This morning we got up and checked out the forested area surrounding our campsite. We played with the Boys awhile...
Apparently, Merlin can move at the speed of light! HA HA HA HA
...and made them pose for some pictures. Awww...aren't they handsome…?!!!
We went to the Visitor Center and chatted with Aimee, the oh so friendly park ranger (seriously, she was really nice, I’m not being sarcastic). We listened to her Ranger Talk and then asked her a few things about the park. We specifically asked her about her favorite areas and she told us about the views of the glaciers at the end of a 12 mile dirt road in the central part of the park. We thanked her for the info., headed back to the trailer, had lunch, then took a drive along Cascade River Road (her suggested route).
Much to our surprise, we actually spotted Sasquatch along the way.
He smiled and waved - at least, I think it was a smile – it may have just been gas. Either way, he looked a little rough. In hindsight, I should have offered him a tissue.
Anyway, we stopped by two of the NF campgrounds along Cascade River Road and were shocked at how densely packed the forests are.
The ride along Cascade River Road was beautiful. The road was narrow, twisty, and had some great views.
Two of my Boys... ;)
The wildflowers were STILL in bloom.
The end of Cascade River Road terminates in a parking area and trailhead. Not up to a vigorous hike (and not properly geared anyway), we had to be content with the available views from the parking lot. Parking lot views or not, it was still a beautiful site.
The fog rolled and danced along the tops of the mountains and transformed the view of the glaciers minute by minute.
While we were watching the changes unfold in front of us, we heard the loud rumble of a section of glacier cracking away from the mountain top and crashing to the ground. Uh...that was cool.
A small group of backpackers arrived from their overnight hike to one of the glaciers and we briefly chatted with them a bit. They all looked pretty beat and happy to get to their warm cars.
After a few more minutes of watching the fog roll by, we headed back to Marblemount and then west along route 20 to check out some other campgrounds in the area.
At a pulloff, we stopped to watch the elk lying in the open field.
Merlin and Twister were intrigued...
We got back “home” around 8pm, ate dinner, copied pics to the computer and then headed to bed.
Not an uber adventurous day, but I don’t suspect that the next few weeks will be very exciting from an activity level standpoint. Still, we’re on an amazing trip across the country, so even if a busted up rib keeps me from being active, just driving around and seeing what this side of the country has to offer is still pretty entertaining. Nothing on the east coast can compare to the incredible mountain vistas, the glimpses of glaciers or the miles and miles of pristine lakes that abound out here.
We love Western North Carolina and Maine's coast and New Hampshire’s White Mountains are beautiful as well, but everything out here is just on a much larger scale with so many unique features that you just can’t get back home. I feel really fortunate to have this opportunity and am so glad to be out here. Regardless of my now restricted activity level, I really want to make the most of our time out here and enjoy as much as we can. Life is short after all. We might not get a chance to do this again.
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