Reader's Digest Scenic Drives Archives

Day 259 – In Flathead Indian Country -Part 2

Day 259 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Petey and I pulled into a campground at Seely Lake late last night and spent part of the morning chatting with the campground hosts who were from Huntsville, Texas. They were staying through the Labor Day holiday weekend and then touring around the northwest before heading back to the hot south for the winter.

After catching up with my fellow Texans, Petey and I began our next scenic drive through Flathead National Forest along Route 83. We headed north on the Seeley Swan Scenic Drive to Holland Lake. Holland Lake covers 400 acres and includes several trails, a 41-site campground, and a day use area. The recreational area provides visitors a plethora of activities from hiking to waterskiing.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 257 – Salmon – Bitterroot Country

Day 257 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Today ended up being a lot of driving and a lot of road construction. I tried visiting Bonanza and Custer, two ghost towns from the mining days, but the road to the towns was closed for two hours at a time. When the flagger heard me say, “Ok, I’ll skip it then”, he let out a sigh of relief! Instead, I snapped a quick photo of a dam that was erected in 1910 and blown up in 1934 as it was prohibiting salmon from swimming upstream to spawn. Continue reading “Day 257 – Salmon – Bitterroot Country” →

Day 256 – Sawtooth Sampler

Day 88 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Ernest Hemingway’s Grave

On my way out of Ketchum and Sun Valley, I stopped at the local cemetery to pay respects to Ernest Hemingway. He penned portions of For Whom the Bell Tolls while he stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge. His grave stone is like a wishing well…covered in coins. Surrounding it are various empty bottles of wine and champagne. Continue reading “Day 256 – Sawtooth Sampler” →

Day 254 – Idaho Heartland (Part 2)

Day 254 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Ant and the Yellow Jacket

From Dworshak State Park, we followed the Clearwater River through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation and made a roadside stop at the Ant and the Yellow Jacket. According to an Indian Legend, the stone arch was once two insects. Ant and Yellow Jacket fought over who had the right to eat dried salmon in the area. The Coyote, the all-powerful animal spirit, ordered them to stop. They failed to heed his warning, thus he turned them into stone while their backs were arched and their jaws locked together during combat. Continue reading “Day 254 – Idaho Heartland (Part 2)” →

Day 253 – Idaho Heartland

Day 253 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

As I was leaving Missoula, I realized there were a few sights I probably should have explored, but I guess I was excited to get to Idaho which is the last of the 48 contiguous states in which I really haven’t spent any time aside from driving through a portion of it a month ago. I was hoping to fulfill my geocaching needs in this state, but AT&T doesn’t seem to exist here thus my apps are currently worthless. Continue reading “Day 253 – Idaho Heartland” →

Day 252 – In Flathead Indian Country

Day 252 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Relative to yesterday, we had a slow day, including a slow start. I was blessed with a marvelous migraine and had to take Petey to the vet for a puncture wound. Once we finally bid farewell to Melinda in Kalispell, we took Highway 93 south along the western shore of Flathead Lake. The lake is lovely, but not very conducive to old, injured dog activities.

Polson

As a result, we made our first stop at its southern tip in Polson, where I had lunch at Pop’s Grill, one of a few choices in the small town. After lunch, Petey and I took a stroll through town and down to a park on the edge of Flathead Lake before returning to VANilla.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 251 – Going-To-The-Sun Road

Day 251 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

St Mary’s Falls Trail

What a wonderful day in Glacier National Park! Our first stop on the Going to the Sun Road was at the St. Mary’s Falls Trailhead. I followed the St. Mary’s Falls trail through the forest along the aqua blue river to numerous waterfalls. In fact, there were so many falls on the 3.6 mile round trip, that I, along with others, were confused as to which were which.

I was expecting to only see St. Mary’s Falls and Virginia Falls, but there were two more in between. What a pleasant surprise! At St. Mary’s Falls, water cascaded over the rocks as the river bent around cliffs like a backwards “C”. The next two unnamed cascades were multi-tiered falls certainly worthy of a visit. In fact, I liked them better than the final destination, Virginia Falls. That said, Virginia Falls, whose main falls tumbles 50 feet is quite impressive.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Day 237 – Travel Day

Day 237 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Well, I intended on doing some sight seeing today before heading west to Valentine, Nebraska, but I ended up slightly challenged in Sioux City. First, I expected a city of 80,000 to have a Firestone, and I needed an oil change in the next 500 miles to keep my warranty. No

Firestones here, so I had to adjust my route. I still planned on making it to Nebraska, but my final destination for the evening changed to Grand Island with a pit stop in Omaha. Of course, this required me to travel south along the flooded Missouri River which resulted in the main Interstate (I-29) to be closed in several areas and sandbagged in others…DETOUR. I wasn’t really aware of the devastation. The flooding here is very bad. While I was able to stop at one overlook in Stone State Park, the other places I tried to visit in Sioux City were under water. Continue reading “Day 237 – Travel Day” →

Day 235 – Missouri and Kansas

DAY 235 OF YEAR LONG ROAD TRIP FOLLOWING SCENIC BYWAYS IN THE USA

Jefferson City, Missouri

It was impossible to miss the capitol building in Jefferson City. It dominates the skyline of Missouri’s quaint capital. I spent a little time poking around, both inside and outside, and came up with another type of restroom available to me – government buildings. Parks, Wal-Mart, restaurants, rest areas, and gas stations generally serve the purpose, but churches and government buildings have recently been added to the list! Continue reading “Day 235 – Missouri and Kansas” →

Day 233 – Illinois Northwest (Part 2)

Day 233 of Year Long Roadtrip Following Scenic Byways in the USA

Apple River Canyon State Park

We started out the day trying to find Charles Mound, the highest point in Illinois measuring 1,235 feet tall. We were unsuccessful, but continued through
the maze of cornfields to Apple River Canyon State Park where we took a mile walk through the hardwood forest. While the wildflower lined trail was shaded by trees, I think I would have rather walked along the nearby, flowing river. Our stroll just about did Petey in, so we hopped back in VANilla and turned south toward Mississippi Palisades State Park. Continue reading “Day 233 – Illinois Northwest (Part 2)” →