The Continental Divide

Flathead River is high and muddy.

The rains have abated, but before it stopped there was flooding and damage nearby and in the park. Rivers are flowing fast and muddy. All that water had to go somewhere!

It was good to wake up and have it NOT BE RAINING!!

Columbia Falls: Equipment Check

After the downpour and before starting out again, I checked the bike and kayak. Good thing, as the bike was leaning and needed to be re-set.

The kayak needed checking, too. Even though there is a cover over the cockpit, it's neoprene and therefore not fully waterproof. After all the rain, it seemed prudent to go ahead and take it off to see what damage there was.

Who can resist an adorable chocolate bunny?

So yes, Cap'n, we had taken on water, but it could have been worse. There was probably bout 3" of water in the bottom. It makes the kayak quite a bit heavier (not good for being on the roof or vehicle handling), so it was good to get it off and get the water out. I hope it can continue to dry out, but on the other hand it's good to know what the equipment can take.

(At some point I'm going to have to do some boat maintenance, plus I realize that I'd forgotten to get the float bag replacements. Oops. Will have to think about how to handle that! Surely there will be float bags available ahead on my route!)

View north across the Flathead River towards Glacier NP.

While reattaching the kayak, this unusually marked bunny came out for a breakfast nibble of dewy grass. What is it about rabbits that makes them just so darn cute?

I stopped at West Glacier, as there was an Alberta Visitor Center. Figured it was a good idea to get some advice, especially since I'll probably most of the time be without phone service.

No idea what bird this is, but it was very cute!

Wow. What an excellent source of information! The gals there were GREAT. They spent a lot of time with me, listening to what I wanted to see, and making recommendations. I came away loaded with brochures and maps and loads of information. They were quite ecstatic that I was in no hurry and planned on spending up to a month in Alberta and the Yukon. They also made some tech/phone recommendations, so it was a really worthwhile stop.

Glacier NP: Goat Lick

It is so wonderful to be able to stop whenever one wishes. The next memorable stop was at Goat Lick.

I stopped in the later afternoon in the hopes that there might be some mountain goats. Got all armed with scope, tripod and cameras and walked out to the viewing platform. Goat Lick is at the sides of a canyon (still on the Flathead River) where minerals in the rocks leach out and apparently they are quite tasty to mountain goats. It's supposed to be fairly easy to see them, as they cling to the sides of the canyon.

High on a hill was a lonely goat...

Well, I didn't see any, but just decided to chill out and enjoy the lack of rain, cool breeze and rushing of the river. A group of people came up. They had been there earlier in the day, and knew exactly what to look for. Turns out there WAS a goat... a baby. I had seen it earlier, but just thought it was a stump!

Somewhat embarrassed, I got out the scope and, gosh, but it's great to have it. And it's fun to share, too. The goat really wasn't doing very much — it was pretty obliging by moving a little, and then standing still, thinking goat thoughts.

We all wondered where its momma was, but none of the people who came up could find any others. So I count myself lucky to have seen just one.

I'm sure there will be more on my travels, but always seeing the first of a particular animal is exciting.

Glacier lily in the sun.

Marias Pass: Continental Divide

There was supposed to be another letterbox at the Continental Divide, but I couldn't find it.

On these explorations, it's the journey that's important, not the prize (although that's fun). I poked around a bit in the forest where it was supposed to be ("between three pine trees under a rock covered with plant debris"), but didn't find anything.

It was fine, though, because the forest floor was just COVERED with glacier lilies. These delicate flowers are possibly my favorite wildflowers after columbines, ranking right up there with shooting stars. Perhaps it's because they are one of the first wildflowers, and so fleeting.

The sun was at a very low angle, and it was interesting to use the light. It's such fun to play with photography. I'm learning a lot about what works and what doesn't, and when it's appropriate to use different cameras.

The view at Marias Pass is spectacular. I'll need to add to this, but want to post, because my battery is dying, and I have to get back to my campsite.

I'm taking off the next few days. I've requested mail here at East Glacier: my first try at "General Delivery" as I have a passel of mail accumulating in South Dakota, and want to pick it up before heading into Canada where it's more expensive to mail. I just hope it gets here Saturday before the long weekend, but such is life if it doesn't. Things could be worse!

So long... be in touch soon.