Howdy Folks, 
We walked around West Thumb Geyser Basin together. It was like old times together with them but alas, it was only a couple of hours. They headed south to the Tetons while I headed north to see the new Visitor Center at "Old Faithful." It opened August 25th.
"Old Ranger" Bob Hoyle and I headed out to Glacier Park a couple of days later where we ran into a bit of winter. On the drive to Bozeman the first day we drove through a small snow storm. A word about Bozeman . . . we visited an REI there and I was kind of "pissed" that a town their size had an REI and Flagstaff, which is larger, does not have one. The next day we stopped off in Missoula for break and visited another new REI. I do not mind that one because Missoula is the same size as Flag.
We arrived on the east side of Glacier Park in the early evening to stay at the Sun Rise Lodge. We had never stayed there. It was quite nice in a rustic way. The next day we headed up to Logan Pass before backtracking down to my favorite place, Many Glacier. It was very misty and gray up at the Pass but breathtaking as usual.
Many Glacier is a very beautiful place with a great old lodge built by the Great Northern Railroad to look like a large Swiss Chalet. It is a very isolated part of the Park, and ways off the highway on the east side. Before we got to the hotel we saw a large black bear. As we got closer we viewed a black bear sow with two cubs. Up on the hillside across the road there were 19 Big Horn sheep.
Later that day we had two more bear sightings, and from the deck of the hotel we saw a Moose in Swift Current Lake. It was a bonus day for wildlife viewing. Because it was raining all day we spent most of it in the lodge reading by the fireplace, eating Huckleberry soft ice cream, and wandering around the spacious hotel and gift shop. We had dinner at the hotel and went back to our lodgings at about 9pm.
The next day it was back up the pass in heavy fog. We could not see a thing until we hit the west side. Then, everything miraculously cleared up and we got great views of the peaks and waterfalls. We stopped by Lake McDonald Lodge and the Apgar Visitor Center. At the VC we got to talk with one of our favorite people, Ranger Doug. He has been a ranger at Glacier for 51 years. He is in his 80s and still going strong. Doug is quite a character. Every time he sees Bob and me, he exclaims, "Here come the Teton boys!" After that we went into Whitefish, Montana. Later, in the afternoon, we came back to our room at Apgar. Next morning we did a marathon drive back to the Tetons in rain all the way. I spent one more day in the Tetons but it rained all day so I did not hike, which was a disappointment. The following morning, Saturday, I drove 14 hours straight and got back to Flagstaff at 6:45pm. It was a long day, 825 miles. The next trip begins this Friday to San Diego County to visit my family.
Movies: Of course I did not see any films while on the road but did see a couple before leaving and one today. The best was Get Low, an Independent film with superb performances by Robert Duval and Bill Murray. The American with George Clooney was the film I saw today. It is a different role for him as an assassin tracked by other assassins. It is filmed entirely in Italy with all foreign actors. Clooney does a great job in a different role for him. The last film I wish I did not have to mention seeing, The Switch, starring Jenifer Anniston and . . . , was forgettable.
Well, that's about it for now.
Ciao!
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