstaking routine of shooting the theater’s interior in mostly very low lighting. I takes a steady hand and usually something solid to hold the camera against.

The auditorium from the floor level seemed to have all the familiar dimensions to it, although noticeably smaller. The screen was adorned with balconies to either side and ceiling was painted, with beautiful light fixtures setting off a dark red color. There was one glaring omission though, in my opinion. The theater needed a pipe organ, of some kind. Surely they could have installed a scaled down organ for a scaled down theater?

The balcony surprised me. It was the shallowest balcony I’d ever seen. Only four rows deep, the balcony offers plush red velvet single seats or loveseats. The chairs looked inviting, but the viewing angle didn’t look so hot. I found a good spot in the center of the floor seats and a nice lady came out to introduce the film trailers we were about to see. She also thanked the gentleman who had repaired the theater’s air conditioning unit only an hour and a half before the film. The crowd applauded.

The film was Waitress. Keri Russell did a great job with her leading role, but unfortunately the remainder of the characters were poorly portrayed. A notable exception was Andy Griffith with a supporting role, who I thought was great. Overall, the film is pretty charming, if nothing else. The story is too sickly sweet for me, although it should be noted that every woman in the crowd could be heard uttering “aaawWWw” on a regular basis, so perhaps the film speaks more to the feminine experience. It IS about a woman having her first baby, after all. I’ve noticed a trend lately in movies of this type: “Knocked Up”, “After the Wedding”, and “Waitress” all involve unwanted (or at least unexpected) pregnancy. (B)

I emerged from The Panida to a cooled-off late sunset sky. The air was just right and I had a pleasant walk back to the Integra, picking apart the movie I’d just seen. I rolled back the sunroof and drove back to the motel with bright stars visible overhead.

That pretty much brings us to now. I’ve had just the best time here in Montana and Idaho. I’m pretty excited to finish the westbound portion of this trip tomorrow in Seattle. I’ll spend one night in the heart of Seattle’s downtown area before going to Portland, OR for two nights. Then, I’ll spend one night in Redwood NP. Then, home.

Oh home. How I’ve missed you.

More soon.

Andy

For a barrage of Glacier and Idaho pictures:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN2K3