Honeymoon part 2 Glacier, Yellowstone and Blackhills

Our adventure kicked off at the northern Montana border, where we breezed through customs faster than ever. A quick license check and we were on our way, heading south on Highway 93. We turned east onto Glen Lake Road, our path to one of our favorite drives: Forest Service Road 114, a name whispered with reverence among those who seek the wild, awaited. This was no mere road, but a winding path etched into the mountainside, a shelf suspended between earth and sky. Here, nature displayed her artistry: cascading waterfalls, emerald forests, and vistas that stole the breath away. This time, fortune smiled upon us, and the lens captured the majesty that words could scarcely convey. We passed the Tuchuck Campground, the one we stayed at in my blog. https://www.beardedadventures.net/post/montana-truck-camping NF-114, a path less traveled, yielded slowly to our wheels, unwinding through the heart of the mountains.  

We emerged, finally, north of Polebridge, where a rugged two-track beckoned, a challenge only a high-clearance 4x4 dared accept. We plunged into a dense tapestry of pines, the vehicle a willing participant in the dance of bounce and sway. Then, a clearing, a sanctuary, opened before us: the banks of the North Fork of the Flathead River.

This, we knew, was to be our haven for the night. The river's murmur, a soothing melody, harmonized with the silent grandeur of the surrounding peaks. Perfection, distilled. We kindled a fire, a warm beacon against the encroaching twilight, and prepared our evening meal. As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of fire and rose, we watched, transfixed.

The river's song, the whispering pines, the embers glowing – time seemed to pause. Had we been granted more days, we would have lingered, lost in the embrace of this wilderness. Yet, the thread of our journey pulled us onward, a gentle reminder that even paradise must sometimes be left behind

The morning dawned, a promise of adventure. A quick breakfast fueled us for the journey ahead: Glacier National Park. We reached the entrance gates before the timed entry began, a sense of anticipation building with each mile closer. Finally, after two years of longing, the Going-to-the-Sun Road unfolded before us, excitedly since we missed this then by two days. This was 2021 and was a really bad year for wildfires. We hadn’t seen much sign of it until we were in the Glacier Area.

Words, I've discovered, truly fail to capture its magic. Waterfalls, like silver threads, cascaded down cliffs, while majestic peaks, shrouded in a haze of wildfire smoke, loomed around every bend. The air, thick with the scent of pine and distant embers, evoked the cozy warmth of a crackling campfire. Stacey, camera in hand, captured the scene with fervent clicks.

The road, a ribbon of asphalt daringly carved into the mountainside, barely afforded passage for two vehicles. Our own, it turned out, was a near-perfect fit, a testament to the road's narrow margins. As we ascended, disbelief mingled with awe. Was this reality, or a dream woven from mist and granite?

Each vista, a masterpiece in itself, demanded a pause. We lingered at every viewpoint, absorbing the grandeur of the valleys below and the soaring peaks above. At Saint Mary's Lodge, we refreshed ourselves with coffee and light fare, a brief respite in our journey through this awe-inspiring landscape. Time, alas, pressed us onward, leaving us yearning to linger longer in this ethereal realm.

We left East Glacier and headed south, taking a more direct route. We were both starving and needed lunch first. East Glacier is in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. It's so sad that the Blackfeet Tribe once occupied the entire Glacier area and now are restricted to the east of the mountains that weighed heavy on our minds. We did find a small dinner to have lunch. We still caught glimpses of the mountains as we drove south about 8 hours through several small towns. Passing the Big Sky area and ending up in West Yellowstone. After making several wrong turns and back tracking into Idaho.  We found a campsite down another two-track, right on a lake. It was a popular spot, so we had plenty of neighbors. Not our type of wild camping but it did have a pretty awesome view. 

Running Bear Pancake House in West Yellowstone was our breakfast destination. After a very lengthy  wait, we finally got breakfast. I got a massive burrito and Stacey got an omelet. Not sure if it was worth the wait, but hey, we were in Yellowstone that's all that mattered. 

Being on a tight schedule we wouldn't have time for hiking. This would be a quick drive-through. Recon for future visits. We pushed through Yellowstone, still enjoying all the classic Yellowstone sights: geysers, wildlife, buffalo, and bighorn sheep. Some of the colors in the geyser pools were crazy looking.  Out of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Park, another place we'll have to come back to explore. We got a good view of the Tetons across Jackson Lake before turning east. One could spend months in this area and not see all the amazing sights. Just east of the National Park, We found a campsite down a forest service road, a nice secluded spot. 

The next morning we were on our way early. With all those beautiful sights behind us and behind schedule we needed to haul ass across Wyoming. Eastern Wyoming isn't the most exciting drive, unless you're a horse lover. With miles and miles of prairies and horse farms. 

We finally made it out of the flat prairies and into the winding roads of the Black Hills National Forest. Rolling around the hills we found a campsite deep in the hills down yet another two-track, near a free-range grazing area for cattle and beefalo (or buffalo? Not sure).

The next day, we drove the Needles Highway to check out the cool rock formations. This second part of the trip was basically a scouting mission for future adventures. The Needles Highway was a bit nerve-wracking, especially with our truck camper. Even the park ranger gave us a skeptical look and said “you sure about this road with that setup”   But we measured, and we had plenty of clearance. Those rock formations are amazing, it looks like a different planet. I'd love to hike around them sometime. These roads wind around like a roller-coaster with all the tunnels and bridges. We made it through all the tight tunnels, even having to back up for a giant bus! Haha told you Mr Ranger sir, we would make it. 

We emerged from the Black Hills and found ourselves in Wall, South Dakota, home of the famous Wall Drug Store. We avoided the crowds and grabbed dinner across the street. From the  Drug store. While eating, we discussed our options: camp near Chicago and hit the traffic in the morning, which would have been around rush hour or plan B, drive straight home. We opted for plan B and hit Chicago around 2:30 AM. Crazily, the Chicago expressways were empty. And that my friends was the end of an epic trip. This second part was more rushed than we liked but we needed to get back to the real world and careers, and the first part was well worth taking our time through.