Two Medicine - Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is one of my favorite national parks. The views will leave you in awe and wonder. Everything is green and beautiful. If you take Going-To-The-Sun Road and only drive it you will see epic scenery that will take your breath away.

This post will just have a few photos from mainly one part of the park. Two Medicine.

Two Medicine is not as traveled as Going-To-The-Sun Road is. Going-To-The-Sun Road cuts through the park and Two Medicine is in the South east of the park. There is only one way to drive into Two Medicine, and is is from the east. There are two major lakes at Two Medicine and you can get boat tours of one of them. The lakes are Two Medicine Lake and Lower Two Medicine Lake. The road ends at Two Medicine Lake.

On the road road up to Two Medicine Lake you pass Lower Two Medicine Lake and between the two lakes in a fun waterfall called Running Eagle Falls. This Water fall has an interesting feature about it. It comes out of a whole in the rock. The best part is that when the water is high it comes over the top of the rock two. The upper part will even hide the part coming out of the rock to where you cannot see it. When it is not quite so high there will be a narrower upper waterfall joining the lower fall. Someday I will have to come back and see it again.

3 photo panorama - Running Eagle Falls, near Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

This next image show the difference that shutter speed can have on a photo. The first is taken with a faster shutter speed and the second has a slower shutter speed. The second one has a nice smooth moving feel to it and the first has a choppy feel to it. It is generally a good idea to go with a slower shutter speed when take a photo of a waterfall.

These two images are an example of what a difference shutter speed can have on an image of running water. The two speeds are not that far apart. But as you can see ,in the one on the left (1/30 second), the water is not as smooth looking or appealing. The one on the right (1/5 second) is much nicer. 
Running Eagle Falls, near Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

6 photo panorama - Running Eagle Falls, near Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

This first photo, on the left, is an 8 photo panorama and the second one, on the right, is a 5 photo panorama.

My wife and I in front ofRunning Eagle Falls, near Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

2 photo panorama - Running Eagle Falls, near Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

Spherical Pile of Rocks, Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

Two Medicine Lake Dock, Glacier National Park

Two Medicine Lake Shore, Glacier National Park

Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

13 photo panorama - Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

10 photo panorama - Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park

Lower Two Medicine Lake, photo taken from road to Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Lower Two Medicine Lake, photo taken from road to Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

12 photo panorama - Lower Two Medicine Lake, photos taken from road to Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Moon Setting over East Flattop Mountain 

Near Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

It was a little difficult to find a place to camp in Glacier because all the places to camp were ful in the park. We need up staying at a KOA just outside of the park my Saint Mary Lake. Here are some photos of the moon going down that night. I personally enjoy the gif. Just so you know the KOA is a nice place to camp. This was a first for us.

Moon setting over East Flattop Mountain, Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Moon setting over East Flattop Mountain, Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Gif of Moon setting over East Flattop Mountain, Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park

Montana Highways

Near the end of July, 2012, we drove through Montana from Yellowstone National Park to Glacier National Park. We drove through Livingston, Bozman, and Helena.

The first few photos here are west of Livingston. It has been raining and the scenery was perfect. The clouds were dark and stirred, there was a rainbow, a beautiful  hill with green trees and shrubs, and golden grass. There is nothing like gold and the end of the rainbow. There is nothing like the gold of a field.

Stormy Sky, Sunny Hillside

Rainbow from a stormy sky falling on a hill

9 photo panorama - Rainbow from a stormy sky falling on a hill

Stormy Sky, Sunny Hillside

12 photo panorama - Rainbow, stormy sky, rolling hills, mountains, and golden fields

Stormy Sky, Sunny Hillside

Rainbow from a stormy sky touching a golden hill

Golden hill and the end of the rainbow

Rainbow from a stormy sky touching a golden hill

11 photo panorama - Rainbow, stormy sky, rolling hills, mountains, and golden fields

This next group photos are from along US 287 between I-90 and Helena, MT. There was some roadwork going on so there was a long wait. The sun was going down so I got out and took a few photos. After getting through some of the road work I again pulled over to take a few more photos. The scenery changed quite a bit throughout the whole drive; mountains, hills, fields, forests, grasslands, high elevation and low elevation. Truly superb! I kept telling my wife that I want to live in Montana.

16 photo panorama - Fields, Mountains and Hills along US 287, Montana

Fields, Mountains and Hills along US 287, Montana

10 photo panorama - Fields, Mountains and Hills along US 287, Montana

9 photo panorama - Fields, Mountains and Hills along US 287, Montana

13 photo panorama - Fields, Mountains and Hills along US 287, Montana

Fields and mountains along US 287, Montana

8 photo panorama - Fields and mountains along US 287, Montana

These las two photos are from the following day along US 287 and US 89 Between Helena and Browning, Montana. The scenery can change quite a bit in a short time period.

11 photo panorama - Golden Hills, along US 287 just north of Montana State Road 200, Montana

6 photo panorama - Green Fields and Mountains, along US 89 near Heart Butte Road/Sevenmile Lane, Montana

Virginia Cascade, Norris, Sheepeater Cliff, and more of Yellowstone

Heading west and north through Yellowstone National Park from the Lower and Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River there are many beautiful things to see. When we passed through we were not able to  spend as much time as we would have liked but I'll share some of what we saw. Some of the things we saw are Virginia Cascade, Porcelain Basin at Norris Geyser Basin, Sheepeater Cliff and lovely scenery.

We first stopped by Virginia Cascade.

Virginia Cascade

To get to Virginia Cascasde you have to take a little oneway road. Campers and buses are not allowed on the road. Virginia Cascade is beautiful. One problem is getting a good photo of it. There are many trees in the way and there are not any parking places. The photo here is a panorama I took from a ways away. To get a good shot of the falls would require being high in the air in the middle of the canyon.

6 photo panorama - Virginia Cascade, Yellowstone National Park

Norris Geyser Basin

Porcelain Basin

We went to North Geyser Basin and only visited Porcelain Basin. We had a long way to travel and we had both gotten a bit of sun. There is a nice array of  color here. You do see a lot of white but there is cloudy glass-like-blue, green, orange, brown, grey and blue.

Scummy Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Green Cyanidium algae and orange cyanobacteria in the acidic waters of Porcelain Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Green Cyanidium algae and orange cyanobacteria in the acidic waters of Porcelain Basin, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Colloidal Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Swiss Cheese Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Porcelain Springs and a small steaming geyser-like hole, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park

Congress Pool, Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.
This shows what some people think of Congress. No grander or action, rather it is a hole that sinks and does nothing.

Valley near Beaver Lake

The valley upstream from Beaver Lake is such a beautiful spot. The spot these photos are taken at is literally on the side of the road. I have a photo of this area during autumn which you can also see on my blog HERE. Now you can see the same location during the summer. Enjoy.

You will notice that many trees are bare and black. A fire is to blame but it also adds to the beauty of the landscape.

12 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

56 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Creek in valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Grass, stream, and trees in valley near Beaver Lake, Yellowstone National Park

Sheepeater Cliff

Gardner River

Sheepeater Cliff has a geological feature I love to see. Columnar Basalt. Columnar Basalt is a distinct feature. Some areas with this columnar feature are quite famous. Some of these are... the's Giant's Causeway in Ireland, at the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Hexagon pool in the Golan Heights, throughout Iceland, Prismas Basálticos in Mexico, Devil's Postpile in California, Organ Pipes National Park in Austrailia, Akun Island in Alaska, and in many other places in the world. 

I will stop continuing the rant of places I want to see with columnar basalt features and get on with the photos.

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Fly Fisherman in the Gardner River at Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Gardner River and Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

8 photo panorama - Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Stone at the base of Sheepeater Cliff, Yellowstone National Park

Road south of Mammoth

South of Mammoth there is a waterfall on Glen Creek in Kingman Pass. The waterfall is nice but the whole pass is beautiful. Because of the lighting I did not take a photo of the falls but I did take a few of the pass.

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

Kingman Pass and Glen Creek, Grand Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park