2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Glacier presents some great photographic opportunities, talk about it here.

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2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Time to start a New Year :D
The New Year here is beginning a chilly one at +18F and light snow here at my home in Whitefish.
I'll be heading out to the park a little later this morning.
First, I gotta go to work for a few minutes to install new software in one the video gaming machines I work on.
I will try to upload a few snaps on my SmugMug site from Lake McDonald when I get there.

Thanks to all of you for the support here during 2018--27,000+ hits.

later

pete :wink:
Last edited by PeteE on Tue Jan 01, 2019 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by davidwayne »

:D
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

Cold and snowing so not very good for the sort of pics I like--Clyde being an exception of course 8)
Taken with cell phone and I was looking at the wrong spot for the lens :(

Image

Bummer that I chopped his tail off.

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Sprague Creek is a very nice campground. Right on Lake McDonald just before you get to Lake McDonald Lodge. Big cedars provide good shade. Good CG for those who like the West side. Short drive to Avalanche Creek and Logan Pass. Shuttle stop at the entrance as well.
Hard to get a spot in because it's small. Some don't like it because of the road noise since it is just yards from the Sun Road. That said usually most of the traffic dies down later in the day or it did the 2 times I stayed there. Might be different now with the increased crowds and traffic now. I would stay again though.


Sprague Creek CG camp spot #13 is one I like a lot. On the lake, close to both bathrooms, and lake access. Tent pad is nearly buried on the right.
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Campsite #12. The stairs for the lake access is there on the far right
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"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

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And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by MarxMN »

At minus 18 WHitefish got chilly today. We were a few degrees above zero in southeastern Minnesota. Northern and western Minnesota were much colder with snow and wind. We have very little snow on the ground now - a brown Christmas and a brown New Year. Our temperatures are forecasted to be above freezing later this week.

Good to see more pictures of Clyde.
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

Sorry Bill and everyone. :(
It was +18F this morning, and not -18F
I shouldn't have used those --

I had a 3 hour layover in Minn/St Paul last week and noticed there was barely any snow.
It was also raining hard. Locals flying out were hoping our plane got out before it turned to freezing rain/snow.
And we apparently made it in time.

Bonnie and Clyde were near the bathrooms when I pulled in as you'll see in the short video. Clyde was initially on the ground as I drove in.
However, he got up and flew along somewhere above/behind me as I drove down around the parking lot to the outgoing side like the other day.
Bonnie, ever the lookout, flew down and stationed herself as usual in a tree, watching and making her somewhat "shrill" squawk. :)
Gotta love those birds 8)

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by Carol Lynn »

Happy New Year Pete! I just want to say how much I enjoy your posts. I wish I could get to the park more often (not easy from Florida), but seeing your photos and reading your comments are the next best thing!
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

Carol Lynn wrote:Happy New Year Pete! I just want to say how much I enjoy your posts. I wish I could get to the park more often (not easy from Florida), but seeing your photos and reading your comments are the next best thing!
Thanks as always Carol for the kind words and compliments!
It's no secret I like to "talk" on here, especially about GNP.
Those who've been coming here for a while know that. 8)
And while a lot of what I say, and pics I post are redundant to regular chatters here...
I enjoy sharing what I know(which is actually quite limited) with new members and lurkers who may be thinking about coming to GNP for a visit.

Work has been crazy since I came back. I'm hoping to get out more for pics and "observations" when it slows down..if ever. 8)

Later

pete :wink:


Here you can see in this poor image just what Clyde is dealing with regarding his right hallux. The claw on the left one is oriented 90 degrees to the roof. His right one is "twisted" outward, laying almost flat on the roof. That HAS to be painful. Plus it makes it difficult to not just walk properly, but to grip a branch to perch on. Really makes me sad to see him limping like he does :(
Image
Last edited by PeteE on Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

The weather wasn't too great in the late AM this morning. The north end of the lake was covered by a low cloud bank.
It began to clear up nicely later in the afternoon. However I got called into work by the "whiners" so I missed what was probably a nice afternoon of good light etc.
This was from the Apgar boat ramp early. Not a great pic, grainy from iso 0f 640 but the rocks and distant cloud bank made it a sort of interesting snap.
8)

I have a few more coming.

pete :wink:

Image

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Image

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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by ND »

Hey Pete, I really like that last image in this recent series. The rocks on the shoreline draw one's eye in the landscape scene. The reflections in the second one are beautiful too!
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

ND wrote:Hey Pete, I really like that last image in this recent series. The rocks on the shoreline draw one's eye in the landscape scene. The reflections in the second one are beautiful too!
Thanks Ken! :)
I really cranked up the saturation in that first one. The one you liked not so much and it looks more "realistic".

These few are just FYI snaps.


This tripod leveler device is very nice. :)
It allows me to get my camera absolutely "dead level" which is very helpful, especially for panographic images.
Makes it much easier for the software to combine images.

2minute video
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-PmM ... v-1920.mp4
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Here's shot of the new bridge over the South Fork just before you get to Hungry Horse. It opened December 18th.
Nice wide surface with shoulders for snow. Bike and pedestrian path on the left(north) side in this pic. The old bridge is to the right and below out of view.
Visitors have NO idea how nice this will be for us who live here year round. That old bridge was downright SCARY when icy.

:arrow: :arrow: :arrow:
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The road out to Lake McDonald Lodge was pretty icy and slick but thankfully the park service sanded it.
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This is one the the private homes on the road from the lodge out to the GTTS road. That tree came very close to doing severe damage.
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"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by TnTammy »

Very cool clouds in that 2nd Lk McD image; nicely captured Pete!

Also enjoyed your discussion and pics of Sprague Creek Sites. I’ve wondered about a stay there vs at Avalanche, where the sites seem less concentrated. I know that folks favor Sprague, but driving through, the sites seem abit tight together. Good to hear the perspective of someone who’s stayed. The easy access to the lake must be sweet for sunsets & sunrises.

Selfishly hoping the temps there stay up enough to keep the lake from freezing so we can see more images like yesterday’s.
Agree with ND about the rocks adding a lot of interest to the last lake view.
Thanks Pete for showing us the latest.

Any snowshoeing in your plans this year?
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

TnTammy wrote:Very cool clouds in that 2nd Lk McD image; nicely captured Pete!

Also enjoyed your discussion and pics of Sprague Creek Sites. I’ve wondered about a stay there vs at Avalanche, where the sites seem less concentrated. I know that folks favor Sprague, but driving through, the sites seem abit tight together. Good to hear the perspective of someone who’s stayed. The easy access to the lake must be sweet for sunsets & sunrises.

Hey Tammy :)
Yeah, some of the tent spots are a bit close. I'll do a new report the next time I get out there and make a "lame video".
Easier to show what each site look that way; there ain't that many.
The sites on the lake side of the loop seem a little larger and spaced better, but don't quote me quite yet.

Last time I stayed there it was a less desirable one near the rest rooms at the end of the loop. It wasn't that great but normally I only stay one night to get a head start on a hike. And I usually pick the crappier ones so the visitors can have the better ones. Same with backcountry sites.
Magnanimous maybe, but I feel guilty taking the good ones when it's just me. 8)

Hard to believe Avalanche would be any quieter than Sprague. Many of the sites there aren't that far from the road. Plus Avalanche has always been a "zoo".
And the last few years have really been crazy.


Selfishly hoping the temps there stay up enough to keep the lake from freezing so we can see more images like yesterday’s.

Well you're getting your wish so far!! LOL And this week doesn't look like a cold one.
Some of the local lakes have frozen over deep enough to ice fish on, but those are mostly the shallow ones.
Lake McDonald is pretty deep in spots so it takes a lot of cold weather to freeze it.


Agree with ND about the rocks adding a lot of interest to the last lake view.

Yeah me too. I purposely way over saturated that upper one just to see what it would look like.
As a rule I do not like over saturated images, preferring a "natural" looking image if I can achieve it.

Those two pics weren't taken too far apart time wise. Shows you how quickly cloud cover changes.


Thanks Pete for showing us the latest.
You're welcome, as always :)

Any snowshoeing in your plans this year?

Yup, if we ever get enough snow! Yesterday some were snowshoeing but many were still hiking on the GTTS road.
Next weekend I make go out to the North Fork where there's more snow.
Some of it depends on work. We're down to just two casinos now from 9 when I started in January 2003 :shock:
Been real busy moving machines from the closed joints to storage, and then fixing and updating software for possible sale.
That and daily routine is busier. Sad but finding decent help is really tough these days--and not just us.
Seems people simply don't want to work anymore. Work a day or a week and quit. And it's not just us that have that problem.

Later gator(s) :)

pete :wink:
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by MarxMN »

Pete,

I like that jan. 5 set of pictures. I agree with ND about the shoreline rocks in the last pictures. I also like the rocks under the water in the first two. Those rocks and the reflections really add interest to the foreground.

Also, thanks for the picture of the new bridge. I just read in the Hungry Horse News about it opening. I remember that construction from Thanksgiving time in 2017.

Bill
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by Jay w »

Hey, is that lake frozen yet?
:D
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Re: 2019 "Snaps" Around Gracier National Park...plus

Post by PeteE »

MarxMN wrote:Pete,

I like that jan. 5 set of pictures. I agree with ND about the shoreline rocks in the last pictures. I also like the rocks under the water in the first two. Those rocks and the reflections really add interest to the foreground.

Thanks Bill!
Yeah the rock colors looked pretty good in person that day for some reason. Subdued light? from the right angle? Water clarity? I have no idea LOL!
And then it may have been my imagination too 8)


Also, thanks for the picture of the new bridge. I just read in the Hungry Horse News about it opening. I remember that construction from Thanksgiving time in 2017.

You're welcome.

Everyone has been waiting for that bridge to open. That said, the story in the paper said they will have to "resurface" some sections of the concrete. They poured it in the fall and then covered it with tarps. Apparently the guys doing that walked on the concrete before it had fully "set". The contractor said the "foot prints" would cause problems later on so they gotta do this resurfacing.

Knowing how the Montana State Road Dept works, they'll choose the 4th of July weekend to do the work 8)


Bill
Jay w wrote:Hey, is that lake frozen yet?
:D

That's a joke right? :)

Winter here has sucked, although the dumb folks who hate snow have liked it.
There are a surprising number of people living here who simply don't "get it" when it comes to understanding about snow in this part of the world.
No snow means no skiing and winter sports with all the economic benefits those activities bring.
That and virtually ALL the water we use comes from snow and rain.


Here's the forecast for the week. I doubt the mud puddles will freeze this week, and the long term forecast isn't looking too spiffy either.
El Nino, global warming, whatever...it sucks.


https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.p ... 3010169351

Jay
Hi To Julie :)

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

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