Day 9 has come up so fast. Today, Alex and Joe decided to head off from Seattle a day early. They heard about the Hiawatha Trail where you can ride a bike down either a 30 mile or 15 mile downhill course. Can you image finding that more fun than hanging out with us for one more day? At least they will be a little closer to Seattle before they fly back to Michigan. Miss you guys today.
After Alex and Joe left, we all packed up and headed into Two Medicine for the day. As we drove into the park, a deer crossed the road rather tentatively. I take it they know that the cars don’t like to stop, even for a deer. I told Rich this joke: Why did the deer cross the road? Because the chicken said it could be done.
Sean and Zane were renting a boat to go around Upper Two Medicine Lake. Zerah, Owen, Rich, and I were going to hike along the trail on the other side of the lake from where we had hiked on the first day.
Getting to the boathouse, Sean checked on what it would take to rent a canoe or rowboat. We waited as Zane got suited up with a flotation device. The girl at the boat house helped them into the boat and pushed them off. The rest of us waved as they pushed off and Sean hefted the oars into the water. Time to start our hike.
We had to walk back to the campground and picnic area to find the trail. We stopped in to the ranger station there to find out where the trail started. The ranger was nice enough to point out where we crossed the field to reach the bridge and the trailhead.
We were trying to get to a clearing on the path where we could see Sean and Zane out on the lake. We hiked for a ways until we could see the lake well. This turned out to be directly under the falls we had looked at from Paradise Point across the lake. Hey, maybe we could tell what the shiny stuff on the wall beside the falls up there was.
The hike was moderate, but even the small hills were pulling the muscles a bit. We hiked out to the clearing and tried to wave Sean down. He wasn’t looking at us. Time to try the secret weapon. I took a deep breath and shouted Sean’s name. I knew learning to hog call would come in handy. It just works better with two syllable names.
Zerah was able to hike down to the water’s edge and meet Sean when he rowed over. They discussed the plan to meet at the picnic area. As Sean got away from the shore, he shouted back, “But you have the keys!” Then I guess we’d all have to go back to the cars.
Hey, Alex, that shiny stuff you saw from Paradise Point turned out to be just ice. We saw a lot of it hanging from the cliffs around the waterfall. It must have just been catching the sunlight just right.
Walking along the trail, the beargrass was plentiful and the trail was covered with beautiful flowers. Everyone was trekking on and I was enjoying the views. I kept stopping to take photos. A few others had the same idea since I kept having to stop as they passed up the trail.
There was one place where a slide had come through. The rocks were strewn all over in a flow pattern. The trees and other vegetation showed signs of having been battered. It was interesting to see how the flow had come down the hill.
We got back to the campground. I volunteered to take the keys over to Sean and then we could drive the cars over to the picnic area. It was a challenge to keep picking up my feet, but I managed. Sean and Zane were hanging out by the store. Zane was finishing up a huckleberry chocolate bar. Those things are the best!
Meanwhile, Zerah and Rich had picked out a nice table with a great view of the lake and the mountains. It was great to have the mountains towering over our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No, make that ham and cheese for Rich and Sean. After lunch, we hung out on the shore as the boys were throwing rocks and looking for things in the water.
Apparently, Sean and Zane stopped by the bathroom after finishing on the lake. Zane went into the stall to use the bathroom. After getting done, he couldn’t open the door. Sean tried to walk him through the mechanism, but the excitement of feeling trapped kept him from hearing the instructions. Sean finally had to climb under the door to rescue him. They made it out alive.
The day in the park was over and we drove out to Glacier Lodge in the town where we are staying. Zerah and Sean wanted to see if it was possible to use the pool. Unfortunately, it was for overnight guests only. Too bad. It was a warm day and would have been good to use.
We got back and cleaned up. Dinner was at Serrano’s tonight. This is the Mexican restaurant just a couple of blocks from the house in town. We arrived a few minutes early and wandered through a couple of stores. Then we walked around the iron sculpture of an Indian on horseback. It was pretty cool. Even thought it had been out in the sun all day, you could still touch. The boys enjoyed it a lot.
Finally, Serrano’s opened and we found a table big enough for all of us. We got chips and salsa and a little guacamole to snack on. The waitress was Kinsey and took our order. We already knew that there was no alcohol served since it was a set of holidays on the Blackfeet Reservation. That was fine. A margarita might have been nice, but not required.
Food came and we ate up. It was really good. I was surprised at how good it was. Everyone got something different and it all looked wonderful. Of course, was that just because we had been out hiking and any food looks good at that point? I finished up and gathered Zane and Owen for the walk back to the house. I figured the adults could use some time by themselves. They didn’t take that long before they came in with flan for dessert.
I made a tent out of the bed where Zane would be sleeping tonight. I figured Zerah and Sean could use some alone time before they end their vacation. I’m staying with the boys tonight. Rich will be fine without me for a night. We have the entire next week to hang together.
I’m finishing this as the boys drop off to sleep. We’ve read a few books and talked a bit. Now it’s time for nighty-night night.
