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







Friday, October 17, 2014

Back in Montana With a Grizzly Story to Share~



Following a wonderful 2 1/2 days at Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, we returned to Montana.  One of our very favorite towns is Whitefish and our favorite place to stay is Grouse Mountain Lodge.  I would highly recommend this stay to anyone interested in heading to this part of the country.

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slide show presentation after you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

&

Stewart for:
   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/



Our lodging for 3 evenings was at the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish.  
The Kahlua Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberry sauce...we had a slice with our coffee every night and I am still working those desserts off ;)


Out in the parking lot were guests arriving in some very neat cars, wow, I want one...
Right... just a little $$$
Mercedes Gull-Wings.


We decided upon returning stateside to visit Many Glacier, part of the Glacier National Park.  We had only just arrived and saw cars pulled off the road, and people standing wih cameras loaded.  I got out of the car, not knowing what they were seeing, it could have been many things and the husby stayed behind with the dogs. A Park Ranger said that a large female Grizzy Bear was making her way and had attempted crossing the road twice already that morning. We were all standing there waiting for her to cross when a very familiar car passed the group with a dog head sticking out each back window.  I just about had heart failure, as the husby pulled into the shade where the ranger stood, got out and stretched his legs.  The bear was right there!  The ranger  yelled for him to get back in the car and to back up, that a Grizzly Bear was RIGHT THERE!
The very nice ranger then had to scare the bear back from where it had been coming.
WHEW!!!


Afterwards the bear was back once again waiting her turn to cross and so we drove on into the park and see the lodging they had there.  As we were leaving Many Glacier, once again cars were lined up, only this time the opposite side of the road.  Yep, I got out and the husby stayed put...bless him!  The bear was  munching happily on Huckleberries.  All was well~




Lodging at Many Glacier, not too shabby, I must say!







We are now back at Glacier National Park.  Logan Pass and Going to the Sun Road had been closed for a few days due to 2' of snow at high altitudes. This day, it was open and we were finally going across after 2 failed attempts.  Come along with me.
First encounter this gorgeous Brown Bear.  I say Brown Bear...Black Bears can be brown or black, or cinnamon, so not sure, but I will just call it as it looks brown ;)





The well known red buses that take visitors on tours all over both Glacier and Waterton National Park systems~



Above a watercolourist doing her thing among the beauty of the majesty and below riding their bikes for a mission!


Making it to the top, for their cause!



Their are lots of tight curves in these very high places.  It was absolutely stunning scenery.  I kept looking for the gorgeous hybrid raptor, that I photographed up here 3 years ago, but never even saw a single bird this visit~





Here are a few more birds that call Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center in Kalispell,  their forever home, due to permanent injury.
Red-tailed Hawk, Swainsons Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk and Great Horned Owl, were just a few of these beauties. Their facilities were just wonderful!







35 comments:

  1. both bears are beautiful. that grizzly looks huge.

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  2. Wow, those were close encounters with the bears! Amazing photos. What gorgeous scenery in the mountains. Enjoy the weekend.

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  3. Mary, what a brilliant holiday. chocolate cake and all. Such superbly grand scenery and all those lovely bears thrown in as well. You really did it in style staying at all those lovely places. Good for you.

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  4. Hi Mary. Well your grizzly story certainly made me laugh. Now tell husby that even he can't steal the limelight from a Grizzly Bear, and that while we all like to get close to nature there are certain limits.

    Love your scenery shots and boy would I like to take a ride on that big red bus.

    The owl and hawk shots are just fabulous and those birds look in super condition. It's so good to know that people out there have the time, patience and committment to look after injured birds.

    Have a lovely weekend and look out for that man of yours.

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  5. Epic! What an awesome place to visit! I think I saw a Ferruginous Hawk in your post....one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing....definitely a place on my list of must visits!

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  6. Wow - some wonderful photos and collages! LOVED seeing the scenery and bear photos!!

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  7. Wow, so many beautiful images, it is hard to pick a favourite! The bears are beautiful - how lucky you were to see them and to get so many photos!

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  8. Wow! Gorgeous scenery and quite an adventure. Bears, cars, beautiful scenery and birds.... sounds just about perfect.

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  9. You did stay at a nice hotel with beautiful scenery all around. A bear story you'll remember and enjoy telling a few times I'm sure.
    Thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday Mary.

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  10. Ok, that is just a little to close for me, black brown bear or teddy, not all fun and games. We are going to be close to where you stayed, it I can only convince the French Gardener to drive there I'll have me some of that cake and sauce. I so loved loved your photos, amazing shots, such luck to see so much

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  11. Aren't the hawks and owls grand? Montana is beautiful as your photos so beautifully show. It is quite a thrill, too, to see bears in the wild, which I have not. Great photos.

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  12. Awesome photos from Glacier, Mary! I love the bears..And the scenery is gorgeous.. Brings back memories of my trip there.. Thanks for sharing, have a happy week!

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  13. Incredible photos Mary.
    I would stay in the car with the windows UP, if I happened to find myself in bear country!
    I would be a tiny bit frightened - on second thoughts, make that a BIG bit!
    We don't have wild animals roaming free in NZ!

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  14. Gosh I love the Rockies! You've had a wonderful adventure with bears, birds, cool cars and the most awesome scenery. I can't think of a more lovely place to bring my watercolours and paint. The bike riding...not so much...lol.

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  15. Absolutely awesome photos Mary! I drove the Going to the Sun Highway through Glacier National Park a few years ago and then continued all the way down through Montana to Idaho. I have to say it was some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen anywhere in the US. Thanks for sharing your amazing photos with us...

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  16. Amazing photos, Mary. You saw so much beauty and wildness - really wonderful! The cake looks delicious, too. What a great trip.

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  17. Gorgeous scenery! I love the hawk, it's a gorgeous bird.

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  18. What a fabulous trip...so much to see and share with us...my husband would have loved being close to that bear but not me...too unpredictable.

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  19. Wonderful trip with awesome photographs. Love all the birds at the centre

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  20. Wonderful scenery and you had a really great holiday. I would rather see the bears at a good distance! The birds are beautiful of course!

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  21. Seems I did not pick up on who was driving the car! Oops!

    Cheers - Stewart M

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    1. ;) all is well Stewart...He had no idea there was even a bear, let alone the fact it was like right there. He moved very quickly. once the ranger told him to back that car up ;)

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  22. Beautiful scenery Mary, and there was a 'Brown Bear', superb.

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  23. Gorgeous photos! Loved them all! What a marvelous place to visit! That grizzly encounter made for some interesting reading...glad your hubby was ok! :-) I felt sorry for the poor bear trying the cross the road!

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  24. Great photos of bears, chocolate cakes, and splendid scenery!
    It's funny how some photos touch you almost unexpectedly... Those curved roads seem so familiar to me, like a distant memory, even though I have never been in such an amazing place, not in this life, anyway ;)

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  25. he grizzly story made me gasp! Glad that little adventure ended well and glad you still got such good photos.

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  26. Beautiful place with so much to see.

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  27. wow! what amazing experiences with the bears and stunning vistas. Oh to be driving/walking/cycling through those mountains. Is that painter safe standing there in the wilderness painting? I think I feel safer with kangaroos than bears!
    I love travelling with you Mary - you bring us such amazing pictures and words.
    Happy travels and enjoy your last days of autumn.

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  28. That was a story! :) Love the pics of her in the beautiful autumn colors. That mountain reflected in the lake...what an absolutely gorgeous place. So clear and pristine. I am SO glad that the bear didn't eat your husby and ruin the rest of this post for me, ha ha :)

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  29. What beautiful scenic photos! Loved the bear pics and your grizzly story. So neat to be able to see the raptors up close at the recovery center.

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  30. Mary,

    Too close encounters of the grizzly kind, for my liking, but relieved that the very nice and experienced park ranger was there! How did your husby react when he realized what was going on?! Breathtaking photos of some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet, (if I do say so myself), beautifully and skillfully captured by your lens, as always. Thank you for sharing!!

    Happy weekend!

    Hugs,
    Poppy

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    1. Hi Poppy and thank you! Once the ranger told him what was right there, he immediately got in the car and went back to where he had been parked earlier. I noticed from way down the lane that he was able to then watch as the bear ran back towards where she had come, still unable to cross the road for a while longer. It all turned out very well, but when it was happening, it was a hold your breath moment for real!

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  31. Such stunning photographs of a wonderful place! Coming from the flat coastal lowlands of Eastern Australia, anywhere mountainous and alpine in nature has always fascinated me. And I'm always amused by Americans who come to Australia and are terrified of the spiders and timid snakes, when they've gone hiking in the midst of Grizzlies! What an amazing beast!

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