Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Thursday, November 21, 2013

Missed Step Into Canada~



 
 
This post begins in the Kootenai National Forest and heads toward Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish Montana.  

After spending our first evening in this beautiful lodge and getting some good rest from all of the travel, we checked the weather forecast and then set out for a day in Waterton Canada. 
Since we could not get into Glacier National Park, due to the government SHUTDOWN, we decided to purchase expedited Passports and have health certificates done for both dogs, so we could visit Waterton. 
 
We were traveling the Southern rim of Glacier NP, and heading toward the border crossing, on Highway 49, a scenic drive also called Looking Glass Highway. 
* 2 Notes here...our cell phones had quit working on day one of journey and so we had no means to communicate, in case of emergency.
And my husby is an x-police officer from many years ago, and he is an excellent driver...

We got into a snowstorm, and the roads quickly became very slick. 
At times we could not even see very far in front of the car and the only human being that we saw the whole drive was the man on the bicycle. 
It was getting worse by the minute and we were still 47 miles approximately from the Canadian border.

Guess what?

The husby and I decided it was not worth the risk, we were on a road we had never traveled, we had no cell phones, we had not seen any other vehicles so far and so we stopped at the next little town which was closed for the season. 
We drove back to the lodge, filled with mixed emotions, but ever so thankful to be back safe and sound. 
It ended up taking 7 hours to make that little round trip drive. 
Next year...Canada bound!
 
 

Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared
 

I am linking up with Mary for:
"Mosaic Monday"


at:
 

 

 
and

 

I am linking up with Stewart at:

 
   Wild Bird Wednesday

        (http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/)
 
 
 
A beautifully marked Harlans Hawk soared along side an equally beautiful Western Red-tailed Hawk in Kootenai~ 
 






Every day, I would announce to the husby what kind of wildlife we would see that day and he would announce back..."sure we will"...and we usually saw nothing that I had mentioned. 
However on this particular day, we were in good fortune, as I had announced that we would see a Moose, and we did ;)




 
A downed Aspen tree still holding her charm~
 
 


 
And then came the snow and slick roads...but oh so very pretty~
 






 
American Coots


 
A Western Red-tailed Hawk having some trouble staying latched onto it's perch as the wind blew snow all around. 
Both it and the livestock out in the fields seemed to struggle~
 


 
A mother cow licks the face of her calf, keeping it's airways free of the snow, and another Western Red-tailed Hawk high in a tree as the snow begins to fall~





 

28 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that "round trip" turned out okay for you. Some people get caught out in that kind of situation and are soon in deep trouble. Your photos and collages are wonderful as always.

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  2. beautiful snows but i'd hate to be driving in it - especially in strange country with no cell service. i think you made the right decision. poor bicyclist. loved the moose sighting and the soaring raptors.

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  3. Beautiful photos Mary. I enjoyed seeing the snow fall and the moose and the lone cyclist on the highway. I hope he got to his destination safely! I'm glad you and your husband got back to your hotel safely and hope you will take another trip into Canada some day. Pam

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  4. What a superb series of photos, I like the towels that look like elephants at the start

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  5. Oh I hate driving in snow (or riding while someone else is driving) ... definitely y'all* did the right thing. The moose are wonderful and I'm envious!! And your hawk flight shots are beyond compare.

    *You said something about what your voice sounded like. My mom, born in Louisville and resettled for good in Washington State, pretty much lost her Kentucky accent by the time we came along, except for the "y'all"....that stayed!

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  6. Beautifully captured the photos of eagle. Cloth made white elephant looks very cute. Riding in snow is a great challenge...

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  7. Another wonderful series of collage/mosaic photos, Mary! I agree with the others who said you made the right decision to turn back. A cold front is settling in around my neck of the woods (CT) and we might get snow for Thanksgiving. Hopefully the storm will go out to sea. As an FYI, I found a link that said how to create this layout technique using GIMP, but it's not automated the way it sounds like you said Picasa is. But I also found a plugin that segments a photo in an interesting way, so I might experiment with that this weekend.

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  8. What a snowy post, fantastic. And also, one of my fave is the Moose, super superb.

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  9. What amazed me Mary was the fact you carried on taking pictures during the snowstorm and being so worried about your (joint) situation. Great collages of your aborted trip though and I would be so thrilled to see moose. Now I have to go on Wiki and look up a Harlan's Hawk . Pity the poor cyclist - hope he's okay by now!

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  10. Sounds like a bit of an "epic" as I would say! I think that was you think that turning back may be an option, it becomes THE option!!

    Great pictures - I really like the snow fall images - makes me miss the winter!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  11. Such a beautiful place for your stay in Canada, love the elefants made by the towels!

    and sooo many beautiful photos of birds, moose and nature! :))

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  12. These are gorgeous! The snowy landscapes are fantastic! Great hawk flight shots! And the moose is a nice bonus!

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  13. I'm loving your photos! I don't want to see any more snow on my doorstep (that lasts for more than two days!) but your shots are just gorgeous!

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  14. I am glad you still got some amazing photos despite the snow storm - and I am glad you chose to err on the side of caution - but what a pity your planned trip into Canada didn't eventuate. I hope you replan for another time. I can only but wonder what that man on the bicycle must have been thinking!
    Wonderful images as always Mary. Have a great week. Hugs from Australia.

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  15. Canada will welcome you next year. Waterton is a gorgeous area.

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  16. Beautiful are your photos!
    Greetings from Holland.

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  17. Lovely photos. So sorry your trip was spoiled by bad weather though.

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  18. I am glad you were safe and turned back, the mountain road can be scary to drive. I really love your trip photos, the moose is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing, have a happy week!
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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  19. Snow storms are so scary to drive in! Our cottage is on Lake Michigan and we get snow squalls making driving so difficult. Your photos are beautiful! Laura

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  20. All great photos but the soaring hawks are especially beautiful.

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  21. Fabulous photos of the hawk. I hate to drive in heavy snowfall.

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  22. What a fantastic journey, and great photos, but I'm glad I wasn't in the snow.
    All the best Gordon.

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  23. What an adventure and such beautiful photo's.

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  24. Hi Mary,

    Well, I was getting a little nervous just reading about your road trip towards my beloved Canada! I think you made the right decision by turning back, considering the circumstances; I would have done the same. But, nonetheless, you did manage to capture the beauty and wildlife and spectacular countryside near the border of our two countries, snowstorml and all, and, as always, your perspective is beautifully clear, despite the complicated weather conditions! Thank you for sharing this most exciting adventure!

    Poppy
    PS: The man on the bike looks freezing!

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  25. What a wonderful post! Moose and snow and so many wonders that this world has to offer. Love those flying hawks, but more than that I just adore moose.

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