We knew the weather was not going to be favorable today, so we planned on some activities in which the weather did not impact much. After breakfast we gathered our supplies for the day and headed south to the town of Bigfork. Finding the little unique shops in small towns can be interesting. I often wonder how some of these small towns got their names. Did Bigfork actually have a big fork in it? Or did it simply mean something else? Either way we were in route. As soon as we got on the highway, the rain started and did not stop the entire day. Unfavorable. We reached Bigfork at the same time we notice the huge lake next to the road. We followed the sign for the historic section and found the appropriate area which ... read more

Our Glacier National Park trip began today and it started out in the dark. We had the alarm set for 3:15am for our early flight, but for some odd reason our power went out around 2:30am. What's worse than having to get ready at 3am for a flight - getting ready at 3am in the complete darkness. Can't see what we forgot to pack and can't even see what we might look like after an attempt to be presentable using a flashlight. And as luck would have it, the power came back on as we were heading out the door. Pretty typical for me. We made it to our flight with no other issues and changed planes in Chicago. I guess I can technically say I have been to Illinois now. We landed safely in Kilespell, ... read more

Today we decided to give finding Bullwinkle another shot. We got up extra early and went back into Yellowstone and began our search for more wildlife. It did not take long to locate the elk. We saw a group of photographers perfecting their skills with their extra long lenses at one of the elk sites. Another elk herd we came upon had 2 bulls which we expected to see some friction between the two, but they both remained calm. One kept to himself and the other with his herd of does, so no dominance illustration was warranted. We continued on searching and found many bison along the way and even encountered a couple of bison jams. We made our way to Hayden Valley where we ran into the WSC (Wolf Stalkers Club) again. We joined them ... read more

We got up extra early today for we had plans that required an early departure. To my surprise the rest of our crew got up right after I did with no prodding and no complaining. We were tackling a long hike and wanted to be in the park early enough to see the wildlife before the hike. The wildlife likes to come out right at sun up and right after sun down. So we were there waiting at sun up and the animals did not disappoint. We were all up, showered, dressed, and packed before I knew it. I made us a gourmet lunch - well as gourmet as PBJ sandwiches can get and we were ready to go. As soon as we pulled out of the cabin area we were greeted by 2 buck deer ... read more

Today we drove around and through Yellowstone park. After our experience with the altitude yesterday, we chose to not do the planned hike for the day. A little disappointing but felt it was necessary. We started out in Lamar Valley which is known for its wildlife. It wasn't long before we saw a large group gathered with many cameras out, so we decided to join the camera party. We searched the area but did not see anything. So we started talking to some of the people standing there and realize they are watching wolves. This must be the same secret wolf watching club we ran into last year. I call them the 'Wolf Stalkers Club'. Membership grants you unlimited communication with other members so you always know where the wolves are and where they are going ... read more