Chesapeake Region
The Road Trip to Treffen Bend...Part 2
By: Steve & Marsha Buss
The Road Trip to Treffen Bend……and beyond Part 2 On Sunday September 18, 2022 we wrapped up an absolutely fantastic week at Treffen in Bend Oregon. Thanks to all the region volunteers for planning and executing this extraordinary event. The entire week was first class. We fueled up and left for Spokane, WA , a stopover city on our way to Glacier National Park. Interesting, all throughout the west the highest octane available is 91. I never noticed a difference, though, between that and the 93 octane I use at home in Maryland. The next day, a 5 hour incredibly scenic drive took us to Whitefish, Montana, in the northwest corner of the state only 30 miles from Glacier NP. We spent the night in the charming Kandahar Lodge, a Whitefish Mountain ski resort. Their restaurant owned and operated by Chef Andy Blanton received multiple honorable mentions by the James Beard Foundation. Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint. Although there was no snow, the scenery from atop “The Big Mountain” was spectacular. The next morning we made our way to Glacier NP and entered through the West Glacier entrance. It was nice no reservations were required. The entrance took us past Lake McDonald where our cabin was located. The largest lake in Glacier NP, at 10 miles long, is incredibly clear and beautiful. The enormous mountain peaks surrounding the lake are evidence of the powerful glaciers that carved through the region. After a comfortable hike to stretch our bodies, we made it to the Lodge to check in. Built in 1913, it resembles an old Swiss hunting lodge sitting on the lakeshore. The next day we drove the famous Going to the Sun Road west to east. Fifty miles of mountainous twisties over Logan Pass and the Continental Divide took about 2 hours with stops at scenic overlooks. This drive was so incredible we drove the road east to west back to Lake McDonald. Absolutely gorgeous views. There are plenty of trails along the lake and we hiked a few. The temperatures moderated significantly with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 40’s making for much more comfortable hikes. Evening sunset strolls along the lake trails provided views of the mountains’ reflection on the clear lake. Stunning.
We left the spectacularly beautiful Glacier NP early and headed south to Yellowstone NP. We drove mostly on the highways, but even these were incredibly scenic and aptly named Glaciers to Geysers. Our hotel for the next 3 days was in Island Park, about 20 minutes from Yellowstone’s west entrance. The park is so large that we decided to explore with a north/south approach. By entering in the west entrance and turning left we headed north to Mammoth Hot Springs. Walkways guide you through the fields of hydrothermal geysers. We drove the loop out to Lamar Valley and around to Canyon
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