Travel dates and locations through JULY.
- 16 – Depart Dallas for NM around 6:00 pm
- 17 – Start the day in Tucumcari and Capulin Volcano then into Denver and maybe on to Cheyenne time permitting. Night in or near Denver/Cheyenne.
- 18 – Should be in Jackson Hole and the foot of the Grand Tetons (GT) by the end of this day.
- 19 – Grand Tetons
- 20 – Grand Tetons/Yellowstone
- 21 – Yellowstone
- 22 – Flat Head Lake (Whitefish)
- 23 – Glacier National Park (GNP) Glacier Park Lodge ($173.00)
- 24 – GNP Camping/Hiking
- 25- GNP Camping/Hiking
- 26 – GNP Lake McDonald Cabin ($106.00)
- 27 – GNP Canada side
- 28 – GNP Canada side
- 29 – GNP Lake McDonald Cabin ($155.00)
- 30 – Return Trip
- 31 – Return Trip
July 17, 2004
We left Dallas by 7:30 last night. By my estimates, we reached the NM border in just over nine hours. I drove until about 1:30 this morning and then turned over the driving in Lubbock.
4:30 am – NM border.
We stopped at the visitor center and were treated to the coldest steel seat on the planet. Instead of taking 40 all the way in to Tucumcari, We took a more direct route toward Capulin.
Our first “gliche” happened when we stopped for gas but no one actually put gas into the car. A miss communication about whose turn it was I guess. We held our breath Praying not to run out of gas as we passed one small town after another. Most with old gas stations no longer in use as indicated by the sideways sign advertising .34 cents a gallon. I think we were really on our last fumes and last prayers as we approached the town of Roy. It was perfect as the town appeared on the horizon just as the sun was rising. It was such a small town I was sure it wouldn’t have a station and if it did I figured it wouldn’t even be open yet since it was barely six am. Fortunately, I was wrong on both counts. It did have one with a single pump and a station saying it was open Mon., Wed., and Fri. Luckily for Roy citizens and us, it was pay at the pump.
The morning was cold and only stayed that way. From Roy, I took us down another small highway, Hwy 193 cutting across to reach the road to the volcano. This was a find. We were rewarded when pavement gave way to 20 miles of gravel and single lane dirt road that snaked through several good sized ranches. Somewhere along the way, we changed time zones so when we reached the volcano at 10:00 am our time it was really 9:00 am.
9:00 to 10:30 – Hiked the volcano. Cold and grey the entire time. We explored the mile and a half of the rim and trekked into the cavity.
10:30 to 11:00 – I slept the 20 miles to Raton NM were we stopped for breakfast at a very crowded Denny’s.
12:00 – 1:00 – I slept again the next 45 miles to Colorado Springs, We got gas there. I took over as navigator and Melissa drove us through CO and into Cheyenne. We made that leg faster than expected arriving before 5:00p.
Tomorrow, the TETONS.
July 18, 2004 – Sunday
We picked a Best Western in Cheyenne to stay the night. Dinner was just ok. We went to this place that was supposed to honor Ben Franklin.
This morning, we ate at a great diner, though. The Luxury Diner was built out of an old railcar and was probably added onto several times. It was great eclectic food. The waitress and I have the same name.
Our chosen route took us west to Laramie, the third-largest city, according to the guidebook. Today’s detour took us south through the Medicine Bow mountains and national forest lands by way of scenic route 130. We passed plenty of small towns, not that they were really towns. Mostly clusters of homes. Our goal was the town of Saratoga and the Saratoga hot springs. Melissa was eager to try the Hobo pool, a main feature of the town. We stopped often for pictures and other sight seeing opportunities so it took us quite a few hours to travel the short 60 mile detour. Once in Saratoga, we shopped for our first souvenirs.
This store was neat. I was more taken by the logo and name than of the items in the store. Melissa chatted up the guy. I guess he was the owner. He was from Texas and had lived in just about every town we were able to mention a personal connection to ourselves.
He directed us to a place to eat. But first we went to Hobo Pool.
It was a traditional swimming pool but if you walked behind, a concrete and rock pool sat lower and behind. There was also a river off to one side. The pool in the back was the hot spring, cranking out around 120° water. Melissa stuck her feet in but it was even too hot for her. Charlotte and I went to the river instead. It was deliciously cold.
130 to 80 to Rawlins, then 287 north from Rawlins to the Tetons.
It was a long stretch in the car with only gas and bathroom breaks. We were only about 50 miles out when we hit the Shoshone National Forest. (With a stop for the world’s largest jackrabbit in WY)
We topped a high elevation at the Continental Divide. Some 9600+ feet. Just past there, snow lined the roadway. We were all quiet, each lulled by the hours in the car and the anticipation of the Tetons. I was watching every turn for them. I can’t begin to speculate what each of them was thinking in the quiet. The sun was dropping, and I was afraid we would lose the view to the night.
About 13 miles out, we crested a lower part of the mountain drive. Just beyond the curve, we got our first glimpse. A gasp escaped my mouth. I was excited and said so. Of course, we had seen plenty of peaks and bluffs and tops of all sorts. Throughout our trip, I was sure that I was seeing the Tetons unfold before me. The final slope gave way to a flat landscape, and in the remaining daylight, we were able to see them in their full grandeur. Dark came fast after that. It took some time to find an open space, and I guess we stole a site (I didn’t believe them). It had rained, so we were setting up in the wet and dark.
Now, I am sitting in the bathroom stealing the light and outlet to charge the camera and write. I am off to bed now.
July 19, 2024 – Monday
Charlotte’s making us eggs. It rained more last night, so everything is wet. The sky is still grey but it looks to burn off as the day progresses. We are having eggs, the “delicious beans”, and tortillas.
We are going to hike the Taggart Lake Trail, which will put us at the foot of the Tetons, past Taggart Lake, and Bradley Lake in the southwest part of the park.
Our hike is halfway through. Up hill for most. We are stopped at Bradley Lake, which rests in the valley of Garnet Canyon. The water is achingly cold (I love it) but beautiful and clear. After 2 miles of hiking it definitely refreshes the feet. A tree fell just close enough to the water to provide a nice seat and a lower branch is the perfect foot rest. Our break has been long but we are going back soon. Lunch here was jerky, trail mix and a cliff bar. The path back will take us down closer to Taggart Lake before rejoining our path back to the trailhead.
Our route was the best choice… uphill first and then down.
Tonight I am having broccoli/potato soup. Charlotte heated some water for me. It’s cool outside now. They are going over to Oxbow Bend to try and spot a moose. I am going to stay here and plot out Yellowstone for tomorrow.
They didn’t see any moose. A few mule deer and elk. So far we’ve seen a porcupine (huge!) and many deer, mule deer and a few elks.
July 20, 2004 – Tuesday
We are up and packed. It’s 8;00a so we are off to Yellowstone. I hope it clears up. No breakfast.
Yellowstone@ Oldfathful
I am sitting in the parking lot. I just called home to check in. This park has a regular amusement park vibe. Lunch in the cafe.
We took the 2.8 mile path to Morning Glory Pool. I wasn’t expecting the area to be cluttered with all these geysers and thermal pools eight to ten of each just on the trail. We also snaked along the Firehole River. Steam poured. The eruption of Old Faithful was not as exciting as I’d hoped but some smaller ones blew while we were out.
Any water, true blue, is more than 163°. Morning Glory Pool was an array of colors.
Yellowstone has a great number of waterfalls and mountain backdrops. It is very perse when you think of the thermal features and rolling hills of the north. We’ve had to detour, some of the roads are closed due to landslides. We were headed to Tower-Roosevelt, we went through Mammoth Hot Springs. It was like a small town.
On the way down to the campground, we saw a bear and her two cubs.
Melissa and Charlotte jumped out to take pictures. I stayed and moved the car to a parking area down the road.
Around me, the wind blows
And I can hear the faint sound of leaves
brushing against each other.
The brush of leaves
mixed with the blow of the bullfrog
and the babble of the river
is the ebb of melody – a natural song. – ds
We stopped at the Roosevelt cabin/inn area for dinner. I had fried chicken. The evening went downhill from there. NO VACANCIES.
July 21, 2004 – Wednesday
We awoke in a hotel in Billings, MT, after nearly 10 hours of looking at full campsites to no vacancy signs from Yellowstone all the way to Billings. We did find one national forest with campsites outside of West Yellowstone, but the road was so rough it rattled our teeth. By this time, I was almost in tears. I said I can’t take it and drove us back to the entrance. This was after 1:30 in the morning. We all decided it was best to just drive on into Bozeman. It was also mostly full, but a clerk at a Best Western found us a room at a new hotel outside the area but further away. We finally got to the room around 4:30. I took my first shower in 4 days before I went to sleep.
We slept until 10:00, then looked around Bozeman for breakfast and ended up having lunch at this Frontier Pies place. I had an Indian fry bread tacos. I haven’t had it since high school.
As the sun fades into the unknown,
I am sitting on the bank in this meditative hour.
The last remaining light lays soft
on the waters of the Bitterroot River.
Soon the moon will cast its glow on them.
This moment is rare.
As sure as I am of life, I am sure this moment
will not last.
No more than any moment future or past.
But I am not sad, only reminded
that in everything, there is change.
When I throw a stone into the water,
I watch the circles grow and get lost.
They grow larger and smaller at the same time.
The reflection of their edges wax and shine.
This movement of the river, speaks to my spirit
to the child, the warrior, the civilized and the
savage.
Like in nature – with one, come all
to the mother’s most basic call.
Now I sit at the edge of something familiar
to renew my spirit’s vow.
I will always search, always seek life
to fill my mind with the currents through
my hands and feet.
-ds
Now we are in the car, headed to Missoula, where we are in Montana, with a 360° panorama of mountains. We are also opting to take another scenic route in the mountains.
Bozeman Hwy 1 or 80 Missoula
Tonight we will stay in Missoula in another hotel. A Best Western with a Cracker Barrel within walking distance. That’s where we went to dinner tonight. I had a blt.
I called home. Had her call me back in the room. We talked a while. Melissa finished our laundry.
July 22, 2004 – Thursday
Glacier National Park (GNP)
We left Missoula early to make sure we got to GNP in time to find a campsite. It still took us hours to get there and through the park on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Crowded and under construction.
We didn’t stop like we had before. We rolled into Many Glacier Campsite after 1:00 pm but found a site. It’s a good site and location. Especially to hikes.
We are going to set up camp and then hike Grinnell Lake this afternoon.
The Grinnell Lake hike actually took us past three lakes: Swift Current Lake, Lake Josephine, and, finally, Grinnell Lake. This hike was about 7 miles and took us about four (4) hours to complete with all the stops for pictures and mouth-dropping gazing :). We had to cross a small suspension bridge. On the way back, Melissa and Charlotte went up another half mile, so I went back alone. I stopped at the bridge at Lake Josephine, sat, and watched the water while I waited for them to catch up. I saw a marmot, but he was too fast for me to get the camera.
Charlotte bought firewood and made us a fire. I had my cajun rice and beans that were spicy but oddly not too tasty. We played boggle until late, and then I went to bed feeling the best kind of exhausted.
July 23, 2004 – Friday
Tonight we are at the Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier. It looks like an old wooden Swiss chalet.
This morning we hiked to Hidden Lake from the Logan Pass Trailhead. We got there early but there were still people. It’s a crowded place. The hike out there was pretty strenuous since it was uphill all the way made worse by the boardwalk steps it took to get there. We passed over snow packs and ice along the way. It was worth the hike, though. Hidden Lake filled the landscape below with the most gorgeous blue water. Blue blue water. Sheep were seen in a few places. I think I got a good shot of Charlotte with the one who came up behind her.
After this hike, I dropped them at St. Mary’s for the falls of St. Mary and Virginia. While waiting, I stopped in St. Mary’s, had lunch, then went back to the campsite for a while. I picked them up, and we headed up a very narrow, twisted road to get to East Glacier and the lodge. We got to choose our room.
I had a message from home when we checked in. Melissa liked this a lot. I was just happy to see she called. Our room looked at the mountains (garden side was the other choice) and a balcony. We ate in the lodge. It was the most expensive meal so far $25.00 for mine alone. Barbecue chicken with beans, cornbread.
I spoke with home after dinner. Melissa and Charlotte went out to get pie.
We are now getting ready for bed.
July 24, 2004 – Saturday
We were in bed early enough and slept late. I am back at the campsite waiting until closer to 2:00pm for the boat tour of St. Mary’s Lake at Rising Sun Boat Dock.
We had breakfast at Thimbleberrys in East Glacier, good food and lots of it. I dropped them off, they are going to hike the 11 mile trail to Cracker Lake.
6:00p
This afternoon, I took a boat tour of St Mary’s Lake, a glacier fed lake like
the others here. Only 5 remain, used to be 6 until the last year when rainbow size reduced so that it is no longer large enough to cause movement (this being a minor quaking factor.) I hiked Bering Falls and St Mary’s but it’s almost too much of the same for pictures.
On my boat ride I met two other lesbians from Austin like Melissa and Charlotte.
I am tired. Melissa and Charlotte are late and I think I might go look for them.
A View with a Room
July 25, 2004 – Sunday
This morning, I woke late after 8:30. Showered using a token that gave me 8 1/2 minutes of water for $1.25. I left for the Gibson’s house on Flathead Lake, south of Glacier.
They were very hospitable and welcomed me easily. Jane showed me around the place, which was like she described, a mix of primitive and modern. Electricity, but no plumbing, no running water except what was being pumped up the hill from the lake to water the hillside landscape. A natural spring was tapped in the back where water could be drawn as needed. Bathing occurred in the lake. I spent most of the afternoon playing in the lake with Jane & her children, Grant and Kate. Nancy added some interesting entertainment when she brought out a water hose and balloons from the 1970’s. Who knew water balloons in the lake could be so much fun?
I left them even though I really wanted to stay. I think I was happier than I’d been since the Tetons, and it was nice to be reminded of something familiar, too.
July 26, 2004 – Monday
I am waiting on them to wake. Without them cleaning up the back of the car, I can’t pack my stuff away. We decided last night, to break down our camp and move over to the west side closer to the cabin and other of our remaining activities like Polebridge and the Avalanche hike.
We’ve finally arrived at Lake McDonald. It took us a few days to get to it after passing it repeatedly, but we ate at Two Sisters Cafe. Then, we took the rest of the day to drive over to Lake McDonald. There were stops in Two Medicine, East Glacier and West Glacier. We found a camp site in Apgar and will spend the last two nights camping there before we return for our last night in the cabins here. This cabin is great. Small but as big as a hotel room with a view of Lake McDonald and its guardian mountains in the distance.
Melissa took a dip in the water tonight.
I’ve been really lonely this trip. I am thinking about how I am usually at ease with my solitary endeavors, but having these other people around upsets my normal balance. Maybe it’s just that I have to explain the solitude, the need for alone time.
And then, it’s just lonely. Overwhelming – the grand vistas, the incredible giants of mountains, and the strong woods of the forests. I think it is simply about sharing it with someone I love. Friends are great, but there is a difference. Smiles get lost if there’s no one there to see them.
I was thinking about looking at the stars that time near Ft. Davis at the observatory. It was October and cold and I held someone I was just falling in love with, with our hands sharing “Hot Pockets”. It was the time outside, in nature with this world unfolded under this big Texas night sky, when I felt I had to tell her I loved her. And I did.
It’s easy for me to be overwhelmed by nature, in nature. Awed = Flawed Ha!
Reflection:
I saw a yellow butterfly extend its grace to those sitting beside the lake. Brush a shoulder, lift a strand of hair, and then land easily on a rock out in the middle of nowhere.
There was a child putting his feet in at the edge, though the temperament of a glacier lake is almost too much to bear, he just had to be in it.
The sun was fickle today, it came out but just as quickly went away.
I could hear the distant roar of the waterfall
It was moving swiftly, but from where I stood, it barely looked to crawl.
Interlude:
I get asked a lot whether or not
I love you
Maybe I am
in the way one loves wild things
And things from afar.
Like red-tailed hawks and grizzly bears.
The wildness, the naturalness, the
Creativeness, the gypsy, and all the rest.
I could tell them about things I see, but
don’t. There are things I want to keep
all for myself about you.
I guess the answer is yes, which
somehow implies wrongly that I am an
authority in the ways of you
so I get asked a lot whether or not you love me
I answer no, you’re not, and yes, I can see
how anyone would think so just watching me
Then I get asked a lot whether or not
I think you’ll be famous.
I say with conviction that you already are
Just not a traditional star.
July 27, 2004 – Tuesday
Last night, we stayed in the lodge. The beds were warm & cozy. We left the windows open all night. I woke to the sounds of the trees and the lake with the mountain backdrop. I didn’t even have to move from my bed.
We hiked to Avalanche Lake with the three waterfalls dropping cool water from glaciers and winter snows. I sat for a time while Melissa and Charlotte walked along the lakeside. A chipmunk played with my pen, grabbing it when I offered. He thought it was food though. They are accustomed to humans and take some sustenance in the snacks offered I am sure.
The gorge was one of the more spectacular sights on our hike. Only a short distance from the trailhead but it demonstrated the real power of water over rock as the river had carved a gorge down this part of the mountain. The rock is all smooth and slick from the pressure over time, hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Awesome to think about really.
After our hike, we went to West Glacier to do laundry. This is the second time on our trip. This one is better as it has more than enough washers to do our laundry all at once. I even took off my dirty clothes in the parking lot in front of god and everyone.
We also stopped at the store and bought a crazy amount of provisions for a real over-the-fire breakfast. I think we were all tired of the freeze-dried packs.
Dinner was chicken-fried steak at Eddie’s restaurant in Apagar. There are a lot of houses and private homes here on Lake McDonald. There are quite a few cute cabins and small homes right on the lakefront. Family homes no doubt passed down from early homesteaders. It’s the only thing that makes me feel cheated. People could go west, sort out 160 acres of land, and it was theirs. In our time, there’s nothing left to take that someone else doesn’t own or say belongs to some govt. Nothing that is yours for everything has a price and it’s high.
July 28, 2004 – Wednesday
Oh my god! We ate the biggest damn breakfast. Bigger than any two days of our camping meals combined. Bacon, eggs, potatoes, beans, tortillas and salsa. All fired over the open flame. Stuffed ourselves full and then stuffed some more. It was so delicious, I can still taste it now.
It took us all morning to prepare and eat.
This afternoon we went to Polebridge:
Melissa would have bought them out of cookies. The Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe did not open until after 4:00, so we drove into the north end of the Glacier along this windy road to Bowman Lake. I found more rocks, and we all decided we needed a polishing cloth to make our rocks shiny.
Melissa got into the water again, I only stepped in and walked around in the water. I think I could have handled the cold, but didn’t want to be wet on the drive. We had a beer before heading back to Polebridge for drinks and dinner at the Northern lights.
I had an all-vegetarian meal (unusual for me): an appetizer of hummus and flatbread, then a falafel sandwich and chips. I also had a significant quantity of Kokanee beer, Glacier’s own light Beer.
We met two people from MN, biking through this area. We talked to them some. The gentleman spent a lot of time trying to convince Melissa to pick up a bike and go with them tomorrow. She said no to the biking butshe picked up some more cookies. I finally had one. A bready one, chocked with chocolate chips. It was good, especially tasty.
We left Polebridge after 8:00p and headed back down to the campsite. The road to Polebridge and back is not an easy one but I enjoyed it all the same. Makes me feel like I am really roughing it.
I am going to bed now. It’s early but I am beer sleepy. Tonight is our very last night camping.
July 29, 2004 – Thursday
We spent the morning packing up and headed to our last night here, staying at another cabin on Lake McDonald. We just took it easy and spent more “touristy time” in the area.
July 30, 2004 – Friday
3364 miles so far
- 9:45a – (Texas time) w depart
- 11:00a – stop at Harley in Kalispell 93S
- 11:45a – stop at Keihie’s Skate Shop 82E 7 miles
- 12:00p – back on the road 82W 7 miles back to 93S
- 2:15 p- in Missoula 9UE
- stop El Corazon
- 3:45p – back on road Hwy 90 East
- 9:15 p- Billings fast food. Dinner – 7 Washington off episodes
- 10:30p – Wyoming border
- 11:00 p- Sheridan bathroom break
- 3:45 a- Colorado
- 8:00a – NM
- 8:15a – 84/67 toward Amarillo
- 2:45p – Home for me
There is not much to share on the end of the trip. Unfortunately, we ended up disagreeing about stopping overnight on the way home, so I drove straight through, fueled by sheer anger and caffeine.
Somewhere on those long miles, though, the anger started to fade into the quiet rhythm of the road. The highway has a way of doing that, stretching time just enough for thoughts to settle. By the time we pulled into my driveway, exhausted and wired all at once, for me the disagreement felt smaller than it had the hundreds of miles earlier. I felt better, but my companions did not, and it ended with us not being friends anymore.
Trips have a funny way of revealing both the best and most difficult parts of traveling with others. You see each other when things are easy and when they are not. In the end, the miles home reminded me that every trip carries both the moments we plan for and the ones we do not. Sometimes the real reflection happens somewhere between the last gas stop and your own front door.
Discover more from Dixie's Road Trip
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Dixie's Road Trip 