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West Glacier to Seeley Lake Monday, July 2, 2001
(Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger view) |
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West Glacier to Seeley Lake Monday, July 2, 2001
(Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger view) |
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| ARF, ARF! Our dogs were barking! With
our feet hurting so, a quick morning hike was out of the question, so when
we finished breakfast, we packed up and headed south. We first stopped
at Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir; quite an interesting sight and history
lesson. Then we drove south through Columbia Falls, and stopped at
Big fork for lunch. After lunch in a small casino bar (we were the
only patrons having something other than whiskey and cigarettes - must
be a rip roaring place at night!), we stopped at the Swan Lake Wildlife
Refuge for some scoping. We saw some small birds, but nothing big
showed up in the sun and heat of the afternoon. Further south there
was a place on a local area brochure map called "Old Squeezer Wildlife
Viewing Site" in the State Forest. Just across from the State Forest
headquarters, we saw a sign for it pointing up a gravel road, so we decided
to check it out. Wrong move! We ending up way back an old logging
road, but never found the first sign of wildlife, let alone a viewing area!
North of Seeley Lake, we stopped at the US Forest Service Ranger Station
for information, and asked them about this place. They said that
there used to be something up there, but that the state forest service
hadn't maintained it for years. They said that they would recommend
to the state forest service to take their sign down. We got plenty
of good information about the area from them, but by then we were too hot
and road weary for much activity.
We cooled off at the motel, ate a great steak dinner at Lindy's (world's shortest menu - steak or steak), then drove back to the north end of Seeley Lake to a wildlife blind (a real one this time!) for some scoping. Even though we put on gallons of bug spray, the attack of the mosquitos was so fierce we almost gave up. But we kept on and were glad for it. After a while, the mosquitos found DEET everywhere they lit and left us alone (thank God, they didn't try to carry us away!) From the blind, we were treated to a good show of evening wildlife: a blue heron, lots of white tailed deer, a loon calling in the distance, but on center stage were two Sandhill cranes. After just seeing an occasional peeking head, the cranes ambled toward a clearing, and spread their wings a couple of times for show, just in time for us to see them in the fading sunlight. |
| Pictures from Hungry Horse Dam and Seeley Lake Wildlife
Blind
- (Click on the thumbnail pictures to see a larger view) |
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