July 5, 2021 - Flathead, Swan, Salmon and Seeley Lakes

On July 5th, we decided to head north on 93 out of Missoula up to Bigfork. We took 35 on the east side of Flathead Lake when we reached Polson. Then we headed further east and picked up 83 south which was also beautiful. 83 runs alongside Swan Lake, Salmon Lake and Seeley Lake all of which were gorgeous. 

Still seeing some snow on the mountains. By the way, Glacier National Park's west entrance was only a few miles further north. We have already visited Glacier on another trip so elected to avoid the crowds this time.

Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states, with over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline.  We did see some very nice homes along our ride North. 

Some photos of other lakes on our return route on 83 South.

Overall a very nice trike ride.  We traveled 236 miles. 

Lolo MT west over Lolo Pass - Highway 12 - July 4th 2021

On July 4th we decided to take a trike ride from Lolo MT heading west on US 12. We turned around after 100 miles due to the afternoon forecast. My favorite part was after we crossed into Idaho at Lolo Pass. Highly recommend this scenic drive. It would have been nice to go all the way to Lewiston. We stopped for lunch at Lochsa Lodge. The Lochsa River flows beside highway 12 in Idaho.

There were several locations across the river that lead to trail heads.  

The Lochsa River runs along Hwy 12 in Idaho

 

We decided to stop for lunch at the Lochsa Lodge.   

Lots of Animals and Antlers for your viewing enjoyment.

Food was good, but because of lack of staff, we did have to wait a bit. 

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 4,900 miles long, extending from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River, near present day Astoria, Oregon.

North Cascades NP - Washington State

 

Today we decided to visit North Cascades NP.  When we left the coach this morning the temperature was 65 degrees.  When we got back at 2 p.m. the temperature was already105 degrees.  Washington State is in a severe heat alert.  We are looking at temperatures reaching 111 degrees.  This has never happened to this region of the country. 

Its late June and the snow is still along the roadway.   This is our first time visiting North Cascades NP.  Due to the extreme temperatures in the region we do not plan to hike any trails.  

Waterfalls are abundant all along the Hwy 20 throughout the park.  

The Skagit River in in northwest Washington is home to some truly beautiful dams. Built between 1921 and 1953 as part of Seattle City Light's quest to provide electricity for City of Seattle, they are in the middle of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area (surrounded by North Cascades National Park),  This is Diablo Dam. it is the smaller of two Dams and the first one we encountered.  

As you enter the park from the East you immediately look upon the snow covered terrain.  

You cab see in this photo where the water is controlled as it moves along the waterway.  There are several of these sections along Ross Lake.

Another waterfall, 

This waterfall is along the roadway. We did see some kids cooling off.  

One of two tunnels within the park.  This is the longest one.  Bike riders need to push a button so that lights flash on the outside to let you know riders are traveling through the tunnel. 

A good photo showing the mountain top along with the moon.  

Ross Lake National Recreation Area is the most accessible part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Visitors can enjoy hiking, camping, and much more during their trip. The national recreation area includes three reservoirs: Ross Lake, Diablo Lake, and Gorge Lake.

An 80' waterfall at Gorge Lake.  

The open grate is the reason Kathy did not take this photo!

You can see the jagged edges at the top of the mountains.  It means that the mountain continues to grow. 

We stopped at this location for a flagman and a follow me truck.  They were resurfacing the roadway along this section.  Only a slight delay. 

Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States, and southwestern British Columbia,Canada. The lake runs approximately north-south, is 23 miles long, up to 1.5 miles wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level.

Mackay ID to Missoula, MT overnight trip

We took our longest trike ride yet this trip on 6/21 & 6/22 from Mackay ID straight up US 93 to Missoula, MT. It was approximately 250 one way so we spent the night a motel in Missoula. This is the same route we will be taking when we leave Idaho in the motorhome. We didn't take as many photos because I had my gloves on because it was cold and it is hard to work my phone with gloves on! The Salmon River followed next to the road up past Salmon and then the Bitterroot River a little later on.

We took turns taking each other's photo at the Montana/Idaho border.

This is pretty typical of how green the mountains in Montana were compared to where we have been in Idaho.

A beautiful Veteran's Park in Salmon ID