Hi Ed, I appreciate your tips & will take it all into account when I do plan a route. My idea of "northern route" was simply, "not across the deserts."
Linda On Feb 2, 2010, at 5:20 AM, Ed Burkhead wrote: > > Linda, > > By northern route, do you mean U.S. Highway 2 along the edge of > Glacier > National Park? THAT'S the NORTHERN ROUTE! > > That's the route I took on the way back from my big Western trip in > '89. > > From Portland, OR, to Coeur d' Alene, ID, to Kalispell (with time > off for > touring the park), then through the 5200' Maria's pass along the > south edge > of the park. From the east edge of GNP, it's all flatland till you > get to > the Appalachian range in eastern Ohio. > > For the best tourist view, I went through Maria's Pass at 7500' > just after > dawn when the air was very smooth and nice. Before entering the > mountains, > I made sure I was already up at 7500' over the flatlands in the > Flathead > valley near Kalispell. That way I didn't have to worry about > whether my > climb ability was enough to meet the rising ground in a narrow > mountain > valley. > > Ed > >
