Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake

Sunday 28th and Monday 29^th May, 2023

The weather was quite unsettled as we drove east from Spokane to Big Fork, Montana.  Despite the rain we could tell that the countryside was majestic.  Our route followed I-90 initially and then a sequence of rivers and streams once in Montana.  We travelled up the west side of Flathead Lake and around to the small town of Big Fork on the east side.  The campground was called the Wayfarer section of the Flathead Lake State Park.  In some ways we were very lucky to have been able to book a site at this campground, considering that it was Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend.  I’m pretty sure every site was full.  Looking around, I could see into six other campsites. I felt slightly bad for the family camping next to us ... their picnic table was probably 8 feet from ours with no screening vegetation. 

The following morning we went for a hike along the Swan River.  The river seemed to be running very fast over a series of rapids.  Part way along the path, we met the dam / spillway.  Beyond that was a placid lake where we were able to find a few ducks of interest.  Once we reached the far end of the walk, it started to rain intermittently.  We got back to the car without getting more than damp, but while we sat in the car eating our lunch, the rain really set in.  We drove to a couple of birding “hot spots” and spent the afternoon searching for birds for our list.  In the winter and during the migration, there are many areas around Flathead Lake with a wide variety of bird species.  At this time of year these same areas areas are closed to the public. They are designated as “waterfowl production areas” (not a phrase I’d heard previously) and we think at this time that it means breeding areas for ducks.  However, in the fall and winter, these sites are open for hunting!  One such area was the very beautiful Smith Lake which we visited in the later afternoon.

The campsite was a lot quieter when we arrived back! After dinner, we walked along to the viewpoint overlooking the lake.  It was a spectacular sunset.   

Gloria

The Swan River, below the dam, flowing towards the town of Big Fork on the shores of Flathead Lake.

The relatively tranquil waters of the Swan River (lake) above the dam.

A lily flower of some type

The river flowing through Smith Lake Water Fowl Production Area

The land to the north of Flathead Lake is mostly agricultural. here a classic barn is lit up by the sun with storm clouds behind.

Dandelion at sunset on our first evening at Flathead Lake. This was taken with a narrow aperture / relatively large depth of field using a 105 micro lens and a tripod. My efforts to create a "focus stacked" image were completely unsuccessful - the computer program could not handle so many dissecting lines. 

Our second evening was a spectacular sunset over Flathead Lake, shot from the campground

Panorama after sunset

Happy Days in Spokane

Happy Days in Spokane

Mon 22nd - Sun 28th May 2023 

It’s incredible how quickly six days in Spokane passed. We had a wonderful time staying with Tasha and Mac and we were sad to leave. We had originally planned to arrive a few days earlier, but Tasha was away the previous week running a course for the new student leaders of next years Gonzaga outdoor programs. We also need to be home before the middle of June so our time was somewhat limited. 

Tasha and Mac moved into their new home, the Rock and Pine Ranch, 8 months ago, and they have been working really hard on a long list of renovations and improvements. Some of these, were anticipated, and not surprisingly, others were not. They knew they had to have the metal roof replaced and this has now been completed and looks terrific. However, they hadn’t expected to have to deal with some mold issues that were the result of leaks from the former roof. Nonetheless, these have now also been addressed. I do think at times they feel a little overwhelmed by the number of things that they want to get done on the house, the barn and outbuildings and the land itself. It’s just going to take a little time.

During our visit I was able to help with a couple of jobs. There was an outside “freeze-proof” faucet that had actually frozen and split during the winter and was leaking under the crawlspace when turned on. This presumably happened prior to the installation of sub-floor insulation that was recently completed, but wasn’t realized until Tasha started to use the outside faucet. Replacing the faucet and incorporating an additional cut-off valve took me a little longer than I planned but eventually worked out okay. I also installed a vapor barrier under the entry foyer, complete with ducting for radon-mitigation, and replaced the insulation and plywood floor. I also took out the decrepit porch railing by falling through it when I overbalanced trying to carry a sheet of plywood. No harm done to me … the railing was toast!

As well as trying to help out with some house jobs, Gloria and I also did a little exploring of the local area. We took a couple of short hikes and rode our bikes down part of the Centennial Trail. It really is a beautiful area and it looks very different from when we visited at Thanksgiving. On Saturday we all took a short road trip up north to go hiking and check out a local mushroom festival. The drive north and the walk by the lake were great … the mushroom festival was a little underwhelming! 

I really must mention my favorite topic - food. We had numerous fantastic meals at home! Mac in particular cooked some really excellent dinners, including rice noodles with homemade pesto, chicken and vegetables; Thai fresh rolls with shrimp; Italian sausages with stir fried vegetables and salad; and pizza with homemade dough and sauce. We also went out one evening for an excellent dinner at “Wild Sage” in Spokane (see photos below).

So all told we had a fabulous time. But I must finish with the most exciting few minutes of the visit. Tasha and Mac came across a rattle snake in the barn. They managed to cover it with a large plastic storage box, up against the wall of the barn, and you could hear it rattling. After some discussion, Tasha used a long weeding hoe to flush it out of the box and I killed it with a spade. They had said it was “little”, but on closer inspection it turned out to be about 3 feet long. I do not like killing animals but we all thought it would be unacceptable to have a potentially lethal rattle snake living in the barn.

Gloria and I are now embarking on the final leg of this big adventure. We have a couple of nights at Flathead Lake in Montana and then three nights at Glacier National Park. We then head east, with a short break on route, to spend 4 nights near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. After that we plan to cover the 1800 miles home in as quick and painless way as possible!

Mike

The "Bowl and Pitcher" section of the the Spokane Riverside park. 

Flag iris down by the river

Tasha and Mac - Stevie and Freddie on our Saturday walk. (Stevie has a muzzle on because, whilst she loves people ... and also loves Freddie, she does tend to get into fights with other dogs)

Tasha and Mac at "Wild Sage" ... a wonderful evening!

Our main courses ... clockwise ... pork shank, scallops, pork fillet, duck ... outstanding, as were the appetizers and deserts and cocktails!

Lazy Days in Idaho

Lazy Days in Idaho

Friday 19 - Monday 22 May 2023

Our journey from Salt Lake City up to Spokane would take us up the west side of Idaho, a state that neither of had visited previously. The campgrounds in the State Parks recommended in the National geographic guide were completely booked out weeks in advance, but we had been able to secure reservations at two other parks, so we spent two nights at Three Island Crossing State Park, about 30 miles south of Boise, and one night at Winchester Lake Sate Park, another 250 miles north. Both turned out to be really nice places to stop.

The weather turned really hot (low 90s oF) and so when we got to Three Island Crossing we were delighted to be camping on a lovely site in the shade of some large trees. The park is on the banks of the Snake River, and whilst picturesque, there isn’t that much to do there. So basically we spent Saturday hanging out and relaxing. We took a short walk down by the river and in the afternoon cycled a half mile to the local Y-Knot winery. We spent a very pleasant hour working our way through a set of five tasting sample, seated on the veranda in the shade. We debated driving to Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park but decided that the light wouldn’t be great for photography (and it was much too hot to enjoy slogging up the sand dunes).  So for the rest of the afternoon we sat in the shade reading and moving our chairs every half hour to stay in the shade.  We started to feel like human sun-dials. When things started to cool off we lit a campfire and grilled some tri-tip steak and potatoes which we ate with Brussel sprouts sautéed with bacon. It was awesome!

The drive north the following day was spectacular. Once past Boise we started climbing up through the Payette River gorge. This appears to be a popular spot for rafting and kayaking, but at the moment the river looks terrifying. For the best part of twenty miles all we could see was a raging torrent of white water, with no visible sections of flat water or eddies to stop or pull-out. Many cars and vans with kayaks on top were parked along the road and saw many kayakers studying the river, but for the most part they remained on dry land. It looked incredibly dangerous to us.

Once at the top of the canyon we found ourselves in an alpine meadow that was reminiscent of Switzerland, and shortly after that, we started down the northern side of the mountains, following the Salmon River. Once again, it was beautiful scenery with impressive rapids and waterfalls, and we did see a couple of rafts and some kayaks on the river. The further north we went the more tributaries merged and the bigger the river became. We were quite shocked to see how many tree trunks and limbs were floating downstream. 

Seemingly abruptly we were into rolling hills again as we approached our destination—Winchester Lake State Park.  The weather was looking threatening as we set up our tent but the storm seemed to pass by us.  After a walk and dinner we retired to the tent having seen the forecast for 100% chance of rain at 8 pm.  I think we both fell asleep before the rain arrived.  The powerful thunderstorms did wake us in the night.  The tent doesn’t feel like the most secure place to ride out a big storm like that!  It’s hard not to wonder if we’d placed the tent a little too close to that pine tree… 

On Monday morning we packed up our wet tent (all dry inside) and drove the remaining 150 miles up to Tasha and Mac’s ranch outside of Spokane. We’ll be here for the next six days and probably won’t be blogging until we head out again. There are simply too many house projects and a lot of socializing to be done!

Gloria and Mike

The Snake River, Idaho at Three Island Crossing State Park

A fine selection of winers at the Y-Knot vineyard

The Spokane River downstream of the Nine Mile Falls dam, about three miles from Tasha and Mac's house. The river flow over the dam was impressive

Bugs and Birds

Bugs and Birds

Wednesday May 17 and Thursday May 18, 2023

It was long 360 mile drive up from Coral Pink Sand Dunes to our next destination, Antelope Island, north west of Salt Lake City. The traffic was quite heavy for the last 60 miles and we were tired by the time we reached the State Park entrance. I didn’t see the notice that said “No-see-ums have hatched - no refunds due to bugs - head nets available for purchase” … but Gloria saw it.

Antelope Island is about 12 miles long and two miles wide, and is situated in the south east corner of the Great Salt Lake. The land was farmed / ranched from the early 1800s until 1981 when it became a State Park. Historically cattle and sheep were raised on the island, but more recently it is home to a large herd of bison, perhaps 500 or so in total. In the past, access was by boat, or in times of drought, by walking across a sand bar, but now there is a man-made causeway with a tarmac road. It’s quite a mountainous island and, as crazy as it sounds, it reminded me of some parts of the west coast of Scotland, with hills dropping down to white sand beaches, the sea and more mountains in the distance.

As we drove over the causeway we stopped to look at the birds, which seemed to be present in vast numbers. We were excited to see California and Franklins gulls, as well as black bellied plover and several avocets. We also couldn’t help noticing the clouds of insects that rose up like smoke from the grasses and shrubs by the side of the road. (If you think I am exaggerating see the photos below!). As we approached the campground our concerns changed from whether there would be any shade to if we could stand camping amongst the insects. In a moment of profound common sense we decided to sit at the picnic table for a few minutes before putting up the tent. We had on our bug nets (purchased prior to our Alaska trip last year), but nonetheless it took us about two minutes to realize that we couldn’t stay there. It was a beautiful site, overlooking the Great Salt Lake, but the bugs were unbelievable. The “midge flies”, that were so prominent on the causeway actually don’t bite, (although they were so numerous they might cause death by inhalation / asphyxiation), but the same cannot be said of the “No-see-ums” (midges) and mosquitos. We decided we needed another plan.

A quick search for local AirBNB brought up some options and we contacted one in Syracuse, about 5 miles east of the causeway. The owners, Tanya and Jordan were terrific and responded almost immediately. It was after 3.30pm when we initiated contact and by 4.30pm the accommodation was available for us. This turned out to be an excellent move: the suite was fabulous and we spent two very comfortable evenings there, cooking for ourselves in the full kitchen and watching movies on the enormous screen! It also meant that we could enjoy a trip back to Antelope Island the following day, explore the area and do some more birding, without having to deal with the bugs 24/7. Camping would have been absolutely miserable. We actually had a great day touring around, saw lots of birds including a Chukar, Long Billed Curlews, Burrowing Owls and a family of Great Horned Owls. We met a couple of local guys who were great fun to talk to and gave us some excellent tips and directions. Avoiding the bugs was challenge, but on the whole we managed do so.

One birding conundrum arose, regarding Phalaropes. We saw literally thousands of these birds from the causeway and we read that at their peak there have been more than half a million Wilson’s Phalaropes on the lake. However, to our eyes the birds that we were looking at were red Necked Phalaropes rather than Wilson's Phalaropes. This caused us a fair degree of consternation … but I can hear you yawning, so we’ll just leave it that … !

Mike

p.s. I am posting this from Three Island Crossing State Park in Idaho. The weather has become really hot, with temperatures hitting 90 oF this afternoon. Thankfully this campsite has lots of trees for shade

The boardwalk at the The Great Salt Lake ShoreLand Preserve. We saw Wilson's Snipe, Pheasant, Sora and Virginia Rail here ... it was quite lovely.

Clouds of "midge flies" rise above the grasses and shrubs at the edge of the causeway out to Antelope Island. If you stopped they immediately congregated around the car, landing on the windows. If you tried to use the wipers it created a heinous mess! We did find that they have a tendency to land on the sunny, downwind side of the car, so if we opened the windows on the other side we could look at birds quite comfortably from the car without being bothered by the flies.

"Midge flies" above a sage brush. These are the same insects that I photographed in close up at Otter Creek. They don't bite, but they are bothersome.

Bullrushes in Antelope Island, looking back from the location of the historic ranch towards the mountains to the east.

A view from Antelope Island looking north across the causeway. It is reminiscent of parts of western Scotland ... but maybe I'm projecting based on the midges (No-See-Ums)!

A baby Great Horned Owl with a parent. (The other parent was perched off to the side). This family of owls were up under the roof of an open barn near the Bison Corals on Antelope Island. We would never have known they were there if it weren't for the directions from the two lovely guys we met whilst birding.

Storm clouds gather over the Great Salt Lake. 

On to Coral Pink Sand Dunes

On to Coral Pink Sand Dunes

May 15 and 16, 2023

Once we had packed all our stuff, we took a short walk at Kodachrome Basin State Park.  Then we drove north to the Mossy Cave area of Bryce Canyon.  We took another short walk to visit the aforementioned cave and a waterfall and stream.  The remarkable thing about that stream was that it runs all year now where previously it was a seasonal stream.  That’s because when settlers first came to this area they realized a need for water to irrigate their crops.  So they dug a channel to divert a river (can’t remember what river) into this stream that flows to the town of Tropic.  It seems like a massive undertaking!  I wonder what the EPA would have to say about such a proposal in 2023.

From the Mossy Cave area we drove west and then south to arrive at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  I admit that I had some trepidation about this venue as the Great Sand Dunes N.P. had proved so difficult to walk through.  We were pleased to find that the campsites had some juniper trees that afforded some shade.  Ours was a double site with a large concrete pad for the picnic tables.  With a little furniture moving and some creative staking, we were able to set up the tent on the concrete pad.  I’m fairly sure this prevented half a sand dune being dragged into the tent.  We had an early meal and went for a walk on the dunes.  

The color of the sand is truly amazing—think cooked salmon (for those of you who eat salmon).  The dune field is fairly large but on a more modest scale compared to Great Sand Dunes NP.  I even managed to walk to the top of one of the dunes. There was a large group of school kids (from Maryland!) exploring various ways to descend the dune.  These methods included the snowboard (standing descent), the sand board (seated descent) and rolling down the slope!  What a way to get sand into every nook and cranny!  

The following morning we decided to drive to Zion N.P. The park was about 30 miles away. From the fee station, the drive down into the canyon is astounding.  On all sides there are sloping rock faces of all kinds of shapes in shades of white and pink. The canyon portion of the park is not open to private vehicles.  You have to park your car and board the park service shuttle.  This is where we ran into trouble—there were no parking spaces available. We started to think that we would have to drive right back out of the park. Then, we got a little creative and parked in a lay-by near the museum and hiked down to the shuttle stop.  By the time the shuttle drove past our car, the entire lay-by was filled with parked cars.  

We rode the shuttle to the last stop and walked along the river to “The Narrows”.  At this point usually you can walk further up the canyon by walking in the riverbed.  Not at this point in the spring! The river was deep and flowing extremely fast.  We enjoyed the walk we could do and hopped back on the shuttle to explore “The Court of the Patriarchs”.  We took another short walk, all the while watching the dark clouds that were rolling down the canyon.  Suddenly, the wind became intense and dust was everywhere.  We made our way back to the shuttle without getting wet.  

On the drive back to our campsite, we stopped at a cafe for pie and coffee.  That was a wonderful experience.  Not only was there strawberry rhubarb pie, but also there was wifi. Just as mom would have predicted, we ruined our appetite for dinner!  I’m still not sorry!

Gloria

The Mossy Cave area of Bryce Canyon NP, where the irrigation river that was cut by Mormon settlers in the 19 century passes through

The year round flow of water causes the highest level of erosion seen anywhere in the park

The road in to Zion NP from the east

Astonishing views as you descend into the valley bottom

The Court of the Patriarchs

As you get higher up the canyon towards the Narrows the massive cliffs close in from both sides

35 School kids from Bethesda, Maryland descend from the top of one of the larger sand dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. It was great to see them having so much fun!

The majority of the dunes are also open to OHV (Off Highway Vehicles) - although they are required to stay 100 feet away from pedestrians

Storm clouds pass north of us on our first night at Coral Pink Sands

The light during the final hour before sunset on our second night was amazing. We hiked a different area of the dunes and it was unbelievable. This photo and the ones that follow have been edited using the Lightroom pre-set profile "Cool Matte". I like the color balance it created and I think it's good to have a consistent work-up for a set of related images. Whilst a slightly different shade from what I started with, the colors are not more intense than the originals. 

Coral pink dunes with storm clouds behind

Such a beautiful place ...

Kodachrome SP

Kodachrome SP

Sunday May 14th , 2023

We approached our next destination with some trepidation. I had been unable to book a campsite at Kodachrome State Park, but had been able to book a bunkhouse for a little extra cost. It seemed like. Good idea at the time but I had no recollection of the details of what a “bunkhouse” might entail and no cell service to check it out. The description of the location “behind the laundromat” didn’t seem too auspicious. As it turned out the “bunkhouse” was wonderful, equipped with beds, a dining table and chairs and sofa. Outside was a covered porch and bench, a picnic table and fireplace. For water and bathrooms we would use the facilities in the laundry. It was also in a beautiful setting, surrounded by sagebrush, juniper buses and pinyon pines, with red cliffs towering above. There were just two individual “bunkhouses” and in the other one was a lovely family from Utah that we really enjoyed meeting. It rained pretty heavily overnight and the following day we hiked the Panorama and Cool Cave trails. It was noticeable how quiet this State park was in contrast to Bryce Canyon. We really had the opportunity to take in the wild and beautiful scenery and to stop, listen and look for birds. We cut short our hike and skipped the spur out to the overlook because we could see and hear more thunderstorms rolling in. We used the extra free time to make use of the wonderful showers and do a load of laundry. We got the recommendation for Kodachrome State Park from a National Geographic guidebook and it is a spectacular place.

Mike

The two bunkhouses and the laundromat at Kodachrome State Park. Our bunkhouse was the building on the far right

Sunset from our porch on the first night

The multi-colored rock reflecting the last of the evening sun

A stunning desert flower photographed whilst hiking Kodachrome State Park

Ranchers used to scrape their handprints into the soft stone (mud) .. others have since added to the sculpture

The beautiful panorama trail in Kodachrome SP

A storm in the late afternoon of our second night

There should have been a decent sized pot of gold at the end of this rainbow ... literally shot from our porch

Bryce Canyon NP

Bryce Canyon NP 

Saturday May 13th, 2023

Sometimes its not a good thing to go back. We had visited Bryce Canyon on our trip in 1987 and the fond memories are firmly imprinted in our minds. I was worried that if we didn’t particularly enjoy seeing the park this time, then it might taint those memories. In 1987 we were camping at Zion NP and the weather had turned horrible, with heavy rain and cold temperatures. We decided to drive over to Bryce Canyon and as we gained elevation the rain turned to snow. It was amazing to see the multi-colored rocks and “hoodoos” covered in snow. Some of my favorite photos from that trip were taken on that day. We did not have the opportunity to hike any trails because they were too steep and slippery under the snowy conditions. When we arrived in the park this time, the weather seemed decent and we were keen to walk down into the canyon. One of the biggest changes between 1987 and 2023 is simply the number of people visiting the State and national Parks. The increase is quite staggering. We struggled to find a parking spot, but finally spotted an empty one, and drove the wrong way down the one-way system to snag it before someone else did! 

We chose to hike the Queen - Navaho loop trail, which is the most highly recommended walk in the park. It’s reputation is justified; the views and the atmosphere are stunning. However, it’s also very popular and there were hordes of people everywhere. We dropped down from the rim of the canyon and shortly before reaching the lowest section it started to rain … then hail. Thankfully our rain coats were safe and secure in the car so they wouldn’t get wet! We did get a bit damp, but the amazing thing was the trail. The sandy top layer quickly turned to gelatinous, orange mud and each of our boots gained about 5 pounds of extra weight. We made it back up to rim as the sound of thunder boomed around, but the storm quickly passed and we were rewarded with great light and enhanced colors from the wet rock. We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the park road and exploring the many look out points.  Other than a few additional parking challenges it was a wonderful visit and we were both happy that we had returned. I would argue that there is no National Park in the USA that is more beautiful than Bryce Canyon. 

Mike

The view from the rim of Bryce Canyon at the end of the Queen - Navajo trail. The clearing storm left super light and colors.

The very muddy hike up the switchbacks to regain the rim on the Navajo trail

Bryce Point had astonishing 300 degree views 

Ditto

Bryce Canyon has the highest concentration of "Hoodoos" anywhere in the world

A common raven on the edge of the canyon

Three girls were doing their own photoshoot near Bryce Point - so continuing my efforts to take more people photos I jumped at this opportunity to take this shot