Vacation began as Mom, Dad, Matt (brother), J and I drove the 5 hours from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho to Glacier National Park in Montana.
Dad scored this fantastic cabin for the 4 days we would spend exploring the park.
It was very easy to kick back and relax, make good food, and play cards.
our yard looked like it was part of the park...tons of wildlife spotted right from our porch...turtles, deer, skunk, elk, ground hogs, humming birds
of course Mom took off with her camera at the first site of a deer
we all came down to breakfast wearing our Crossfit Des Moines shirts...how cute
Glacier National Park
we enjoyed 4 hikes totaling 20 miles
we enjoyed 4 hikes totaling 20 miles
the water was mesmerizing...so violent yet so peaceful
Hidden Lake Hike
3 miles on slippery, wet snow, but a fantastic place to get up close and personal with the mountain goats
Virginia Falls Hike
a surprising and refreshing shower awaits you at the end...in fact the falls was so large and spraying so much water we couldn't get a picture
Avalanche Lake Hike
a beautiful aqua lake with 4 water falls plunging into the icy water awaits you
the trail was also home to a 500 year old forest....another words some very large vegetation
the lake made a great place for lunch and a quick nap....I kept one eye open for bears :)
Iceberg Lake Hike
the longest of the hikes, 9 miles
the longest of the hikes, 9 miles
offered amazing views and a grizzly sighting...a sow and her three cubs!
at one time this lake had glacier on it, now just ice sheets
in fact, they estimate that by 2030 all the glaciers in the park will be gone :(
Yellowstone National Park
a quick pass through Yellowstone on the drive back to Iowa
a quick pass through Yellowstone on the drive back to Iowa
huh, I was expecting more out of the Lodgehole Pine...I don't know, maybe a few more needles
and of course we saw Old Faithful
Grand Tetons
Wildlife
these guys about crashed our lunch at Hidden Lake
these guys about crashed our lunch at Hidden Lake
this guy is seriously working the camera
we did see a grizzly and her three cubs as mentioned earlier
we also saw a black bear while overnighting it in Big Sky
oh my...this is a bear paw!?
Moose!....oh wait that's just me
There's the moose! Seen on the hike to Iceberg Lake
"Lady Elk" as she's known at our cabin
Bambi!
humming birds
and bison
to come...what would my vacation be without highlighting the food, we each picked a night at the cabin and made a gourmet meal.
Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good
What AMAZING pics! SO beautiful!
ReplyDelete