We woke up today to 37° at our little cabin. So thankful to have my Nespresso machine with us for our morning coffee, with our yogurt and berries. Tom wanted to set out on a different part of the park that we had not been to yet. We started at the visitor center and it was quite busy. So we headed out on our own without asking any questions first. What appeared to be a wonderful road on the map ended up to be a gravel road, which turned into a dirt road, which turned into bumping so hard Tom let the air out of our four-wheel-drive jeep tires. Do you do you get the idea? Bumping so hard my phone jostled out of the holder on the dash!!!
Plan B- because it was raining to the point of snowing when we arrived at the Logan Pass Visitor center yesterday, and the fact that we got there four minutes after it closed, We decided to head back.
On the way back driving we stopped at McDonald Falls for a little walk. Then when driving the “Going-to-the-sun” road this time, we stopped at avalanche springs to go for a hike and have lunch. There was a very nice “Trail of the Cedars” walk based on the different types of trees in the valley. We were among the ancient trees here. Some of the trees were young when Peter the Great ruled Russia, Mozart dazzled the courts of Europe, Thomas Jefferson crafted the Declaration of Independence, Sacagawea helped guide Lewis and Clark to the Pacific, the United States fought its civil war, and the Wright brothers took to the air above Kitty Hawk!!
Throughout time the Kootenai and Salish peoples have revered this as a sacred place with special qualities, qualities that still remain for us to discover, as we walk among these silent titans. What stories these trees could tell!!!
Trees along our hike today:
Western Red cedar: this tree was the main tree for our walk today.
Black Cottonwood, Technically a species of poplar, the black cottonwood grows throughout northwestern North America. It is a fast-growing tree with large leaves which create a lot of shade. This benefits ôther shade-tolerant trees such as western hemlock and Pacific Cedar. Shade from the black cottonwood can also help to keep water temperatures cool for native aquatic species.
Western Hemlock, The western hemlock grows in the temperate rain forests along the northwest Pacific coast and in areas of the Rockies where moist coastal air is trapped by large mountains? Reaching heights over 200-feet, trees may live fofr a thousand year’s or more.
As they age hemlocks lose their lower branches. The western hemlock can be easily identified by its slightly bent crown.
Rocky Mountain Maple, A small deciduous tree or large shrub, Rocky, Mountain maple grows from southern Alaska to the central Rockies. Within its range it adapts to a variety of habitats from damp, shady lowlands to dry, sunny ridges. At 10 to 20 fee’ tall, it’s smaller than the sugar maple but still has brilliant autumn foliage ranging from bright yellow to pink. In late fall and winter it provides food for deer.
Back on the road again!! The road’s name was taken from Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, one of the peaks it winds around. The origin of that name is unclear. Some sources attribute it to a story about Napi, a familiar protagonist of many Blackfeet tales, who came from the mountains to help the Blackfeet people and then left to return to the sun.
James Willard Schultz, a writer from the area, claimed that he and his Blackfeet companion, Tail-Feathers-Coming-in-Sight-Over-the-Hill, originated the name during a hunting trip in 1887. Whatever its true origin, it’s hard to imagine a more apt name for such a road.
Today we found in a completely different drive on the road. The weather is much clearer than yesterday, and we are able to see portions of the mountains that we were not able to see yesterday. We enjoyed hiking around the different trails at Logan Pass- no snow today but still freezing!! Additionally, Tom was nice enough to get out his jet boil , and I was able to make some instant, coffee and hot chocolate for the drive home. Thank God I did because halfway home Tom decided to stop at the river to try his luck at flyfishing again. So here I am sitting in the car, drinking my coffee and working on our blog!!
suannschutt 
You are the best travel writer. And I can tell you’re a fabulous traveler. I’m not ab
You are so sweet!!
We love our adventures!!
Suann