Valdez Glacier Explorations

 There was a lot to explore in this lake.  We were not sure what would be safe, and we were very cautious.  After a while, we met a tour group near the glacier.  The group was kayaking deep into the fjords and the tour guide was friendly.  She approached us and suggested we go looking for some of the ice caves that were nearby.  She told us where to go. 

 

First Day on the Road to Alaska

 The first day of our road trip to Alaska and back, we traveled 600 miles from Billings to Banff, Canada.  We hoped to find a campsite in the National park, but all that was available was the Overflow camping.  It was just fine - we were happy to have a place to park our rig and catch some sleep.  We had dinner in the quaint little town of Banff, at a Mexican place and drove up to the overlook above town where we chanced to meet this handsome Stone Sheep.  It was remarkably warm this day - in the 90's in the Canadian Rockies.  The date was June 27, 2015.

One Last Post about the Charlie Russell Chew Choo

 This grain elevator is all that's left of the former town of Ware, Montana.  There was once a village of 300 here. 

 

Another view of a trestle passing over the Judith River with the Judith Mountains off in the distance (above).  

Our rambling singer (below).  There was a lot of dancing and singing after the prime rib dinner was cleared away.

http://www.montanadinnertrain.com/

Charlie Russell Chew Choo Showdown Skit

After robbing the train, all the characters disembarked and then there was a little shoot out in the town for all to see. 

Charlie Russell Chew Choo Train Robbery

 The outlaw gunmen followed the girls onto the train and they all did their best to pick up what was left of the "money" on our tables.

Charlie Russell Chew Choo Train Stop

 The girls made their way through the train first, stopping to visit at each table, picking up what they could of the "fake money" that had been provided at our tables.  Lots of flirting going on with this group!

Pretty much every male passenger was left with a big lipstick kiss on them someplace.  Young and old were especially treated with kisses.  We saw a lot of young boys and men with lipstick kiss marks on their cheeks!

Charlie Russell Train Hold Up

 Rustlers on horseback stopped the train near this little "town". 

 The first to board the train were the "girls".

Charlie Russell Chew Choo Scenery

 In early May, the grass is just greening up in Central Montana.  The tracks pass through vast agricultural areas and a few abandoned towns.  We were able to view 5 different mountain ranges from the train as we traveled along the tracks to Denton.  Above - the Big Snowy Mountains are off in the distance.  Below, the Judith Mountains - closer and snowless.

The train passes over three huge trestles along the way.  These are amazing works of engineering and construction!  Above, the view down to the Judith River, with the trestle shadow and a bit of the Judith mountains off in the distance.

If you are interested - here is the website:

http://www.montanadinnertrain.com/

Charlie Russell Chew Choo, Lewistown, Montana

I recently had the pleasure of riding this historic dinner train called the Charlie Russell Chew Choo.  We boarded the train just outside Lewistown, Montana.  Our group included my husband and myself, my parents, my older sister and her husband.  Here is what it looked like as we were climbing aboard about 1 PM on a May afternoon.  We knew we would be served a multiple course prime rib dinner and there would be entertainment.  This was our first experience on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo.  Adding to the fun - a film crew from the Food Network was there filming for a segment on their channel.  I believe it will be on "Worlds Weirdest Restaurants", but I do not yet know the dates it will be showing.

Yellowstone River Agates

 The shores of the Yellowstone River from Pompey's Pillar east to where the Yellowstone joins up with the Missouri are rich in agate deposits.  These deposits are reportedly 20' deep in places and extend for many miles.  The time to look for them is late fall, winter or early spring before the water rises. 

Old Barns

Leaning Barn

I can hardly believe this building is still standing.

Old Montana Farmstead

 We recently visited the Captain Clark fishing access on the Yellowstone River.  The access is large and includes an abandoned farmstead.  We were curious, so we took a self guided tour.

Thompson Falls Fires from our September Road Trip

 These are the last photos I will share from our September Road Trip to Northwestern Montana.  We drove west into Idaho as far as Coeur d'alene, where Joe planned to attend an event.  We drove through Thompson Falls - and saw country we had never seen before.  These two small forest fires took us by surprise.

Breakfast at Many Glacier

 Steam was rising off Swiftcurrent Creek, too.  We had our breakfast on the banks of Swiftcurrent Lake.  Unbelievable!

Swiftcurrent Lake in the Morning

 One of the rewards of rising early was the opportunity to watch the steam rise off the surface of Swiftcurrent Lake.

Many Glacier Hotel

 We spent the night at Many Glacier and got up early to get some early morning photos of the sun on the mountains.  We were not disappointed (it was chilly, though).

Going to Glacier National Park

 In September, we spent a week in Northwestern Montana.  Several of those days were spent in Glacier National Park.  There were some beautiful days and some days that were very wintery.  This beautiful day, we drove from the entrance at West Glacier to Many Glacier on the opposite side of the park.  Above, is Lake Sherburne.  Below is Saint Mary Lake.  Both pictures were taken late in the day with the sun dipping low in the sky.

Hungry Horse Dam

Adapted from Wikipedia:  Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam on the South Fork Flathead River. 

The dam is 564 feet in height and was the third largest dam, and second highest concrete dam, in the world at the time of its completion in 1953.   The dam's spillway is the highest morning glory structure in the world.

 The Hungry Horse Project was built for irrigation, flood control, navigation, stream flow regulation, hydroelectric generation, and other beneficial uses such as recreation.  However, no irrigation facilities were built and the project has no irrigation obligations. Hydroelectric power generation is the primary purpose of the dam today. Flood control is the dam's other main purpose. The dam, reservoir, and surrounding area are used for recreation.

Devil's Canyon Overlook at Bighorn Canyon