THE SHUNPIKE EXPERIMENT
A 15,000 Mile Trip from New Orleans to Alaska & Back
Kintla Lake Day 4 – Many Glacier
We are planning to backcountry camp tomorrow but the permits are back at the Polebridge ranger station (dumb).
The road back to Polebridge is infested with potholes (worst I’ve ever seen) and takes an hour or so.
We decided to make a day of it and drive around the park to Many Glacier.
Jimmy & KKF joined Michel and I in the van.
Brendan, Leslie, Blaine and Alex used Jimmys truck.
We stopped in West Glacier and grabbed some pay phones to check in with Mics family.
And take some “head shots”.
Thanks Blaine
The park is truly awesome.
We cruised around the perimeter of the park taking in the beauty.
I love these shots of Brendan:
Some of us were snoozing…
In East Glacier we stopped to stretch our legs, explore the lodge…
…and confirm we were on the right track.
Many Glacier is a pretty impressive place. It sits right in the middle of a pretty aggressive alpine valley.
A thunderstorm came through the valley and brought an ominous, powerful feeling.
The Shining?
We ate at the Lodge at Many Glacier.
They were doing a bunch of remodeling The food was just ok. We tried elk and bison sausage but it was overwhelmed by the smell of varnish from the remodel. The service was lacking. “We don’t have balsamic.” Whatever. It is an amazing place.
Kintla Lake Day 3
Relaxing day today.
Other than these Mosquitos. It’s seriously reason not to come back. I got up early this morning to watch the sunrise. I set up my video camera to do a time lapse. It’s a long sunrise around here. I set up the camera at 4:45 when it began getting light.
The sun didn’t break over the mountains until 6:30. Not all that impressive of a sunrise either. Not many colors and just a gradual increase in light over a couple hours. Still my favorite time of day…
The whole gang went on a hike around the western rim of the lake.
I felt really good to get a few miles of hiking. Mic was a big help, as usual.
John, the camp host let us try out his mosquito nets.
Not sure if the nets were actually helpful or not.
Uncle Jimmy showed up after losing a starter somewhere in eastern Montana.
Jimmy is always good for some excellent campfire stories. “Hey Babe, take a walk on the wild side.”
Kintla Lake Day 2 – Hippie Surfer Bus
Kyle got up early to fish in the Guzzie this morning.
A worthy vessel:
The campsite is situated right where Kintla Lake drains to Kintla River. A nice place to be. Also, Leslie discovered that there are way less mosquitos on the bridge.
Today was mostly for relaxing.
We spent a lot of time with John, the Site Host, who has spent many summers in Alaska. He has an amazing photo book with hundreds of bear pictures. Mostly, bear slaying Salmon.
Michel and I hiked (east) around the lake to the Ranger station and shot some video journals at ‘Rock Skipping’ beach. This whole lake is full of flat round stones, perfect for skipping rocks.
We chatted with Lyle, the ranger, for a bit. This dude is 91. The oldest ranger in the parks system. Sharp fella. Good life.
Anyone know why some beach rocks become flat and why some become round?
Brendan and I went for a quick swim.
Swim vid: to be posted soon.
Michel and I made Spaghetti tonight for dinner. We used my Dads recipe which, I think, evolved from my Grandma Leola Cuzzetto.
Blaine and Alex showed up in the Hippie Surfer Bus/House.
It’s nice to sit in one place for a while.
Can’t sit in one place too long… Damn mosquitoes!
More mosquitoes today. It’s warmer.
“The Bottom of Your Sole will Burn”
I got my crocs a little close to the fire. Someone made the above comment. It sounded like something out of Revelations but actually useful. A good quote for the day.
Wallace
We stopped for lunch in Wallace, ID. Been there?
A really cool little town that used to have to only stoplight between Seattle and Boston I-90.
We had lunch here…
The sun is out. The temperature is perfect (michel moved into the shade when we were eating outside).
Kyle and Brendan jumped in the river before lunch…
It’s a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest.
We will soon be out of cell range so we won’t be posting for several days. I will try to use the Spot Connect (upper right of this page). Let me know if it’s working.
We love y’all.
Better now than never…
Rolling…
Kyle, Kath & Finn (KKF) flew into Lewiston last night and met up with Brendan and Leslie (Team Amazing). They packed there and drove to Spokane first thing this morning.
We all met at Blaine’s on the South Hill. This is the first time we have all been together into a very long time.
KKF thew their gear into the Ironhorse…
A few last minute discussions about routes and waypoints…
…my Dad showed up on his motorcycle to escort us out of town.
Packing Up & The Monterrey Jellyfish
Saturday we loaded the van with groceries and filled the water reservoir.
Batteries are full. These solar panels seem to be working out great.
We used Mike’s recipe to make an S-load of spaghetti sauce. We’ll be cooking for 8 for 2 nights in Glacier National Park.
We also got Michel some practical clothes to keep her warm on the trip. I didn’t say she looks like a lesbian with those pants on and that short hair.
Saturday night we rally the Spokane crew to watch the US-Mexico Gold Cup Final soccer game.
Uncle Jimmy and Colin passes through on the way to North Dakota
Other than the regulars…
…talkin story with HT…
…we had Joe Kelleher join us. He is in from his teaching gig in Monterrey, Mexico.
It is always a treat to see Joe.
Joe, when I type your last name, my phone keeps auto correcting to jellyfish. Mucho Gusto
Jellyfish.
Swingin Doors:
Mexico 4 – USA 2. Lame.
Haircuts and Gail
So I’m a little late in writing about this, but Steve and I got our hair chopped by the lovely Lindsay and her assistant Jimmy.
Steve shed his greasy Jesus look and looks again like a hot teenage boy, which is my personal favorite..
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I, on the other hand, chopped 10″ of ponytail off to donate to “locks for love”.
Look how bizarre the top of the ponytail is. Like a blush brush that makeup wearers use, made of human hair..
NEW PONYTAIL:
Great cause, yes, but I can’t say the experience was painless. I’ve had long hair since the 5th grade and have never had my hair even remotely this short. And I’m not one for change.
However, Lindsay did a great job and made me look presentable.. even though I look like sally the soccer mom.
And paired with my growing face and new oversized camping clothes, it’s really an interesting look. More like Betty the northwest Butch.
Anyhoo – after the cut – we hung out with Gail Gleason and Dave Martin – had a delicious dinner at the Flying Goat – my favorite pizza in Spokane.
The pizza below is Amazing.
The Kiernan:
Italian Sausage, arugula, house cheese blend, heavy cream, over a medium egg and topped with arugula in truffle oil.
The next morning Steve, Gail and I ate at “Fergusons”, which appeared in the critically acclaimed 80’s movie called “Benny and June”.. as well as the not so critically acclaimed movie called “Vision Quest”.
Great spending time with Gail.
Spokane
Michel and I have spent a couple days resting at my Dad’s house
Kristin (stepsis) stopped by with Layne & Lucy.
Thursday night my dad grilled fresh Silver Salmon from Loon Lake.
Is this fit for blog?
Ryan Thielman (Putzy) stopped by for a cold beer and some homemade Blueberry Ice cream.
“learning to walk again”:
Back on the Horse
I took the van into Becker Buick/GMC this morning for a regular service check.
These guys were recommended by a few different people and were organized and friendly when I dropped of the van. A very different story from the New Orleans dealerships I’ve worked with.
Getting the Ironhorse tuned up:
THE SHUNPIKE EXPERIMENT 