Glacier and Hot Springs are two of my favorite things

This weekend brought yet another trip to Glacier National Park, this time with Justin. I've gotten so used to this park, that I was starting to think that I had seen it all...from the road. Well, I was happily proven wrong. Instead of seeing the same old park that I have seen every time that I have gone, we drove up the West side of the park, on the dirt road that is the Inside North Fork Road. It was a bit slow going, with our destination to first be the Polebridge Mercantile, and then up the road about 6 more miles to Bowman Lake, where this photograph was taken.


The plan was to wake up early and take sunrise photos, however, the park was covered in a very heavy fog, allowing me to sleep a bit longer. I was quite alright with this, as I hadn't slept very well at all. With two pairs of pants, a pair of socks (why didn't I bring my smart wool?), three shirts AND a fleece pullover, and a pair of gloves on, I was mostly okay...except for my darn feet. They were freezing! Around midnight, I decided that my hands were warm enough, so I put my gloves on my feet. After a bit this did help and I finally fell asleep, only to wake up to major hip and leg pain. I shook it off though, and got out of the tent and enjoyed the coffee Justin had already made. We enjoyed our breakfast and then packed up camp, having decided that we would head to Hot Springs that evening instead of camping another night.

After some wonderful photos in the misty morning, and after having spotted a fox, a black wolf (with lunch in mouth) and a few bucks, were were eagerly heading to soak in the wonderful mineral baths. We enjoyed a veggie pizza and a few beers while listening to a live band, and then headed out to the tubs.

I got the sun to do the STAR affect! Finally, this is something that has always alluded me. Not sure that I really did anything different or if it was the clouds, angle, etc. Anyway, this is Lake McDonald, from the Northeast shore.





Leaves! They were everywhere, and with the fog on Saturday morning they looked spectacular, with beads of dew and the strange light.











I do have to say that this is my favorite picture from this trip. The fog added a whole new mystery to everything, and then I added a bit more. I had just taken a class on Wednesday to better acquaint myself to my D90. Perfect timing on that! All that I really did to this photo was I changed the White Balance to Kelvin settings and I believe that it was right around 5,000. This shot was taken on the Inside North Fork Road.











A weekend at Glacier and Hot Springs with Justin are three of my favorite things!