The north shore of lovely Lake Pend Oreille, along Idaho Scenic Route 200. east of Sandpoint

Lake Pend Orielle is a remnant of ancient Lake Missoula, which, ten to twenty thousand years ago was 800 to 1000 feet deep! Ice as high as the surrounding mountains held back the water. When the ice broke apart, tremendous torrents of water were released until it refroze. Eventually, the climate warmed, the ice disappeared... and Lake Pend Orielle is the result...Above, driftwood from the Clark Fork River is held in a retention system to prevent its entry into the Lake...This area is called the Clark Fork Drift Yard...a great spot to collect driftwood!

Clouds reflect in calm water opposite the Drift Yard

The Clark Fork, rushing downstream from Cabinet Gorge Dam -  a hydroelectric facility just a few miles from the Montana/Idaho border on Route 200, east of Clark Fork, Idaho...

Above three images - antique vehicles along Scenic Montana Route 200 near Trout Creek

Two images above - near the north shore of Flathead Lake, Montana. In the photo immediately above, an 11-mile spur railroad once ran from Somers to Kalispell. Built in 1901 by the Great Northern Railway, it was used until 1985 by Burlington Northern...

In Glacier National Park, along the first few miles of Going-to-the-Sun Road, just east of the main entrance at West Glacier...The road was completed in 1933 - an engineering marvel - and spans 50 miles across the park via Logan Pass - the highest point on the road at 6646 feet elevation.

Fog enshrouds the mountains to the east as we continue further into Glacier.

Donna poses at one of many glacial streams along the way...The gorgeous aqua/teal color of the water is due to "Glacial Flour" - sediment washed down from the melting glaciers and snow pack. The material, especially in the lakes, settles near the water's surface, absorbing all of the light spectrum except the lovely reflected turquoise hue, which is what we see...

White Angelica, commonly 1 to 5 feet tall, is an important food for both Grizzly and Black bear in the summer months...

The snow pack above can actually be seen melting and forming one of scores of waterfalls throughout Glacier National Park...With a record 2010-11 snowfall, waterfalls are almost too many to count! In fact, Going-to-the-Sun Road is normally not completely cleared of snow - and thus entirely passable - until mid-July!!

A winter avalanche caused this pile-up of tree limbs and debris by road's edge, making a pretty waterfall backdrop!

One of many cascades right alongside Going-to-the-Sun Road in GNP...

Looking east toward St Mary. The Continental Divide passes nearby. The St. Mary River flows far below in the valley...

Above and immediately below: Lake McDonald - so peaceful in early morning - just inside the west entrance to Glacier...McDonald Creek enters the lake at its north end via McDonald Falls.

Alpine Paintbrush - a lovely wildflower - grows up to 16 inches in height and usually blooms in July and August in Glacier...

Another waterfall, literally at road's edge...You'll be splashed if you drive by with an open window!

Nature's beauty at its best!!! What more can one say? Just one of scores of falls along the road!

"Road Falls" along Going-to-the-Sun Road...Note the tunnel it passes under...and the workers to the left! The source of the falls is quite evident as the snow pack melts and the water cascades over a series of stair steps at its midpoint...This is a magical place!

At Logan Pass Visitors Center - elevation 6646 feet - a Columbian Ground Squirrel (our buddy Joe) poses for the camera, on a blustery summer day in Glacier National Park...