an Offering from the Glacier Song Book....

Forest Fire Rap
Wildfire Rap
By Deb Gerace, 2008

I flame, I scorch, I smolder and smoke.
I can make you hot and I can make you choke.
Because of the above I often get a bad name,
But the real truth is, new growth is my game.

When I’m full of myself, and the forest’s on fire,
My thick, smoky clouds build higher and higher.
I look pretty fierce with my sparks blowing ‘round,
Driving out the critters as I race across the ground.

But I can be a sneak as well, just see if I can’t
By creeping through the bushes like an army of ants,
Gobbling up the underbrush and licking up the bark
Of cedars and pines and leaving my mark.

But after I’m finished, just take a second look
And lo and behold, Mother Nature starts to cook
By letting all the tougher trees start greening way up high
Even though they looked like they were starting to die!

(Continued online at Glacier's educational website)

Bye now.

Somehow, I always wind up doing my thing with kids, which is what I'm heading back to Ga. to do, in just a very few weeks.   I hope I can bring Glacier back with me, at least enough of it to whet my own students' appetites for more and maybe someday, when they are older, they will make this incredible journey, themselves.

From the ridiculous to the sublime.....

Before I sign out on this most amazing adventure, I'd like to leave you with a few gems....or something like that.  We are two days away from home and have been slammed with storms since leaving the West.  Another massive one is on its way from Illinois into southern Indiana where we decided not to tempt fate and are staying at a motel tonight in Columbus, which is still reeling from the floods last month.   As soon as I post this, I'm shutting down and bringing in the flashlights and lantern from the Wee Hoose....just in case!  Meanwhile, check out this last (maybe) post:
A few nuggets we'd like to share with you as we approach our final return destination:  This Alien Entertainment complex rather fascinated me.....somewhere in the midwest, which is where we saw more than just a few oddities, such as the one below....
No, not me....this place into which I am beckoning you in this photo - The House On a Rock.  Or rather, built around, under, between and over a big rock, over a number of years and filled with more collections, art, stained glass, mechanical instruments, old books and stuff that defies description, in Wisconsin, of all places.  But the further off the interstate we went in this state, the more quirky-ness we encountered.   Now this 'house' has grown into kind of a village of stuff, from the world's largest indoor carousel to a full mechanical orchestra.  However, Wisconsin has some truly classy attractions, as well.  Scroll down.....
On the same property as Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin homeplace, is the first building in which he 'broke the box' of architecture.....a school for the youth of the Wright/Jones families in the valley which still serves as a school of architecture for members of the Taliesin Fellowship today.

On The Road Again...and again, and again!

To my Petite Ya - Ya, L.M.,  I know this is out of sync with this blog page, but this one is for you!  This is me, 'taking out the trash' at the cabin.  We were instructed to drop our trash off at a nearby campground's dumpster.  It was a 3 minute drive or a mile paddle.  No contest!  Miss you, darlin' girl and looking forward to 'taking out the trash' at Allatoona soon!
This marker indicates where Custer probably fell at the Battle of Little Bighorn.  This is another place that evokes a lot of emotion and Mike just finished reading Ambrose's "Crazy Horse & Custer...The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors," so he got a lot out of this visit.  It is a place in which all Americans need to spend some time reflecting.  For us, The Trail of Tears Museum in The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma had the same effect.
We decided to try Mt. Rushmore one more time, after being turned off two years ago by the high price of parking in a national park for which we had just bought a yearly pass!  We spent a whole day at the Crazy Horse Monument instead that day.  But this time, we camped at the nearby KOA which had a shuttle so the whole 3 hour evening trip was only $4!   It was impressive....we hiked the base of the mountain walk, visited the sculpture's studio, and the ranger talk, movie, flag lowering ceremony in which all veterans in the amphitheater audience were invited down to the stage and asked to touch the folded flag after they were recognized and were leaving the stage.  We all sang 'God Bless the USA' a cappella, led by the ranger...it was a moving evening.  And the full moon iced the cake.

Today we spent an hour in an RV service bay, wondering if the leak in the fresh water system was going to be a big deal.  So far, not really.  Bill and Rich, at Dakota RV whipped that sucker into shape in no time flat and didn't charge us a cent because they weren't sure that was the only problem.  Looks like it was, since we're now using our water again and it's nice and dry under the Wee Hoose!  After that delay, we hit the road for a little over an hour and then stopped at the world-famous Wall Drugs in the Badlands.  This was a little one-horse drug store that years ago, hit upon the strategy of offering free ice water.  From that bright idea, grew four blocks of arcades, souvenir shops, western art shops, Black Hills Gold jewelry, eateries, giant dinosaurs and jackalopes, etc.  Google Wall Drugs and learn the rest of this quirky story if you don't already know it!

Oh, and by the way....

Forgot to tell you, Tilley has two fawns.  She brought them down to the cabin the other day to show them off, I guess.  We kept Mr. Confrontational out of the way, you can be sure.  No photo yet, needs lightening, since this was around 9 PM.  Stay tuned.  

Laura had this very appropriate cake baked and decorated for me and brought it to our farewell party and jam session at the AIR cabin Sunday afternoon. She, of course, is the education specialist and I don't know how Glacier ever managed without her all those years. I think she's only been there 2 or 3 years now, but she has made an incredible difference. She used to be a science teacher in her other life!

Mike enjoying his last night at the cabin. This is how our cabin usually looks, with laundry hanging out...real homey. We'll miss it - not to mention the lake!!!And then there's me, doing my guitar thing and teaching 'the kids' some new songs...like Kum By Yah. Dear kids, though...so nice. They will live here at Glacier, in dorms all summer, flitting hither and yon on bicycles, working in the gift shop, housekeeping, Jammer Joe's Restaurant, driving the Jammer busses, etc., then go back to California, Texas, Afghanistan, Russia or wherever they came from until next summer. They are amazing. This place could not function without them!
Here stands Mike (Father Goose), cooking burgers and dogs for the interpretive rangers and the Glacier Park Inc. employees who we've met over the past 30 days. Everyone in this photo, with the exception of Laura (in the bathing suit), is under 28...way under 28, (not Mike, of course). Later in the evening, a few GPI people over 40 came...yay! Playmates my own age!

But we all had a blast and Dennis McE will be honored to know that I taught them the entire Scat Rap and it they had so much fun that we took it over to the Lodge for the employees' open mike night at 10:30 PM that nite where it was a great hit! So now we are on our way back to Hotlanta, via The Little Bighorn, then Wall Drugs near the Badlands, then through the prairie then who knows where next? Meanwhile, Daisy and Buddy are hanging in there.....

Winding It Up

One more of a plethora of photos we took at Indian Days. The bad news is - we are departing for Ga. tomorrow a.m. Partied hearty last night at the cabin with rangers and GPI friends and camp hosts friends we've made here. Had one last paddle this morning to paddle the trash down to Sprague Campground, about a mile on Lake McDonald and it has a dumpster. Next entry will be from a campground near Little Bighorn that hopefully will have Wi fi.

We were extended 5 days so we could attend Indian Days in nearby Browning, MT. This is a huge inter-tribal powwow and truly a rapid kaleidoscope of color.

Cold, cold water but it has colors that are so vivid, one would swear there is powdered turquoise in it. Close...it's powder, all right, but from the glaciers.

We hiked 6 miles round trip up to this jewel.....Avalanche Lake.....a cirque lake, fed by a glacier. Can you say 'gorgeous?' I thought you could!

Everyday Life At GNP

And speaking of bears, our dinner companion in the village of Apgar.

On the 4th, it was windy and we couldn't paddle so I did the next best thing - racked out in my kayak on the shore and cuddled my dogs. Not a bad 4th. Very quiet at the park that day but we hear that the town of Hungry Horse sure rocked!

They're not kidding. We take our bear spray whenever we go into the woods on a hike. The rangers gave it to us and taught us how to use it. Most tourists wear the bear bells, but I notice the rangers didn't give us those.....that says something right there! Sounds like Christmas out on the trails! We saw a black bear near Avalanche Lake our first week here, and moose, mountain goats and Dahl's sheep. Ravens wake us in the a.m. (not a soothing sound), and we've heard a loon on our lake. Then of course, there's Buddy's deer.....

Singing in McDonald Lodge...not part of my duties, but they do favors for me and are a nice bunch of folks there. On rainy afternoons, it adds a lot!

This is how I spend most of my late evenings, after performing tunes for the ranger talks. Since all the rangers are too busy to meet, I go to them, sell them on the fact that my music can really 'kick it up' for their talk and then add said music. It's catching on.....I have 3 ranger 'gigs' this week.

Today Laura, Mike and I spent 2 hours in the Discovery Cabin with video equipment and got all the tunes and motions down on film for the GNP Education Website and for a possible CD. We are running out of time but I have been extended 5 days.....must be doing something right!

Second Attempt

I've written about 8 songs and now I'm teaching them to the kids and to the Interpretive Rangers via the Family Programs in the Campground Amphitheaters. My ultimate goal is to create a songbook & CD for teachers who will bring school field trips here.

Now this is a lodge! This is the Glacier Lodge, about an hour or so from here, up at East Glacier, still part of the park. The park has 5 or 6 lodges, but then again, the park is over a million acres and also spreads in to Canada. I do like our Lake McDonald Lodge just fine, however, It's intimate and I am getting to know the employees and they are extremely nice.

This may be all I get to post today, as I was just attempting to add another photo and we lost the signal. Ah, wilderness! I'll shut down and try again later.

By the way, going To the Sun Rd. opened all the way through today....50 miles. The trails at the height (Logan Pass) are still closed, due to several feet of snow.

Odds 'n' Ends

The interior of the McDonald Lodge, which is very close to our cabin and I get my messages there from the park staff and new friends. It's the most intimate lodge in Glacier. Later, when Wi Fi is running a tad faster (this took 13 minutes to download), I will post a photo of the biggest and most rustically opulent lodge. I think Mike might already have it on his gallery page, so check that out. I have written 6 tunes for the park, so far and will perform one tomorrow night at the campfire amphitheater in Apgar, a tiny village on the west side of Glacier, about 10 miles from our cabin. The plan is to make a DVD of me performing all these songs and putting it in a teacher packet for incoming field trips in the future. This is to accent Glacier's new policy of "No Child Left Inside." We have two weeks in which to do this.....stay tuned......By the way, I'm learning tons and the people here are most helpful and friendly. Did I mention that everyone has a story? Lots of unique folks here. Guess that includes me!

Several of you have asked how the dogs are doing. Here is a photo of Buddy & Tilley squaring off. As we stated before, we are not sure of her intentions, so Mike usually picks him up when she trots up and follow us on our walkies. They are keeping a low profile and spending most of their time in their crate, but they get many walks every day. Due to bears and protective does, no dogs are allowed on trails, but we walk them four times a day to the Lodge and back, where I check my messages. They seem fine and it beats kenneling them for two months! The skeeters, now, well, that's a whole 'nother story! Since it's gotten hot (upper 80's low 90's, no kidding) the skeeters have exploded on to the scene. Never a problem out on the kayaks, though.

75th Anniversary Event for GTTS Rd.

The 'band' - caught in a moment of relaxation and chatting, right before the color guard presentation. Notice the classic vintage Red Jammer Bus in the background. Mike has photos of the modern 'vintage-style' jammer buses on his gallery. We took the West Alpine Tour on one. They're very cool! More later. Each photo takes about 8 minutes to load. No hi-speed here. Barely an internet here in the wilderness, so we're thankful for what we've got!

This federal event was held at McDonald Lodge, a 5 minute walk from the AIR cabin and where I pick up my messages. GTTS is the only American Road that is not only a National Historic Landmark, but also a National Civic engineering Landmark. Since the Blackfeet once lived on the total Glacier site and still have a reservation that abuts it, they generously donated the color guard. Wish you could have heard it.....a color guard entering with that Indian two step, to drums and chanting....very moving. The other flags are tribal, Blackfeet Nation, Flathead, not sure about the other two, but Salish and Kootenai are also local tribes. It was another gorgeous day in the 80's. GTTS still not open at the heights, but we needed to get the ceremony done and move on!

FLASH: Mike has created a photo gallery for everyone. You can find it at:

http://gallery.mac.com/mgturnip/100008

Back in Glacier, USA....

Coming around the bend and discovering the beauty of Two Medicine, where we met the world's oldest Junior Ranger, Evelyn, who works for Glacier Park, Inc. When I asked her how she managed to convince the admin. that she should be a Jr. Ranger, she told me she simply asked him if he thought she was old enough to try out! She wears her badge around the gift shop and encourages kids to try out for Jr. Ranger-ship. She's a hoot and a good soul. Everyone at Glacier has a story....

This is a shot from one of the sections of Going-to-the-Sun Rd. that's open. Rumor has it that the rest will open any day now....but the webcams show a pile of snow in the Logan Pass parking lot....

On the return trip from Waterton-Glacier in Canada, we put the yaks in at Many Glacier for a fabulous hour of paddling. Felt like we were in the Alps! Unlike paddling in Ga. or Fl., falling out is not an option. This is seriously cold water!!!!

Maple Leaf Land, Con't.

There is just no end to the beauty of Waterton-Glacier. A noble cause in a gorgeous setting. This was the first peace park, but now there are many others. Perhaps the sentiment will catch on, as well.

Red Rock Canyon Falls....gorgeous...quiet......wonderful trail......Oh Canada!!!

Oh Canada!

And of course, after our cruise, we had high tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel.....

We took the boat from Canada to Goat Haunt, USA and enroute, the guide pointed out this extremely rare A-shaped fold in the rock face where the rock actually bent. Geologists come from all over the world to see this. Also, this is the only place where you can cross the Canada/USA border as though it did not exist....if you are a Canadian or US citizen, that is.

Waterton-Glacier Peace Park is an interesting 'first.' The two countries share amazing natural territory and so decided, with the push of their mutual Rotarians, to share this area in the name of peace, with two pavilions dedicated to this idea, one in each country.

Land of the Midnight Sun

It's late but still the same day as the previous posts, and somehow, we still have wi fi out here in the camper, so I'll take advantage of it. This is the rock with the stone design that stood between the prayer cloths and the two crosses.

Here are the two crosses I described earlier. All for now. Big day tomorrow at Waterton-Glacier Peace Park in Canada. Details later.

Today we left our cozy cabin and drove up to East Glacier, Two Medicine, the 12 or so miles of the Going To the Sun Rd. that is open (an additional foot of snow as week before we arrived and then several avalanches pretty well undid a lot of the normal plowing the crews must do to open this road after a normal winter, which this one was not! So....no big crowds right now because of that. You can still go 12 - 16 miles on the West or East end of this 50 mile engineering feat, but the spectacular passes in the center are closed. That means that the only route that bisects this huge park is useless as a through-way and one must drive around the perimeter to access either end of the Sun Rd. Still a gorgeous drive for us, for sure. This shot was taken at Two Medicine. Also, found a beautiful overlook with a path so we took it because prayer clothes were tied around the gnarled branches of a grove of stunted aspens a little down the hill from the overlook. A little further on, there were 2 crosses of young Native Americans whose "spirits were thrown to the four winds" here. Nearby was a big flat rock with a design on top formed out of little stones as though both Christian and old ways bases had been covered. We tied a piece of cloth on one of the trees to offer a prayer and show our respect. It was a windy, solitary place with a beautifl view, but a somber significance. I'll try to download the photo later. I'm on borrowed wi-fi time at this location.

Storm approaching our lake here and this shot was taken standing in front of our cabin. The white lighlights on the mt. tops are snow, illuminated by a shaft of sun, just before the clouds really closed in. It was about 5 PM here when this was taken, but like Scotland, Phil, it's still light as I post this and it's 10:15 PM at this campground in St. Mary's.

Mike kayaking in front of our cabin so he can get a photo of it from the lake. It's 10 miles long and over 400 ft. deep...glacial lake. Sprads, Robin and Lauren, wish you were here!! The 'yakkin' is awesome but the swimmin' is cold!

Oh, and just in case you think I play and play all day, here is something I'm working on to help promote safety on the trail to kids, (and I take this seriously, no kidding, and we sing this song pretty loud on the griz trails, ourselves!)

To the tune of Singin' in the Rain:

I'm singin' on the trail, just singin' on the trail.

Com-pared to a griz-zly, I'm ti-ny and frail.

Don't want to sur-prise - those big - furry guys,

So singin' - just singin' on the trail!

Factoid: Most griz attacks occur because hikers startle them in a blind spot or bend of the trail so don't be a quiet hiker.

(Yes, we carry bearspray!)

Heads up, everyone. Very little Wi Fi here and we have to go into town to get whatever happens to waft in on the breeze, as it is. These posts are going to be sporadic. The deer above is Tilley Two, who has fallen madly in love with our mini poodle, Buddy. She follows us back to the cabin from McDonald Lodge every evening, but only when we are walking the dogs. I don't have the heart to tell her it's a doomed relationship. Tilley was the name of a previous deer that hung around the Lodge for years and even gave birth to fawns there. Tilley Two is probably one of her offspring.

Everywhere we turn, the views are breath-taking. This is Avalanche Creek, where Going To The Sun rd. is closed, due to snow. We took the Red Jammer Bus tour for 4 hours yesterday, especially through the area affected by fires several years ago and saw bear and new growth.

The view from our front door and yes, the lake is right there. Mike enjoys a cigar at the edge of the lake every night and I don't need a fishing license!

More scenery on the road to our cabin. I'm meeting a lot of really friendly and interesting people here. Everyone who moves to Glacier or nearby Hungry Horse has a story and every story is unique! There are jam sessions in Columbia Falls on Thursday nights so next week, I'll check that out. If anyone called and left phone messages, we have iffy cell service as well and we accidently deleted all messages that came in last week, so try again, or respond to this blog.

Laura Law is the Education Specialist at GNP and she has created some wonderful lesson plans for implementing their "No Child Left Inside" effort to bring the next generation to our national parks. My job is to complement the facts with tunes, skits and poetry. Together, we make a good team!

This is the road leading in to our Artist In Residence cabin. Going-to-the-Sun Rd. is only open a few miles beyond our cabin....still plowing snow. Half of this 50 mile engineering feat is still snowbound, but this is the norm.

Fine dining under the stars at Glacier Campground. Cheffed by Hillary Ginepra, director of culinary arts at Flathead Valley Community College, and her assistant and student, Harold Foster, "The Pavilion" offers wonderfully spiced and herbed chicken and beef dishes, as well as barbecue and 'Margharita Pizzas!" This was a very pleasant surprise and we're wondering why the folks in West Glacier and Hungry Horse aren't beating a path to this campground jewel every Thursday through Sunday!

This is Mike's idea of camping. Porkchop is one of the two 'campground host' dogs, (ponies in dog suits, as far as we're concerned) at Glacier Campground, where we are spending an extra day, due to our cabin not being quite ready. We are chillin,' which is a nice thing, since we've been pushing since we left, ten days ago.

Last Leg of the Journey

The weather and the scenery today were glorious. Tonight we are camping right outside of the park and tomorrow I start in my A.I.R. position. Big mountains, big sky (big skeeters!)

My Unsung Hero...the Driver!

Today I actually drove most of the distance on our 'blue highway' jaunt from Forsyth to Helena (MT) and learned to appreciate just how hard it is to keep the camper van on winding mountain roads in windy conditions. This post is a tribute to my beloved driver and to let him know how much I love him and the good care he takes of me on the road!