As a graduate of Recreation Administration, from San Diego State University, I have made recreation and travels my career and life’s passion. After graduation, I traveled solo for one year throughout the South Pacific, doing travel photography in a wide variety of settings. Upon my return, many of my photographs became the subjects of my newly created line of handcrafted photographic greeting cards, "Exquisite! By, Elaine", a business I have had since 1986. Check them out at: http://ExquisiteCards.fototime.com .
In 1983, I began teaming up with my mom, Goldie, teaching arts & crafts to cruise ship passengers, aboard Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. In addition, I lectured on travel photography, as well as Australia and New Zealand history, aboard Princess Cruises.
In 2004, I formed a new teaching team with my recently retired husband, Bruce, who serves as my "humble assistant" until 2010 when the cruise lines shifted the arts and crafts program to mostly being taught by their own staff.
Currently, our favorite mode of travel is by river boat. Along the way, we enjoy poking around small European towns, meeting the people, seeking out interesting photo subjects, and always stopping at every chocolatier to make a purchase. Adding to my chocolate label and wrapper collection is a bonus! And, as a U.S. Masters swimmer, if I can find a pool to get in a swim with the locals, all the better!
Cheers!
Elaine-iaK
~ Believing in your dreams can be far more rewarding than living by your limitations~ -Karla Peterson
A one-hour train ride from Bologna is Ravenna, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its complex of early Christian mosaics and monuments. Ravenna was the seat of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century and later the westernmost outpost of the Byzantine Empire. This town is full of history, but it was the gorgeous mosaics we found most intriguing.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Our jaws dropped when we entered the 1,400-year-old octagonal shaped Basilica of San Vitaleand saw the mosaics representing scenes from the Old Testament, as well as depictions of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. We were mesmerized by the beautiful detail of the ceiling mosaics and even the floor.
Even the mosaic floor was beautiful!
Basilica San Francesco; the mosaics were underwater, and there were goldfish swimming around!
The mosaic ceiling in the Tomb of Dante
Our group: Oscar, Jenny, Mark, Deb, Nancy, Bruce, and me
In the afternoon, we visited the workshop of one of Ravenna’s most skilled restorers of mosaics. Ivana demonstrated how mosaics are made and restored, which was fascinating.
These were mosaics Ivana made for sale in her workshop gallery.
An included lunch in between was atPasatelli, a restaurant that had previously been a movie theater. It is still used for movies and performances that can be enjoyed while dining on delicious Italian cuisine. While most of the group dined on a sampling of locally made prosciutto, mortadella, and salami, I enjoyed the array of parmesan cheeses and a vegetarian salad. It was a memorable 3-course (with wine) feast!
The following are a few photos shot while walking the streets of Ravenna:
This is not wide angle distortion, folks. This tower really was leaning! Supports have been added to the bottom section to prevent it from toppling over.
This massive mound of sundried tomatoes took up an entire five-foot table!
After our train ride back to Bologna, our driver took a detour so we could enjoy a panorama view of the city. It had been a beautiful, sunny day, and the city below shined in warm shades of terra cotta.
This was a view up from the garden of our hotel.
The day concluded with another delicious dinner accompanied by an artfully-presented basket of bread.
The following morning, we would be off to learn all about…
… The Making of Parmesan Cheese: A Stork Carries the Twins
Stay tuned!
Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off future travel– a win-win!
Italy is divided up into twenty regions, and each region is further divided into provinces. Bologna is located in the Emilia-Romagna region, in Northern Italy, and has a population of about 400,000. Known as the Red City for its Spanish-styled red tile rooftops, it is also known as the Fat City for its rich cuisine.
We sampled some of Bologna’s rich cuisine during our first dinner together, a delicious meal that concluded with a classic Italian dessert, panna cotta, a delicious custard topped with chocolate sauce. If this first meal was any indication of what was to follow over the next three weeks, we were in for many treats to come!
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Our first morning in Bologna was spent learning how to make tortellini and other varieties of pasta. Our tour leader, Oscar, jumped right in!
Oscar, 29, recently became a tour leader and was trained by Ben, the senior Italian tour leader who would be leading us throughout the base program in Tuscany and Umbria. (I will have more to share about Ben in future posts.)
Hailing from Rome, Oscar is a professional musician. When I asked him about his music in our pre-trip e-mails, he sent me a link to his music and website. Take a listen to this . That’s Oscar on bass, and he is a phenomenal talent!
It was Oscar’s music that inspired an instant connection both Bruce and I shared with him, because of our music backgrounds. We had a lot of fun talking music with him. Oscar has a great voice, too, and that night, when we returned to the same restaurant where we were taught how to make pasta, we got to hear it. In a conversation about classic rock bands, I happened to mention that The Who’s, “Behind Blue Eyes” was the only song I knew the words to that was also in my vocal range. He broke out in an impromptu rendition, encouraged me to join in, and then he harmonized with my melody line. I wonder what the other diners in the restaurant thought of that?
During another dinner, Oscar was telling us about an American jazz musician he met in Bologna at a music conference and mentioned this musician was a music professor at USC. I asked (half-joking, because of the slim odds), “Oh, was it Richard Smith?” Bruce and I had heard Richard perform in San Diego and talked with him a bit afterwards when I purchased his CD. Oscar, startled, took a business card out of his wallet and said, “Yes!” passing the card down for me to examine. I thought he was kidding, and the card would have another name on it, but sure enough, it was Richard Smith’s business card! Small world!!
What was it about Italy and small world stories? The first time I was in Rome, I was with my mom, and we were weaving our way through a very busy plaza between the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, when I spotted former San Diego Mayor, Roger Hedgecock. He was a member of the University Club where I was a server, trainer; and, created and ran a jazz dinner concert series. I had served him a few times, so we were familiar with each other. In Rome, he was leading a tour group of listeners of his radio talk show program.
Shocked to see him (I mean what were the chances???), I went up to say hello, not noticing who else was in the group. Then, I heard an excited voice from the group exclaim, “I know you! You serve us at the University Club!” It was Dr. Vance and his wife, two of my regulars at the club. And, that, my friends, is the photo op. that got away. Why didn’t I grab a picture of us???
Back to Oscar, we had a lot of laughs, a lot of fun, and a lot of gelato together during our six-day pre-extension. During one day in Parma, Bruce and I had gelato with Oscar during our afternoon free time AND for dessert with the group that night. He taught me how to order it in Italian, “Una coppetta di gelato al cioccolato, per favore?” I repeated that request many times throughout our three weeks in Italy…
Now, then, are more of the sites we saw in Bologna during our walking tour, in between making pasta and savoring our gelatos:
Bologna is a UNESCO-protected medieval city. One of the sites we toured was the University of Bologna that dates back to 1088, and was the first higher learning institute in the Western world.
The ceilings were incredibly ornate!
This narrow pedestrian street was full of restaurants and specialty grocery stores.
The Emilia-Romagna region is known for producing many Italian delicacies. We learned a lot about all of them in the days ahead.
That’s a lot of parmesan cheese!
A dessert on display where we opted for gelato, although this looked enticing!
This is “chocolate salami,” a dessert I did enjoy. It’s called “salami,” because it’s made in a salami-shaped log. Delizioso!
We were scheduled to go to Costa Rica this past January; however, a dysautonomia diagnosis last year was the convincing wake-up call that my body’s aversion to heat was going to override my heart’s love for tropical environments. Thirty years of trying to fit that square peg in a round hole was only getting worse.
Back to the drawing board with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), we decided to switch over to a cool-weather trip to Italy, during a not-too-hot-not-too-cold time period. We had visited the Calabria region in 2019, and we wanted to see more of Italy. Past cruise ship stops to the country while “working” as a guest lecturer aboard Princess Cruises with my mom had given me just enough of a taste of the Tuscany region that I knew I wanted to return. Thankfully, Bruce wanted to see more of Italy, too. While we were at it, we thought we would add on the pre-extension trip to Bologna and Parma.
Although we had done excellent small group tours with Vantage Travel and Odysseys Unlimited, this particular itinerary with Overseas Adventure Travel sounded great, and the company was highly recommended by several neighbors and friends. Besides, of the three companies, OAT’s tours have the smallest group size at 16 maximum.
As it turned out, there were six of us on the pre-extension and fifteen on the base trip. Fortunately, it was a fantastic group! We all got along, and everybody was on time, all the time. Our tour leaders even congratulated us on being such a great group to lead!
In the following days (more like weeks…), I will share our experiences and my photography of what turned out to be a perfect 21-day trip through the Emilia-Romagna, Toscana, and Umbria regions. We saw and learned so much! In addition to the history, we learned how mosaics are made and restored; and, how Carrara marble is extracted and worked. We also learned how pasta, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, wine, goat cheese, prosciutto, Parma ham, and chocolate are all made; and, we went on a truffle hunt in the mountains. We sampled it all—and, a lot of it! The food was delizioso!
Please join me on our Italian adventure. Add your e-mail to “Sign me up!” and you will be notified each time I post. (You can always unsubscribe later.) Grazie!
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
On our way to Italy!
Meanwhile, I will leave you today with a few scenes around Piazza Santo Stefano, the main square in Bologna and Basilica Santo Stefano:
Basilica of Santo Stefano, a complex of religious edifices
The Church of Holy Sepulchre dates back to the 5th century and was rebuilt in the 11th century by Benedictine monks following a Hungarian invasion.
Finally, we couldn’t complete our first day in Italy without a gelato. Oscar, our tour leader, sent us to his favorite place in town, a popular place!
That’s Bruce!
And, this is Oscar giving us a briefing on tomorrow’s events. (More on Oscar to come!)
Note: If small group travel is of interest to you, I highly recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). Although Bruce and I travel together, they do not charge a single supplement for those who travel on their own. Singles also get their own room at hotels. If you book, you can get $100 off your trip by providing my name and customer number (Elaine Krugman, #3018126) as the person who referred you. I will also get $100 off future travel– a win-win!
On October 1st, we took a quick overnight trip to North Georgia to return to a few favorite spotswe had visited during the same time period last year. Here are this years’ photo favorites:
This is one of three chickens that make themselves at home at the park and around the railroad track in Blue Ridge
Panorama Orchards had an interesting variety of gourds for sale!
Our final full day of the tour was spent in Banff National Park and the town of Banff. Jasper and Banff are the only incorporated municipalities within the Canadian National Park System, and Banff is the larger of the two at 8,000 permanent residents.
The day began with a visit to beautiful Bow Falls:
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
We were so fortunate to have such fabulous weather, because our next stop was back up the mountain past Rim Rock Resort for a gondola rideto the top of Sulphur Mountain. From the gondola and the top of the mountain, the panorama views of Banff National Park were stunning!
Playing tourist is hard work! Some of our group took a short break before heading back down the mountain.
Linda (left) and I love our matching Brooks running shoes!
Next, we went to see the Banff Hoodoos, some interesting eroded limestone formations (with a funny name!) that can be viewed from a walking trail with more spectacular views!
The remainder of the day was free to spend as we wanted, so Bruce and I opted to be dropped off in town where we hopped on the free shuttle for short visits to Two Jack Lake and Lake Minnewanka.
Two Jack Lake
We made sure to leave plenty of time for a look around town before ending our day at Cascade Gardens, a lovely place to kick back and relax.
For our group’s final dinner, we met up at our hotel in a private banquet room with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. It was a fun way to wrap up such an enjoyable tour with Odysseys Unlimited!
Do you remember when I said, “(Thankfully, that was not the case when we returned two days later! Stay tuned…)?” That followed my comment about the gloomy and cold (36 F) weather at Columbia Icefields. The weather changed dramatically, and we had our prettiest and warmest day yet.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Scenes from the bus window along Columbia Icefields Parkway
We first stopped at Sunwapta Falls for an up-close look. The thunderous sound of the rushing water was mesmerizing; I could have taken a glorious nap there with the falls as sleep-inducing white noise!
Next stop was back at the Columbia Icefields base station to catch our shuttle bus to Glacier Skywalk. If there was any day to do it, this was the day. The sun was shining bright, there were beautiful white clouds in the sky, and my jacket came off to enjoy the comfortable 75-degree temperature.
Athabasca Glacier
That’s me in between Karen and Edie on Glacier Skywalk
I was amazed by the construction of this award-winning architectural marvel; however, I was too distracted by the fantastic views to get too caught up reading the information displays. Just look at what you can see out in the distance—and, 1,000 feet below my foot!
Our guide, Scott (R) along with some of our group
For lunch, we had a relaxing riverside picnic while we enjoyed lovely scenery.
Our next stop was a hiking trail looking down at glacier-fed Peyto Lake. The views were magnificent!
Shot out the side window on our way to Banff
Meanwhile, the drive between each stop along Columbia Icefields Parkway was stunning—so much prettier than two days prior! Unfortunately, bugs on the bus windshield ruined what would have been some nice shots, but here they are anyway:
Before heading into the town of Banff, we were able to get a fabulous view of the town from above—a perfect backdrop for our group photo.
Our group, along with Scott and our driver, David (R)
On our way down the mountain, we saw WILDLIFE(!)
Our spectacular day concluded at the Rim Rock Resort where we stayed for our final two nights. Set amidst pine forests on the side of a mountain, the setting provided scenic views of the surrounding mountains.
Dinner was in small groups at the hotel’s Primroserestaurant where Bruce and I both ordered salmon to end our streak. What a lovely way to end one of the best days of our tour!
Located 27 miles from the town of Jasper, Maligne Lake was our afternoon destination, after having the morning free to explore Jasper on our own. On the way to the lake, we learned about the devastating pine beetle that has destroyed 30% of the trees in Jasper. There was also a Class 6 (of a possible 6) fire in 2015 that caused even more destruction of the forest, and we saw plenty of evidence on each side of the road that ends at the lake. Several park staff and tourists were trapped when the fire started, but were airlifted out by a helicopter.
The fourteen-mile-long lake at an elevation of 5,500 feet is a deep one—318 feet at its deepest point; and, it has that gorgeous water like the other glacier-fed lakes we had visited. At an average water temperature of 40 degrees, it is quite frigid; however, the air temperatures drop a lot further than that in the winter. The coldest air temperature ever recorded there was -58 degrees Fahrenheit!
The day was mostly cloudy, so the views during our boat tour of the lake were not as spectacular as we had hoped, especially considering that it is rated the most beautiful boat tour in Canada. Still, the scenery was amazing! And, we were able to see all three glaciers as well as Spirit Island, considered one of the most beautiful and photographed locations in all of Canada.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Indigenous people of the area date back 18,000 years, and tiny Spirit Island is sacred to the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, who believe mountains are physical representations of their ancestors. The fact that Spirit Island is surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range is very rare and makes it particularly significant to the Stoney. They conduct healing ceremonies on the island, and it is considered an honor to be invited to attend, if you are not a Stoney Indian.
Access to the island is extremely limited due to its geography—14 kilometers (nearly 9 miles) from the docks at Home Bay. It is hard to get to—paddling on your own can take four hours each way, so most tourists book a boat tour that stops at the island.
It was interesting to see how the water changed to a more emerald color, the further south we traveled, and the closer we got to Spirit Island. This was due to the presence of rock flourfrom the glaciers.
Adjacent to Spirit Island was a dock for boat tour guests to disembark at and walk a short trail to see and photograph the island from different viewpoints.
Following our cruise, we hiked around Maligne Canyon, a magnificent 160-feet deep slot limestone canyon that is only six feet wide at its narrowest point. Maligne Riverflows out of Medicine Lake, and then drops down the canyon. It is constantly being eroded by the churning and swirling of the water, and the resulting limestone formations were fascinating—and, photogenic.
On the way back to town, we finally saw some photogenic elk (WILDLIFE!) beside the highway:
Speaking of photogenic, how do you like this view from the rooftop terrace at Jasper Pizza Place? I don’t remember ever enjoying a pizza with a view quite like that! What a beautiful way to end the day.
Next up:Glacier Skywalk and Lower Banff National Park
One of the things Bruce and I enjoyed on the small group tour we did to Slovenia and Croatia with Vantage Travel, and this tour with Odysseys Unlimited, is the flexibility to go off on our own at each destination. We were given a deadline to be back at the bus, but how we spent our time was an individual choice. Our guide would give us all the information we needed and wanted on the bus ride to each location. For those who wanted to stay with the guide, that option was available as well.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Four different morning views at Lake Louise Village before we headed to the lake
At Lake Louise, we opted to walk the recommended lakeside path; however, some members of our group hiked on alternate trails or visited the hotel. It was a beautiful, calm morning, so the reflections in the emerald green water were breathtaking throughout our walk!
Beautiful flower baskets and plantings graced the front of the hotel above the lake.
We were thankful the blue skies stayed with us for our drive along Columbia Icefields Parkway to our next destination: Athabasca Glacier. The parkway was one of the prettiest I had seen, and I ended up snapping quite a few pictures out the bus window along the way:
Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the glacier, it was a bit cloudy, windy, and a chilly 36 degrees at that high elevation. It was not a good day for photography, because the white ice of the glacier blended in with the white clouds for a very flat appearance. (Thankfully, that was not the case when we returned two days later! Stay tuned…)
Dome Glacier, near Athabasca GlacierAthabasca Glacier and the ice field where we were headed next. Since 1844 when the glacier reached its maximum, the edge of the glacier has retreated about one mile. That retreat continues today as warmer local temperatures continue to melt each summer than is replaced by winter snow accumulation.
The Columbia Icefield, in Banff National Park, is a UNESCO site. At an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, this 125-square mile tract of snow and ice is the largest ice field in the Rocky Mountains. It also marks a triple Continental Divide point—meaning waters originating from the 23 feet average annual snowfall ultimately flow into the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.
An Ice Explorer all-terrain vehicle transported our group to Athabasca Glacier—the most visited glacier in North America. Equipped to drive right onto the glacier itself, the vehicle has 5-1/2-feet-tall tires especially designed for glacier travel. Each one of these super-sized tires costs $6,000! The vehicles were originally purchased for $500,000 each; however, when they were due for refurbishing, $750,000 was spent on each vehicle, for a total investment of 1.25 million for each Ice Explorer.
Walking on the glacier was slippery and cold, but it was an awesome sight!
Bruce kept his mask on to keep his nose warm!
The view out the back window as we made our way back to the base station
Following our buffet lunch back at the base station, we stopped for a hike at Athabasca Falls and River after passing by this waterfall:
Finally, we headed north to another UNESCO site, Jasper National Park, our home for two nights in the town of Jasper. We had a nice view from our room at the Whistler’s Inn!
Flowers outside of the local grocery store
The town is small, so I took a quick look around before Bruce and I met up with the group for dinner. Opting for the salmon (again!), our streak continued!
Next up: Maligne Canyon, Lake, and River in Jasper National Park
This was our longest travel day, a journey taking us from the U.S. back into Canada to visit Banff National Park. I’m not a fan of long bus rides, but the scenery was stunning. Entering Canada required stopping at their border patrol station to have our passports processed. Although Canada had dropped its mandatory Covid testing for everybody entering their country, a random testing policy was implemented, resulting in one of every 8 travelers being required to take a self-administered Covid test and send it via FedEx to the processing center.
Before crossing the border, we stopped for a restroom break at a duty-free store with this banner greeting us at the door:
At the station, three members of our group were selected; however, it was a Saturday. They had 72 hours to self-administer and FedEx the tests back, so our guide figured he would hold off sending them in until we got to Jasper, on Monday. Since the backlog for processing tests had reached 4-7 days, (and it had taken almost a week for others in our group to get their results back after entering Calgary at the beginning of the tour), I shook my head as I did the math. It was August 27th, and our trip was scheduled to conclude on September 1. The tests weren’t going to be turned in until August 29, and they would take one business day to arrive at their destination. The guys would be home in the U.S.A. before receiving their test results! What the…? If they had tested positive, they would have already spread Covid to a bunch of people! What’s the point? We all had a good laugh about that, but what a waste of resources!
Onward we traveled along Canada’s western edge of the Canadian Rockies, entering Banff National Park. Along the way, we noticed that all of the road signs in the park were in English and French, a federal law.
The original itinerary stated that we would check into our hotel late in the afternoon, and then go for a walk at Lake Louise; however, our guide, Scott, and driver, David, had another idea in mind. Since we were going to see Lake Louise the following morning anyway, how about trying our luck at getting into the parking lot at Moraine Lake before continuing on to the hotel? Scott explained that the car parking lot would already be full, but since we were in a bus, we would possibly have a shot at getting into the bus parking lot. Besides, Lake Louise, originally named the “Emerald Lake” was green, and seeing Moraine Lake would give us an opportunity to see an azure blue lake. Were we game? We voted unanimously in favor.
The day had been gloomy, and when we arrived, we couldn’t even see the ten mountain peaks surrounding the lake, due to the cloud cover. We made it into the lot, though, so at least we could see some bright blue water. Good enough for me; blue is my favorite color!
To get the best view of the lake, Scott suggested climbing the 79 feet up the “Rock Pile,” a popular hiking trail leading to one of the most photographed locations in all of Canada. I bolted up ahead of everybody in the group, so I would have the most time to spend up at the top. I anticipated the clouds hiding all ten peaks in the distance, but seeing the lake was better than nothing. Surely, it would be beautiful and photogenic, regardless.
Just as we made it the top, the sun broke through for a spectacular view! A few of the ten peaks appeared just in time for our arrival, and the brilliant blue water of the glacially fed lake shined.
(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)
Until I saw the lake with my own eyes, I thought the pictures I had seen of the lake were Photoshop-ped to-the-max. No way could that water be such a bright shade of blue! I was wrong; it really is that blue!
Rock flour is what causes Moraine Lake’s water to be so blue, and Lake Louise to be that pretty shade of emerald green. Also known as “glacial flour,” it consists of fine-grained, silt-sized particles of rock caused by glacial erosion. The super-fine consistency becomes suspended in the melted snow and ice, causing the water run-off to appear cloudy.
We were all in awe and snapped a bunch of pictures, along with the other tourists. This was definitely the highlight place for a photo with Bruce; I always make sure to get one from each trip.
Log jams are caused by winter avalanches that sweep trees off the slopes onto the lake ice. When the ice melts, the trees drift over the stream outlet.
The nine-mile bus ride to Lake Louise Village, was buzzing with chatter about what we had just seen. We all agreed the climb up the Rock Pile was well worth it!
Back down at 5,200 feet, we arrived at the village of Lake Louise, Canada’s highest community. After checking into our room at Lake Louise Inn, I braved the cold air and biting wind for a look around the village and a walk along the river, while Bruce rested. Beautiful!
The glacier in the upper left mountain is pictured below.
These beautiful stained glass windows were in the attractive visitor center in Lake Louise Village.
Breakfast this morning was another grab-and-go affair. Due to the labor shortages throughout the U.S. National Park system (and just about everywhere else), the hotel was unable to staff the restaurant for breakfast. Instead, tasty hot and cold items were offered to-go at the coffee bar. Our voucher included both, so we selected a delicious veggie quesadilla to eat hot and took the fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait with us for lunch.
The day started with a hike at Swift Creek Trailhead, just outside of the town of Whitefish. The Whitefish Trail Systemconsists of 15 trailheads and 47 miles of natural surface trails through forests, wildlife habitats, and lakes. During our hike we learned about the different trees and plants, as explained here by Scott:
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Scott, our tour director
If you ever come across a plant, flower, or animal you can’t identify, check out an ap called “Seek,” created by iNaturalist, which is a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. One member of our group was using it and explained how it worked. I am currently finding it very helpful in identifying the flowers and plants I photographed before I learned about the ap. After opening Seek, I hold my phone’s camera up to my computer monitor and let the ap try to identify the photo on the screen. It works!
“Pearly Everlasting,” as identified by using the “Seek” ap
Following our hike, we were treated to a taste of Wild Huckleberry liquor. More about huckleberries on the next hike of the day…
Next, we headed to Whitefish Mountain Resort where we boarded chairlifts that took us to the top of “Big Mountain,” where the 2001 U.S. Alpine Skiing Championships were held. At an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet, the 360-degree views of Whitefish and Whitefish Lake were spectacular.
We had the option of riding in a gondola or chair. Much to my surprise, Bruce agreed to join me in the chair!
Bruce and I ventured off to hike a loop trail to see more of the mountain. The low clouds were creating such dynamic views and weather—warm when the sun broke through, and cold when the clouds blocked the sun.
Along the way, we came across huckleberry bushes, so my continuous pauses to snack on the tasty berries along the way allowed for the remainder of our group to catch up with us.
Huckleberries are a cousin of the blueberry, but smaller and purple in color. In the gift shops throughout Glacier National Park, Huckleberry everything is available for purchase. From flavored chocolates to preserves, they have it all. In addition to the Wild Huckleberry liquor, Scott treated us to huckleberry licorice, which was quite tasty. Nothing, however, beats a fresh huckleberry picked from the bush!
The high-altitude hike back up to the chairlift was a bit steep, which momentarily took the wind out of Bruce and some of the others, but I surprisingly managed ok. I was pleased that the previous weeks of post-swim, masked track walks in my community’s gym had built up my lungs for the thin air.
Chamaenerion-angustifolium
While riding the chairlift back down, we were treated to sweet view of a mother and baby deer cuddled up under a tree. Wildlife! I tried to get a picture, but the chairlift was moving too quickly, and I missed it. Oh well, how about these two babies that were hanging out in our backyard (several years back), while their mom foraged for food, instead?
In the summer, Big Mountain is also a popular destination for trail riding, so I caught this guy in action on his bicycle. Considering we were moving on the chairlift, and he was flying down the mountain, I’m surprised my little Panasonic Lumix was able to capture these shots as good as it did:
Tansies- “Golden Buttons”
The remainder of the day was open for an afternoon and evening at leisure, so we checked out the town of Whitefishand ended our day with an early dinner, topped off with Sweet Peaks ice cream. Selecting two new (and different) flavors, Bruce and I had enjoyed five in all during our Montana visit. Yummy!
Mural on the side of Sweet Peaks Ice Cream
Tile and glass mosaic on the side of a craft shop. There was one for each season. This was my favorite, “Summer.”
Before walking back to the hotel, we picked up a copy of Flathead Beaconto read about local life. The free newspaper includes “Police Blotter,” a listing of calls received by the local police and sheriff departments. Check out some of these entries:
Friday 7/29
8:49 a.m. The actions of a man jumping around and climbing on a wall was described as gorilla-like.
9:05 p.m. A woman called to tell law enforcement she was missing the calendar that usually hung on her wall.
Saturday 7/30
9:05 a.m. A woman called to complain about the governor.
7:58 p.m. While playing with his owner, a dog accidentally chewed on a watch and dialed 911.
8:54 p.m. Two dogs kept chasing the local deer.
Sunday 7/31
11:03 p.m. A bull and 10-12 cows escaped their pasture and headed east.
Tuesday 8/2
12:22 a.m. A grizzly bear knocked over a trash can and made off with a bag of garbage.
8:19 a.m. A man was in the process of divorcing his wife but she kept sending him explicit photos.
Now, wouldn’t it be nice if those were the “crime” reports in our local news? I’ll trade it for shootings any day!
Next up: An Unplanned Surprise Visit to Moraine Lake
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 