11 September 2025
We left Billings around 10:30 and, once again, headed west on I-90. The wind was incredibly strong, and we weren’t able to safely maintain the 80 MPH speed limit. Nonetheless, we pulled up in front of the Gallatin History Museum in Bozeman two hours later. The museum is housed in the former jail, which was active between 1911 and 1982; we were really surprised that it was so contemporary. The exhibits of Montana history were quite interesting, but the best stories were those of former prisoners and their crimes. It looks like they could still lock up a few baddies today!
After an hour, we left the museum and went for a late lunch at Bridger Brewing Company. We sat outside on the patio overlooking the Montana State University campus and had beer and pizza – both were delicious. Naturally, we weren’t able to finish the pizza, so we took it with us for tomorrow.
We checked into our hotel and chilled for an hour then did a load of laundry and reorganized our gear since we will be camping for the next two nights.
Unfortunately, no wildlife – a rather mundane day.
Accommodation: Springhill Suites (1 Night)
Travel:148 Miles / 2 Hours
12 September 2025
Following a leisurely morning – we skipped breakfast in favor of our leftover pizza – and a stop at Safeway, we got on the road around 11:30 for the ~3-hour drive to Salmon Lake State Park. The scenery was beautiful along the way, but again, no wildlife. After a stop for gas, and two rest stops, we arrived at our campsite at 3:00. We have a beautiful lake view! Even the camp host told us that we had a great site! We had a few sprinkles over the next hour, but nothing at all significant. Mark said that we would get 5 drops of rain and then it would quit – that was pretty accurate!
The campground is nice, but the sites are quite close together so there is no privacy. It’s not the worst we have ever stayed in so we aren’t complaining!
The rain quit completely by 5:00 and the evening and night were clear; it did get cold though – to the mid-40’s overnight. Fortunately, we were allowed to have a fire – there are parts of Montana and Wyoming that are very dry and fire restrictions are in place. We were cozy sitting by the fire and later, tucked in our sleeping bags in the tent.
Travel: 213 M / 3.5 Hours
Accommodation: Salmon Lake State Park (2 Nights)
13 September 2025
We slept until 8:30 this morning – it felt amazing until we got outside in the 45* air! The first order of business was the restroom followed immediately by hot coffee. We finally got around to eating breakfast at 10:00, got the tent, etc. stowed and left to explore the area.
We stopped at Placid Lake State Park, where we had considered camping. The campground is not nearly as nice as Salmon Lake, so that worked out well. We drove part way around the lake and some of the homes were gorgeous – the quintessential lake front property!
Our next stop was at Lake Alva in the National Forest. None of the camping sites had a lake view as the campground was set too far back from the lake. But we did see a deer on the way out. It was beautiful! We drove down Beaver Creek Road (gravel forest road), and saw two more deer, but no beavers – even at the creek.
On the way back to Salmon Lake, we stopped at Seely Lake for firewood and ice and also stopped at a food truck for a smash burger. We got one each – the Bigfoot Burger (1/4 pound with pepper jack cheese, onions, tomato, lettuce) and ate the whole thing! It was fantastic! We may stop there in the morning for a breakfast burrito, if they are open.
We were back to our campsite by 3:00 and the afternoon was beautiful. We got our fire going around 5:30 and enjoyed the evening. Funny story – a lady walked by this evening and was very interested in our Roof Nest. We made small talk and found out that she lives in the Villages (Florida) and is on a 10-week trip with a girlfriend. Small world!!
A note to end the evening: We were repeatedly warned about bears and wild cats. Mark set up our trail cam for the night – hopefully, we will capture something!
14 September 2025
This morning we were up at 7:30 and pulled out of the Park a few minutes before 8:30. We saw a lot of deer as we drove north on Montana Highway 83. We stopped just outside of Condon for gas around 9:15 – there is also a deli and mercantile store; got a made-to-order turkey and swiss sandwich (with tons of fixings!), as well as a breakfast muffin, and got back on the road. We stopped at a pull off near Swan Lake and shared half of the sandwich and half of the muffin for breakfast (both were delicious!!).
We made good time – after a brief stop in Columbia Falls to scope out where we are staying tonight, we were at the gate to enter Glacier National Park just before noon. We stopped at the visitor center at Apgar on the west side of the Park and ate the remainder of our sandwich and muffin. Our timed reservation for Going to the Sun Road was between 1:00 and 3:00. We pulled up at 1:02 and were through just a few minutes later. There was a lot to see and multiple pull-offs along the 48-mile route to St. Mary on the east side. The scenery varied greatly between lakes, mountains, creeks, glaciers, prairies, etc. – we saw it all. Unfortunately, it was a very hazy day so conditions were not the best for pictures. It took us over 2.5 hours to traverse the road west to east; going back east to west was slightly quicker at just under 2 hours. The weather was beautifully sunny on the way east, but was overcast and rainy on the way back to the west.
An interesting note – there are vehicle size restrictions on Going to the Sun Highway. No vehicles greater than 21′ (single or combined towing) or wider than 8′ are permitted. This means that most RVs / travel trailers are not allowed, so the park runs “Red Bus Tours.” The vintage 1930s buses seat 16 people in four rows of four individuals (Mark remembers one of these buses being sold on Mecum). The seat size is not particularly generous – after all we are talking 1930s standards versus 2025! Not sure how frequently they run, but the buses were everywhere along the Going to the Sun route. There were few places that we pulled off where there were not 2-3 buses parked.
We can definitely see why the size restrictions are in place. There were many corners where the stone juts into the road and you are just hugging the line while opposing traffic is trying not to go over the cliff. It may sound dramatic, but the roads were constructed in 1926 when no one could imagine the large trucks and SUVs that we all drive today.
We checked into the condo at 5:40, dropped our bags and went back out for groceries and gas. We were back in plenty of time for the 7:00 PM release of the timed entry passes for the North Fork tomorrow morning. We made a reservation for the 9:00-11:00 slot – we will plan to leave the condo by 8:30 and be at the West Gate around 9:00. From the gate at West Glacier, it is about 45-60 minutes to Polebridge (the entry point for the North Fork), which will put us in the middle of our timed entry pass.
We had a late night – by the time we had dinner and cleaned up the dishes, worked on the blog, etc. it was after 11:00 and we collapsed into bed!
Accommodation: Meadow Lake Resort (2 Nights)
Travel: 213 Miles / 9 Hours (Including Going to the Sun Road)
15 September 2025
We left the condo this morning at 8:30, stopping in Coram at Canyon Critter Coffee for breakfast sandwiches and a huckleberry tart (described as their version of a pop tart with huckleberry cream cheese frosting). Once again, we entered through the West Gate and made our way on Camas Road toward Polebridge. We got to the gate at Polebridge at 9:55 and set out on the North Fork toward Kintla. The weather was terrible – overcast with fog that obscured the mountains and most of the views. And, the dirt roads were mucky and slick – definitely slow going. Because of the poor conditions, we decided not to drive the entire 15 miles to Kintla – it had already taken us an hour to drive 9 miles. However, we did drive 6 miles out and then 6 miles back to Bowman Lake; due to the switchbacks and rough road, that also took an hour!
We were really hopeful to see some wildlife – elk, bighorn sheep, moose, bear – but we saw only deer. A disappointing outing, not that the deer aren’t beautiful.
By the time we made our way out of the park and back to Columbia Falls, it was 2:00. The truck was absolutely caked with mud, so we had to find a car wash. There is a self-serve, do-it-yourself wash here in Columbia Falls, but there was a no touch was in Whitefish, just 8 miles away. We opted for the latter and got the worst of the mud off – you can see the tire stripes in the picture as the wash didn’t get the complete job done. But, it was a huge improvement!
After the car wash, we drove into Whitefish and ate a late lunch at Blackstar Brew Pub (Markus and I shared a chicken sandwich). We returned to Columbia Falls and stopped at the grocery store for provisions for the next couple of days. We baked pork chops for our late dinner, along with broccoli cheese rice – have loads of left overs for tomorrow and Wednesday.
We got a load of laundry done – never miss an opportunity! After enjoying the sunset, we called it a night.
Travel: 89 Miles / 6 Hours
16 September 2025
We had a morning visitor as we were packing and getting ready to leave – a beautiful young deer! She still had spots on her shoulders and hind quarters, but she was not with her mother.
We left Meadow Lake just before 10:00 and commenced the 375 mile drive south. There was a little rain on I-90 east, but otherwise, the journey was uneventful. We stopped at a rest area just east of Missoula and shared a pork chop sandwich (leftover from last night) for brunch.
Once we left I-90, the drive along the Gallatin River and through the Gallatin Canyon along Highway 191 was scenic but no wildlife – perhaps there was too much traffic. We arrived at The Wilson Hotel around 4:15. We received two complimentary refillable water bottles (so environmentally friendly!) and a $20 food and beverage credit, which we used for a glass of wine at the bar. The hotel is really nice; there is a market and a liquor store in the same complex. We checked out the market, which was very nice, but we didn’t need anything so we left without any purchases. We also stopped in the liquor store since I wanted to buy a bottle of Bozeman Spirits Distillery’s Huckleberry Vodka – available in an aluminum bottle to take home!
We cooked chicken with pasta for dinner and have a ton of leftovers for the next couple of days (and we still have pork chops and rice left!). We definitely don’t need to buy food for the next few days.
Accommodation: Residence Inn / The Wilson Hotel Big Sky (1 Night)
Travel: 375 Miles / 6.5 Hours
17 September 2025
We left the Wilson Hotel at 9:45 and after a brief stop for gas, headed to West Yellowstone. We entered the Yellowstone West Gate at 11:15 and almost immediately hit a dead stop. It took us 1.25 hours to go 6 miles, and we had no idea what the hold up was. After that, we were able to maintain the speed limit (varies between 25 and 45 mph) and explored the north loop in its entirety. We stopped at Gibbons Falls, drove along Virginia’s Cascades, stopped at Tower Falls (got ice cream at the general store – so yum!), and ended the day at Lamar Valley before making the return trip on the Grand Loop Road to the hotel.
As we were coming through the Yellowstone Gate, the Ranger asked us if this was our first visit to the park. I told her that I had been in the park 46 years ago – to which she replied, “welcome back”! The weather was beautifully sunny, and the temperatures were mild – in the 60’s almost all day. We climbed (what I mean is the truck climbed) to an elevation of just under 9,000 feet and then we came back down the mountain to our current altitude of about 6,700 feet. The minimum altitude today was about 6,300 feet.
In terms of wildlife, our day didn’t start out all that well – but it certainly improved in the late afternoon. We saw numerous herds of bison and several pronghorn. We also saw a small herd of bighorn sheep ~15 in total (females / young), as we were leaving Tower Falls. And, to end the day, we saw a mama black bear with her cub about 6 miles from Mammoth Hot Springs, and then finally, several elk (including two bulls) on the hotel grounds. It is the fall elk rut – aka mating season – and to hear the bugle of the males is unforgettable! Markus thinks it sounds like kids screaming in terror. I’m not sure I would say it’s that bad, but it is definitely ear splitting.
By the time we got to our cabin and got our bags unloaded, it was 6:45. Unfortunately, the Terrace Grille closed at 7:00, so we had to go to the Dining Room. The wait for a table was 90 minutes; we opted for appetizers in the lounge – Wagyu Sliders and Wings along with a glass of wine. The food was really good, but it had been a really long day, so we returned to our cabin. We are planning on an early start in the morning, so we are shooting for an early night.
We have another funny story to share. As we were headed to the Lamar Valley, we pulled into one of the turn offs. This pull off was particularly busy – there were many people that had spotting scopes set up. The main attraction was an osprey nest where one young osprey remained; its parents were gone, but it continued to use the nest. We started talking with a lady that offered to let us view the bird through her scope and it turns out that she used to live in Ponce Inlet! We think it was the late 1970’s, but regardless of the year, what are the chances?!! She obviously returns occasionally because we had a discussion about all of the restaurants (North Turn, Inlet Harbor, Off the Hook, etc.) and the hurricane damage in recent years.
Note: Additional wildlife pictures will be added in the next few days.
Wyoming Excerpt from May 11, 1979 Journal (My 14 Year Old Self): Today we drove through Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We saw about 110 bison and 40 elk. We didn’t see a single bear. We saw Old Faithful, the Upper and Lower Falls (they don’t compare to Niagara but the fall into a canyon). The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was gorgeous. The rock looks like rainbow sherbet with a river separating the banks. Part of Yellowstone was closed due to snow (that’s probably where the bears were). Today at Yellowstone, we saw a lot of chipmunks. Wendy and I fed a couple of them crackers. The held them in their paws and ate them. The third buffalo we saw was standing on the road not 20 feet away. Grandma yelled to be careful he didn’t get me when I rolled my window down.
Accommodation: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins (1 Night)
Travel: 147 Miles / 8.5 Hours (Including the North Loop)
Wildlife: Bison, Pronghorn, Mountain Goat, Elk, Black Bear